Reading Level: Grade 3 Interest Level: Grades 3 – 7
Tornadoes move at speeds of up to 300 miles per hour. They can be deadly. On May 22, 2011, one such tornado touched down near the town of Joplin, Missouri. Readers will learn the details of the event and its aftermath in this hi/lo title. Special features such as a map and a scale help readers to understand exactly how devastating the Joplin tornado was.
The history and impact of famous earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and more are explored in this immersive hi-lo series. Each book begins with a short narrative describing a real-life story from inside the disaster, followed by a description of the science behind the event. Text features like diagrams and time lines effectively weave together the narrative of the disaster and its effects. The text, written at a third grade reading level, uses a controlled vocabulary, and short chapters are designed with striving readers in mind. While highly readable with a slim page count, these titles are also comprehensive and chock-full of facts. Appealing page layouts include bold graphics and photographs. Additional resources, including books and websites through Bellwether’s Factsurfer site, are also included. VERDICT: Tackling the high-interest topic of natural disasters, these informative titles are recommended for collections seeking nonfiction titles for striving readers.
