THE SILENT STORM

Though she once loved stories about the hurricanes around Galveston Island, Alyssa, 13, has been mute ever since her mother drowned and her father disappeared three years ago during a storm; convinced that she's somehow responsible, Alyssa can't remember for sure that traumatic day—but as another hurricane approaches and danger looms, she has flashbacks.... Though Garland moves her story quickly and fills it with interesting lore about hurricanes, shrimp boats, and the lives of people close to the sea, it's not as compelling as her depiction of the plight of Vietnam's Amerasian children (Song of the Buffalo Boy, 1992). She stretches credibility by simultaneously resolving the problem of Alyssa's speech, her grandfather's life, the mystery of her father's disappearance, and the storm; also, some of the minor characters aren't well developed, and their behavior and dialogue are too predictable. Still, the story's thrust—like the approaching storm—is strong, and makes for absorbing reading. (Fiction. 9- 12)