Saint Louis Armstrong Beach

August 22, 2011
Set in New Orleans during the week leading up to the arrival of Hurricane Katrina, Woods’s novel introduces Saint Louis Armstrong Beach, an 11-year-old resident of the city’s Tremé neighborhood. Named after both his grandfather and the jazz musician, Saint (an accomplished clarinet player, not a trumpeter) has a “mostly good” life before the storm, with close ties to his parents and his tight-knit community, including a neighborhood dog, Shadow. When evacuation of the city becomes mandatory, Saint is supposed to leave town with his extended family, but he returns to his neighborhood to search for Shadow and winds up caring for his diabetic elderly neighbor, Miz Moran, as the levees break and the streets flood. While Woods (A Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame) concludes on a realistically uncertain note, the contrivances that allow for the book’s perhaps too-happy ending (including a dream sequence and some unlikely efforts on Shadow’s part) shield readers from the more devastating realities of the disaster. Still, Saint is an easy protagonist to love, and his reunion with his parents remains gratifying. Ages 10–up.

Starred review from August 15, 2011

This gripping addition to the growing body of fiction portraying Katrina's profound effect on children and families pits an 11-year-old boy, a neighborhood dog and an elderly woman against the hurricane and subsequent devastating flood.

Narrator Saint is a gifted clarinetist with Juilliard dreams and a soft spot for Shadow, a black Lab mix he longs to fully claim. Families flee Tremé, but Saint's mom, a dedicated hospital social worker, toils overtime as Katrina homes in. Pops arranges for Saint to evacuate with Uncle Hugo's family, but Shadow—to Saint's tearful dismay—runs off. Shadow's pivotal in the plotting, as Saint slips back into town to find him. Fate tosses boy and dog in with stubborn neighbor Miz Moran, who's evaded her own relatives in order to remain at home. Their attic confinement is a study in contrasts: The woman's good planning yields battery-operated fans and freeze-dried ice cream, but unplanned-for issues include her worsening health and dog poop. Saint bests the flooded house to retrieve Miz Moran's insulin; the lady's casual admission that her three heart attacks "was mild ones" ratchets tension. Woods' marvelous characterizations of Saint and Miz Moran more than stand up to the vivid backdrop of the flooded, chaotic city. Shadow's credulity-straining heroics will please kids.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from October 1, 2011

Gr 4-7-Saint Louis Armstrong Beach is an 11-year-old, clarinet-playing resident of Treme, a neighborhood near the French Quarter in New Orleans. As Saint saves up his street-performing tips for a new clarinet and tries to make sense of his broken relationship with his former best friend, a catastrophic storm gathers. Saint is forced to evacuate the city, but decides to turn back in search of the neighborhood stray dog. He ends up heading right into the path of Hurricane Katrina. With his engaging voice, readers will quickly take a shine to Saint. The dialogue is strong, smooth, and natural. The food, music, and tempo of New Orleans all come to life, told with an efficiency that keeps interest high. The conclusion is a bit abrupt, however, leaving some loose ends. Woods skillfully provides a sense of the growing tension as the storm approaches. The real-life events of Hurricane Katrina-the evacuation, the levees failing, the Superdome- are integrated smoothly into the story. While the tragedy of the event is not glossed over, the overall theme is one of hope.-Travis Jonker, Dorr Elementary School, MI

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2011
Grades 4-7 Saint Louis Armstrong Beach, an almost-12-year-old, has always had the music in him. Named for his grandfather, Saint is saving his money for a Leblanc L1020 clarinet and a Juilliard education, while he tries to figure out the girl next door. In a strong, first-person voice that carries the rhythms of the New Orleans music he loves so much, Saint relates his experiences before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina, with a touchingly authentic child's view. As the storm approaches, Saint worries about the neighborhood dog he loves and makes an elaborate plan to get Shadow to safety. When the plan goes awry, Saint finds himself riding out the storm with his neighbor, old Miz Moran, who has refused to leave her home. As the water rises, so does the suspense, and Woods packs her novel with stark details that make both the devastation and the danger clear. Lucky conveniences ensure Saint and Miz Moran's rescue, but what lies at the heart of this story rings true: Saint's love for his neighborhood and his hard-earned hope for the future.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)