  | Secret of the storm (Secret Of The Storm) Author: McMullen, Beth | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
Cassie King's father has died, her mother has retreated into herself, away from reality, and her best friend has abandoned her for the in crowd, so when she and her sort-of friend, Joe, find a kitten during an intense electrical storm, Cassie is determined to adopt him. But Albert (named for Einstein) is no ordinary kitten: he is incredibly strong, things around him tend to burn, his eyes glow red, and when he gets annoyed the weather turns dangerous--in fact, Albert is a dragon.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (11/01/21)
School Library Journal (03/01/22)
Booklist (02/15/22)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 02/15/2022 A year after her father’s sudden death, 12-year-old Cassie’s life is unraveling. At home, her mother has withdrawn from the challenges of parenthood. And at school, when Cassie’s only friend starts hanging out with “the popular posse,” she has no one even to sit with at lunch. Enter Joe, the nerdiest kid in her class, offering friendship, if she has the courage to accept it. Thrown together during a weirdly localized, supernaturally violent storm, they find a kitten in a dumpster, and Cassie takes it home. As she and Joe try to solve a decades-old mystery related to supernatural storms in the past, they come to accept that the kitten is not what it seems; instead it’s a legendary creature from another dimension. Details of middle-school life and worries at home keep Cassie’s first-person narrative grounded in reality, making the vividly described fantasy elements easier to accept when they arise. From the writer of Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls (2017) and its sequels, this well-paced, enjoyable novel is the first volume in a promising fantasy adventure series. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
Booklist - 02/15/2022 - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 03/01/2022 Gr 3–7—Twelve-year-old Cassie Jones has had a hard year; her father was killed in a car accident. The pain of that moment is a constant in Cassie's life, and her mother now spends her days sleeping and taking pills to cope. Her best friend, Mia, has become popular and distances herself, making Cassie feel lonelier than ever. Things take an unexpected turn when Cassie and fellow library volunteer Joe get caught in a sudden storm. As it subsides, Cassie and Joe emerge only to hear the soft mews of a kitten, who they name Albert. Something isn't right about this cat, though. Unexplained things keep happening; random items start burning and there are more sudden storms. As the two attempt to learn more about Albert, they find out that there are others looking for him. Cassie and Joe need to figure out what Albert is and how to help him before it is too late, and the cliffhanger ending alludes to a sequel. Joe is the only person of color explicitly described. VERDICT A quick, action-packed read perfect for fans of animal, fantasy, and mystery tales.—Katie Llera - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
