About the Author

Roland Smith first worked with animals at the Portland Zoo, and he has been involved in animal rescues and conservation work around the world for more than twenty years. He is the author of numerous books for young readers, including JACK'S RUN, ZACH'S LIE, CRYPTID HUNTERS, PEAK, TENTACLES, and the Storm Runners series. He is also the co-author of numerous picture books with his wife, Marie. Roland lives with Marie on a farm south of Portland, Oregon. You can find him online at www.rolandsmith.com.

Reviews

Praise for STORM RUNNERS
"Certain to grab readers and leave them waiting to snatch up the next installment..." -BOOKLIST "A breakneck read, perfectly geared to the restless and reluctant."
-BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Gr 5-8-After the death of Chase Masters' mother, his father goes through some changes that lead him to become a storm runner. Chase joins him in this new family business as they move often and stay in front of storms by predicting where they will hit and heading to those towns to help residents prepare. During the latest storm, Chase stays at a farm that is the winter home for a circus while his father travels further into Florida to get ahead of Hurricane Emily. The storm doesn't act as predicted and heads toward the farm. The principal at his new school doesn't heed his warning to keep students in the school instead of sending them home early in buses. When the hurricane takes out the bus he is on, Chase goes into action. Ramon de Ocampo narrates this exciting first novel in a projected series by Roland Smith (Scholastic, 2011), varying his voice to reflect each character's personality and changing his pacing to match the growing danger. News reports throughout are realistically recorded and reflect the building tension. A cliffhanger ending leaves listeners eager for the next installment.-Stephanie A. Squicciarini, Fairport Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.