Cover Design by Thy Bui
Cover Illustration by Hazem Asif
Published by Knights Of
When the Storm Comes is a gripping, thought-provoking adventure where facing storms, both outside and inside, have a huge impact on the lives of four children who find themselves trapped in their school.
Mali (Amaryllis) is having a difficult time at school: his best, and only real friend, has left, he’s being bullied and can’t face going to school. When he does return, it is with an invitation to attend an after school Book Club by his Form Tutor, Ms Devine, to help shortlist books for a new award. Despite the hailstones and thunder, Mali reluctantly makes his way to the library where he meets talkative Jonesy, quiet Fara – and Petey, the boy who has been bullying him.
When the storm worsens and the electricity goes off, they decide to leave, but the automatic doors will not open, leaving them, and their pregnant teacher, trapped in school with a storm worsening around them. Can this group find a means to work together to escape from the school? Is there a way that they can build trust, and even friendship, as their situation becomes ever more treacherous as the storm rages relentlessly?
This is an incredibly gripping adventure, with high levels of tension and danger, as the children find themselves trapped in a flooded school, searching for food, for a means of escape and desperately hoping that help will come as they watch the rising water levels both inside and outside. When their teacher needs aid urgently, they have no choice but to take incredible risks to get her the help she needs, risks that put them all in even more danger …
The effects of the storm, brought about by climate change, is evidenced by the damage to the natural environment, to buildings and to the lives of people living within its reach. But I think the children are also facing their own storms within their personal lives for different reasons. Names are important parts of our identity, and Mali’s given name has heart-breaking yet beautiful significance for him, but he doesn’t feel he can use it. He hides himself from others for fear of getting hurt and an uncertainty about whether he is deserving of friendship, but can the dire situation in which he finds himself be a catalyst to change and finding friendship? As the children open up about their lives outside school and learn more about each other, they also open themselves to developing lasting connections and bonds beyond the urgent need to get help which initially brings them together.
A powerful, thought-provoking and uplifting adventure, perfect for readers of 9+.
Book Craic 