Scan barcode
mehsi's review
4.0
This was a fun book, I don't really feel like writing a big review, but I want to share my thoughts.
I liked the idea of Storm Makers, controlling, fixing and helping the weather. Helping people or in case of evil Storm Makers destroying things.
I would love to be a Storm Maker, though please not of the earthquakes (we saw what happened to the Storm Maker who had that one), I would rather be of the rain or storms.
Our main character Ruby is a wonderful girl, brave and smart. I liked her better than her annoying brother.
I just wish she had gotten more show time, now she sometimes fell back in the shadows of her brother.
Next to the annoying brother we also had a bad guy. God he was annoying. Only thinking of revenge because boohoo things happened. Instead of thinking, instead of asking, he immediately thought that X had brought Y to some place dangerous and so on. Seriously, and then what do you do? Oh, hey I know, let's destroy several places and kill humans! *rolls eyes*
Then the ending, I saw that coming from way in the beginning when Simon first got his magical powers of awesomeness. Bit disappointed that it really turned out that way, I was hoping for some kind of twist, but instead we get something like this.
Also on the ending, so we will get a book 2? Or are all the hints just that, hints and nothing more, it would be very disappointing if they just let whatever happened in the ending go and not make a second book.
The illustrations are one big part of why I picked this book. I love Brett Helquist, he is one of my favourite illustrators, so I just had to have this book. :)
All in all I would recommend this book. It is magical, it is funny and it has awesome things like controlling the weather!
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I liked the idea of Storm Makers, controlling, fixing and helping the weather. Helping people or in case of evil Storm Makers destroying things.
I would love to be a Storm Maker, though please not of the earthquakes (we saw what happened to the Storm Maker who had that one), I would rather be of the rain or storms.
Our main character Ruby is a wonderful girl, brave and smart. I liked her better than her annoying brother.
I just wish she had gotten more show time, now she sometimes fell back in the shadows of her brother.
Next to the annoying brother we also had a bad guy. God he was annoying. Only thinking of revenge because boohoo things happened. Instead of thinking, instead of asking, he immediately thought that X had brought Y to some place dangerous and so on. Seriously, and then what do you do? Oh, hey I know, let's destroy several places and kill humans! *rolls eyes*
Then the ending, I saw that coming from way in the beginning when Simon first got his magical powers of awesomeness. Bit disappointed that it really turned out that way, I was hoping for some kind of twist, but instead we get something like this.
Also on the ending, so we will get a book 2? Or are all the hints just that, hints and nothing more, it would be very disappointing if they just let whatever happened in the ending go and not make a second book.
The illustrations are one big part of why I picked this book. I love Brett Helquist, he is one of my favourite illustrators, so I just had to have this book. :)
All in all I would recommend this book. It is magical, it is funny and it has awesome things like controlling the weather!
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
cimorene1558's review
3.0
Somewhat uneven. There was about a 100 pages towards the end that I tore right through, because it was so exciting, but it took a while to get there, and the conclusion is a bit disappointing. There are lots of books that do this kind of combination of realistic and a bit of fantasy better.
ljelizabeth's review
5.0
this is the first “big” chapter book I remember reading as a kid, and now here it is helping me get out of my reading slump. there’s just some thing about this middle grade book that just makes it so mystical, I love it and I’ll read it again and again.
lizzyg21's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
librarylisa614's review
4.0
I enjoyed the aspects of sibling rivalry and fantasy in this book. The "big twist" was one I could see coming from the second chapter, but it was still a nice read. Would work well for boys or girls and doesn't necessarily need to be for kids who like fantasy. Nothing inappropriate... a little bit of drama in the big finale, but no bad language or yucky kissy face.
lazygal's review
3.0
At first I thought this was going to be like Savvy, but it wasn't: not everyone has the ability to affect the weather (although I'm not sure that an earthquake is a type of weather, but whatever). Usually it's a skill/talent that emerges when the person is in their 20s, but in this case, Simon is only 12 - the youngest StormMaker ever.
The McDuff family has moved to a farm in Wisconsin, where they will make a living off Dad's invention, Mom's painting and a few crops. At least, that's the plan. But there's a drought and neither the painting nor the invention are working well. One day Simon seems to short circuit the toaster... and then a car battery. It turns out that he's a StormMaker, and the focus of Rupert London, the leader of MOSS. London has a plan to use weather to destroy, rather than help; of course there is an opposition in the form of Daisy and Otis.
The questions here are of whom to believe, which side is telling the truth, and how to be loyal to your ideals. Luckily, these teens aren't preternaturally smart and you sense their confusion, making this fantasy feel more real than most. Simon's twin, Ruby, is the narrator of this story, which makes it perfect for both middle grade boys and girls.
ARC provided by publisher.
The McDuff family has moved to a farm in Wisconsin, where they will make a living off Dad's invention, Mom's painting and a few crops. At least, that's the plan. But there's a drought and neither the painting nor the invention are working well. One day Simon seems to short circuit the toaster... and then a car battery. It turns out that he's a StormMaker, and the focus of Rupert London, the leader of MOSS. London has a plan to use weather to destroy, rather than help; of course there is an opposition in the form of Daisy and Otis.
The questions here are of whom to believe, which side is telling the truth, and how to be loyal to your ideals. Luckily, these teens aren't preternaturally smart and you sense their confusion, making this fantasy feel more real than most. Simon's twin, Ruby, is the narrator of this story, which makes it perfect for both middle grade boys and girls.
ARC provided by publisher.
mindsplinters's review
3.0
Very cute and well-aimed at mid-grade. This was an ARC so I was missing most of the art but the few pieces in the book were gorgeous. A nice mix of responsibility, adventure, magic, and science.
dlarca's review
2.0
Twins Ruby and Simon are having an unusually hot and dry, but otherwise ordinary summer on their family's farm - until Ruby spots a strange man leaving their barn early one morning. His appearance sets off a chain of events that neither child could have ever imagined. The man, Otis, has come to find Simon in order to let him know that he is part of a secret society of people called Storm Makers. Storm Makers have the ability to control and tame the weather. Soon, Simon and Ruby must race against the clock to harness Simon's abilities before a villianous Storm Maker unleashes a dangerous disaster.
The Storm Makers grabbed me right away. Smith's writing is wonderful and the story was moving along nicely. However as I got further into the book, the plot seemed to slow down a lot. At close to 400 pages, I think this was a little long for middle grader readers and could definitely have been tightened up for a dynamite story. I'm going to booktalk this to my book club next week and hopefully get some feedback from the audience that matters most.
The Storm Makers grabbed me right away. Smith's writing is wonderful and the story was moving along nicely. However as I got further into the book, the plot seemed to slow down a lot. At close to 400 pages, I think this was a little long for middle grader readers and could definitely have been tightened up for a dynamite story. I'm going to booktalk this to my book club next week and hopefully get some feedback from the audience that matters most.