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A review by book_concierge
The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan
3.0
Phelan has illustrated other books, including a Newbery Medal winner. This is his first attempt at a graphic novel. Inspired by the “stark photography of Dorothea Lange and Arthur Rothstein” he decided to focus on the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
It’s a little bit of historical fiction, mixed with fantasy. Jack Clark is a young boy on a Kansas farm, bullied at school and not considered bit enough to really help by his father. He feels dejected and useless. In addition, the family is worried about his sister, Dorothy, who has a lingering cough and escapes reading various Oz books by Frank L Baum. When a neighboring farm is abandoned, he begins to notice odd occurrences in the shut-up barn.
There are some very spooky goings on in this book, with a fantastical Storm King that the young Jack must defeat in order to get the rains to come again.
The illustrations are marvelously detailed, and yet stark enough to give a feel for the desolation and destruction of the 1930s dust storms. They also lend to the feeling of uselessness and despair that Jack experiences.
The fight with the Storm King is terrifying enough, but the scene that really disturbed me (more hinted at than graphically depicted) is one where the men get together to kill the jackrabbits that are eating what little the farmers are able to grow. I know this is a realistic scene, as I’ve read other books that depicted this. But those books were for adults, and I find it really disturbing in a children’s book. At least Phelan shows that everyone feels remorse over their actions … even the mean bullies who participate seem to realize that they ‘ve been unnecessarily cruel, and shed a tear or two.
It’s a little bit of historical fiction, mixed with fantasy. Jack Clark is a young boy on a Kansas farm, bullied at school and not considered bit enough to really help by his father. He feels dejected and useless. In addition, the family is worried about his sister, Dorothy, who has a lingering cough and escapes reading various Oz books by Frank L Baum. When a neighboring farm is abandoned, he begins to notice odd occurrences in the shut-up barn.
There are some very spooky goings on in this book, with a fantastical Storm King that the young Jack must defeat in order to get the rains to come again.
The illustrations are marvelously detailed, and yet stark enough to give a feel for the desolation and destruction of the 1930s dust storms. They also lend to the feeling of uselessness and despair that Jack experiences.
The fight with the Storm King is terrifying enough, but the scene that really disturbed me (more hinted at than graphically depicted) is one where the men get together to kill the jackrabbits that are eating what little the farmers are able to grow. I know this is a realistic scene, as I’ve read other books that depicted this. But those books were for adults, and I find it really disturbing in a children’s book. At least Phelan shows that everyone feels remorse over their actions … even the mean bullies who participate seem to realize that they ‘ve been unnecessarily cruel, and shed a tear or two.