Thirteen year
old Kyle is excited for his family vacation. He gets to fly on a plane for the
first time and see the Pacific Ocean during their visit to Oregon's coast. As
they are checking into the hotel Kyle sees a bully, Daren, from school. When
Kyle’s parents go to an awards ceremony out on a large ship off the coast, they
leave him to watch his sister, BeeBee, for the night. An earthquake hits and
the hotel is on fire. They see Daren and try to help him get outside. Free from
the flames, they feel safe. Kyle remembers a sign he saw at the beach about
giant waves that can come after an earthquake. The sign said to get to higher ground. They had to get moving! Kyle
tries to convince Daren to go with them, but he won't listen. Kyle and BeeBee
start to trek up a nearby mountain. He's not sure how high up they need to go,
but he knows they need to get away from the ocean. Along the way they find an
elderly couple who is out walking their dog, trying to get to a safe place. Will
a tsunami hit? Can l Kyle and BeeBee survive if it does? What will happen to
their parents and Daren? You'll have to read this fast paced book to find out
how it all ends.
Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret was a page turner. I have read other books by this
author and have enjoyed them all. I thought Kyle and BeeBee both seemed like characters
I could relate to and because Kyle was 13 it made sense that his parents left
them alone for the evening so they could go to the ceremony. It was easy to
relate to Kyle’s disappointment when he found out that someone who was mean to
him at school was staying at his hotel. From what I could see of Darren he
didn't act very kind! I can’t imagine how scary it would be to be in a major
earthquake. This is a great book for kids who like realistic fiction and lots
of action! I learned a lot of survival tips from the story too! I look forward
to reading more books by this author.
Has anyone else
read Escaping the Giant Wave? Or have you read another book by Peg Kehret? We'd
love to hear your thoughts!
Happy Reading!
~L
