Do you ever find yourself watching the weather channel? Can you not get enough info on floods, forest fires, earthquakes, landslides, tidal waves and the whole host of other natural disasters? What is it about these disasters that so captures our attention?

Humans are powerless to prevent the destruction that the natural world can cause, and sometimes powerless to even predict it. People try though; weathermen have a job because people want to hear what Mother Nature has in store for them everyday. We plan our outdoor activities, the clothes we buy and wear, the transportation we use depending on weather conditions. People even move to a particular place ---Hawaii would be my choice --- because they like a certain kind of weather. But when weather and nature get wacky, what can humans do?

Kidsreads has gathered together a collection of books about wild weather and nasty natural disasters. Read on to learn more and maybe you will be better prepared during the next hurricane or blizzard!

EARTHQUAKE GAMES: Earthquakes and Volcanoes Explained by Games and Experiments
by Matthys Levy and Mario Salvadori
illustrated by Christina C. Blatt
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689813678
Ages 9-up
116 pages

Teaching children about earthquakes and volcanos was not the first thing on Matthys Levy and Mario Salvadori's to-do lists.  

Levy is a Swiss-born civil engineer known for his academic contributions and for inventing the Tenstar Dome, a unique cable dome structure used to cover large athletic facilities (i.e. the Georgia Dome). Salvadori, born in Italy, was Levy's thesis advisor at Columbia University and the recipient of dozens of awards.

When Salvadori founded a nonprofit educational center to help inner city youth better understand science, mathematics and the study of structure and architecture, EARTHQUAKE GAMES was destined to rise out of the association. And thankfully so.

This clever approach to education explains the power and nature of earthquakes and volcanoes through 32 distinctive hands-on games and experiments in nine chapters.

EARTHQUAKE GAMES is a must for teachers and homeschoolers looking for unique ways to bring science to life.  

   --- by Kelly Milner Halls

THE BLIZZARD DISASTER
by Peg Kehret
Pocket Books
ISBN: 0671009621
Ages 9-up

In THE BLIZZARD DISASTER Warren and Betsy find themselves in the middle of a suspenseful adventure. Despite careful preparation and 1990s style warm clothing, Betsy and Warren nearly lose their lives in an incredible snowstorm that happened in 1940s Minnesota. As we travel back in time and into the storm, we come to know and worry about two farm girls, Ellie and Janis, and their family horse, Pansy. Peg Kehret is able to make us feel what it would be like to be lost in a fierce blizzard.

   --- Reviewed by Joy Derkson

THE FLOOD DISASTER
by Peg Kehret
Pocket Books
ISBN: 0671009656
Ages 9-up
160 pages

In THE FLOOD DISASTER, we travel back in time to Johnstown, Pennsylvania where Warren and Betsy try to save a child they know died in the great flood there.  In this story you'll find out why Warren and Betsy put the time machine away forever after this adventure. I really enjoyed this book and the other titles in this series. Peg Kehret opens a window into the past and provides a historical view of life during these disasters.

   --- Reviewed by Joy Derkson

THE VOLCANO DISASTER
by Peg Kehret
Pocket Books
ISBN: 0671009680
Ages 9-up

If you would rather have your science mixed into a good story, Peg Kehret has a time-machine series that you will enjoy. The first book in the series, THE VOLCANO DISASTER introduces Warren Spalding and Betsy Tyler, two junior high students signed up for a class on natural disasters. While working on a report about Mt. St. Helens' deadly eruption, (a volcano in Washington state) , Warren, whose grandfather and father have recently died, finds his grandfather's Instant Commuter machine. He discovers that the machine will not only send you to the place you point out in a picture, but it will also transport you to that time. Unfortunately, the machine sends Warren to Mt. St. Helens, a few hours before the final deadly explosion. Betsy figures out how to work the machine, too, and heads off to find her friend. Along the way we learn a great deal about what happened to the area around Mt. St. Helens, the timing of events, and how some people probably perished in the disaster. The action was exciting and I really felt that the characters were there. The two heroes manage to rescue themselves and are back for more adventures in other books in the series.

   --- Reviewed by Joy Derkson

DK POCKETS: Volcanoes
by John Farndon
DK Publishing
ISBN: 0789434164
Ages 9-up

DK Publishing, which created the EYEWITNESS series, offers a set of small reference books called DK Pockets that are chock full of the same wonderful graphics and information as the bigger books. VOLCANOES is divided into 5 major sections covering eruptions, historical disasters, effects on the environment, rocks produced by eruptions, and earthquakes. The reference, glossary, and index areas make this an excellent source book for science research projects. Even though I've read this book before, every time I pick it up I find new facts and pictures that draw me in again and again. In addition to being a good reference, this book is just plain fun. If you like science, natural disasters, or need an A on a volcano report this is the book for you.

   --- Reviewed by Joy Derkson

OIL SPILL (Let's Read and Find Out Science)
by Melvin Berger
illustrated by Paul Microcha
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0064451216
All Ages

In OIL SPILL you'll learn about a totally different type of disaster: one that's caused by humans without any help from Mother Nature. The book explains how oil spills occur and why. It not only shows the effects on the environment but also tells how people try to repair the damage. The machines and mechanisms that clean up spills are fascinating. The book ends with suggestions on how you can help with conservation and tells what safety measures can be taken to prevent oil spills.

   --- Reviewed by Joy Derkson

EYEWITNESS ACTIVITY FILE: Tornado
edited by Helena Spiteri
DK Publishing
ISBN: 0789427907
Ages 9-up

This jam-packed title is fun to look at, and is a great resource for reports and projects. You get a pocketed file folder holding about 40 items which include a poster, photographs, weather charts, pictures, and copies of first-hand accounts from newspapers and letters. Informational booklets about Weather Forces and Tornado Questions and Answers are also included.

   --- Reviewed by Joy Derkson

For even more amazing stories about Mother Nature and Natural Disasters and how people cope with them, read these great fiction titles:

BOSTON JANE: An Adventure
by Jennifer L. Holm
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060287381
Ages 10-up
288 pages

Jane has no idea what awaits her when she leaves the proper and comfortable surroundings of Miss Hepplewhite's Young Ladies' Academy to head for the wild and rugged Northwest territory and meet up with her true love William. Her social skills don't come in very handy when she's up against nature, in life-or-death situations. But mixed in with all the adventure is a good bit of romance and some laughs, too. Come along for the ride.

A SEA SO FAR
by Jean Thesman
Viking Childrens Books
ISBN: 0670892785
Ages 9-12
195 pages

A SEA SO FAR is set in 1907 in San Francisco. Orphan Kate Keely and heiress Jolie Logan are thrown together in the midst of a scarlet fever epidemic and a city trying to rebuild after a giant earthquake. Can these two girls from opposite sides of the tracks learn to be friends?

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