HEATHER AND THE STORMY BIRTHDAY

Wild weather–loving Heather Whirl experiences a superstorm.

On her eighth birthday, Heather’s great-grandmother gives her a special gift, an heirloom umbrella that will take her on weather adventures—the first involving a wide-ranging storm on the East Coast of the United States. Soon Heather; her best friend, Edward; her dog, Fog; and her lizard, Blizzard, are whirled away to a windy wave-whipped seashore. The animals can talk now, and Edward and Blizzard get caught in the backwash from a big wave but are pulled to safety. Hearing a call for help, the quartet enter a small beach house, where they find, and help, an elderly woman who has fallen. A reporter covering the storm shows up and interviews Heather, who expounds on superstorms and climate change. When night falls, Heather and her friends return home in time for her birthday party. Though there’s plenty of solid weather information here, the author does more telling than showing, and many facts feel awkwardly inserted. Adventure-related backmatter includes Heather’s Weather Journal entry on superstorms, two of Edward’s photos, Blizzard’s research-based explanation of climate change, and Fog’s suggestions for staying safe during superstorms. Heather has light skin and straight hair; Edward has darker skin and curly dark hair.

Despite its subject matter, on the dry side.