The Disaster Days

by Rebecca Behrens

Overview

Hatchet meets The Babysitters Club in this epic and thrilling survival story about pushing oneself to the limit in the face of a crisis.

We were all alone, in a shaken and shattered house, in the dark. And I was in charge.

Hannah Steele loves living on Pelling, a tiny island near Seattle. She's always felt totally safe there.

So when she's asked to babysit after school one day, it's no big deal. Zoe and Oscar are her next-door neighbors, and Hannah just took a babysitting class, which she's pretty sure makes her an expert. She isn't even worried that she left her inhaler at home.

Then the shaking begins.

The terrifying earthquake only lasts four minutes, but it changes everything—damaging the house, knocking out the power, and making cell service nonexistent. Even worse, the ferry and the bridge connecting the kids to help—and their parents—are both blocked, which means they're stranded alone. And Hannah's in charge as things go from bad to worse.

Praise for The Disaster Days:

"A realistic, engrossing survival story that's perfect for aspiring babysitters and fans of John Macfarlane's Stormstruck!, Sherry Shahan's Ice Island, or Wesley King's A World Below."—School Library Journal

"The strength of this steadily paced novel that stretches over four days of a scary disaster scenario is that Hannah doesn't figure everything out; she stumbles, doubts, and struggles throughout it all."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Fans of survival thrillers in the vein of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet will enjoy this tense, honest tale of bravery...an excellent (and refreshingly not didactic) teaching tool on natural-disaster preparedness."—Booklist

"The relentless progression of a variety of disaster scenarios will keep readers turning pages…equally suspenseful and informative."—School Library Connection

"Behrens uses immersive details and situations effectively viewed from Hannah's perspective to create a suspenseful, vivid story filled with lessons about responsibility and overcoming adversity."—Publishers Weekly

The Disaster Days is a perfect…

• gift for preteen survival story fans
• earthquake fiction chapter book for tween girls ages 11-14
• survivalist fiction book for middle grade girls
• summer reading book for preteens
• preteen gift for girls

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728246475
Publisher:	Sourcebooks Young Readers
Publication date:	06/01/2021
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	182,277
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	750L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Rebecca Behrens is the author of three critically acclaimed middle-grade novels that explore famous historical figures and fascinating places: When Audrey Met Alice, Summer of Lost and Found, and The Last Grand Adventure. Her latest releases, The Disaster Days and Alone in the Woods, are thrillingly realistic survival stories. Rebecca grew up in Wisconsin, studied in Chicago, and now lives with her husband in New York City. You can visit her online at www.rebeccabehrens.com.

Editorial Reviews

09/16/2019

Behrens’s natural disaster–themed epic portrays a young person’s grace under pressure. Hannah, 13, is embroiled in typical early teen drama with friends, school, and her parents. She’s also worried about her second-ever babysitting gig, which will be for a neighbor on the small island of Pelling, near Seattle. Reality exceeds her imagined worst-case scenario after an earthquake traps her and her two young charges—10-year-old Zoe and her younger brother, Oscar—on the island without power, a working phone, or adult guidance. It’s up to Hannah, despite asthma and serious injuries, to keep them safe. Her extraordinary resourcefulness and courage in deadly situations highlight her burgeoning maturity. Behrens (When Audrey Met Alice) uses immersive details and situations effectively viewed from Hannah’s perspective to create a suspenseful, vivid story filled with lessons about responsibility and overcoming adversity. Ages 8–12. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Fans of survival thrillers in the vein of Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet will enjoy this tense, honest tale of bravery...an excellent (and refreshingly not didactic) teaching tool on natural-disaster preparedness." — Booklist

"A suspenseful, vivid story filled with lessons about responsibility and overcoming adversity." — Publishers Weekly

"The strength of this steadily paced novel that stretches over four days of a scary disaster scenario is that Hannah doesn’t figure everything out; she stumbles, doubts, and struggles throughout it all" — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"A realistic, engrossing survival story that’s perfect for aspiring babysitters and fans of John Macfarlane’s Stormstruck!, Sherry Shahan’s Ice Island, or Wesley King’s A World Below." — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

10/01/2019

Gr 4–7—Pelling, a small, isolated, fictional island near Seattle, is a utopia. At least, that's what Hannah Steele thinks. Life for Hannah is safe and simple, so much so she hardly worries when she forgets her emergency inhaler for her asthma while babysitting her neighbor's children, Zoe and Oscar. Hannah feels prepared because she's 13, has taken a babysitting course, has her phone if there's a real emergency, and knows home is less than a mile away. Her biggest issues are her mother, who babies her, and her concern that her best friend is ignoring her. Then the shaking starts. After the earthquake, Hannah discovers Pelling is completely cut off from the mainland and the phone towers are down. Her only lifeline is the emergency services broadcasts on the radio. With no adults, Hannah, Zoe, and Oscar must use all their resources to survive. Even as the action steadily increases, the characters behave realistically. Hannah and her charges have reasonable amounts of working knowledge for the emergency but react in an age-appropriate manner to the escalating danger. After reading Behrens's informative, riveting portrayal of earthquakes and their aftermath, readers may learn how to respond in a similar situation. VERDICT A realistic, engrossing survival story that's perfect for aspiring babysitters and fans of John Macfarlane's Stormstruck!, Sherry Shahan's Ice Island, or Wesley King's A World Below.—Kaetlyn Phillips, Yorkton, Sask.

School Library Journal

2019-06-16
A simple afternoon of babysitting turns into a battle for survival.

Hannah Steele, 13, is babysitting for only the second time, which makes her a little nervous, especially when she realizes she's forgotten her rescue inhaler. But she's just going to be watching Zoe and Oscar Matlock, who live next door—so what's there to be nervous about? After all, they live on peaceful (and fictional) Pelling Island, a half hour from Seattle—a place Hannah considers utopic, where "nothing really bad ever happens." But then a powerful earthquake strikes the Pacific Northwest. There's no power, no phones, no internet, and no parents, leaving Hannah entirely on her own. Over three thrilling, tension-filled days, Hannah must cope with serious injuries to both Zoe and Oscar as well as little food and water. Moreover, damage to the Matlock house means it's unsafe to stay there. There's a close call with a bear, the stress and exhaustion give her asthma attacks, and Hannah's not sure what to do. Earnest Hannah narrates in a credibly 13-year-old voice, her friendship woes giving her an Everykid feel even as disaster-related action keeps pages flipping. Names suggest some diversity in the community, but Hannah, Zoe, and Oscar present white.

A believable heroine finds her strength during a disaster. (Thriller. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews