Williwaw!

Tom Bodett, sure-handed author and teller of wacky and poignant tales of life in Homer, Alaska, attempts an adventure story for children. Sadly, writing and narrating for a young audience demand different skills and sensibilities. Ivan and September Crane are waiting on their remote Alaskan island for the return of their fisherman father. Bored, and wishing to be more like town kids, Ivan hooks his video game up to the battery of the radio that is the only connection to any source of help. When the battery dies, the children try to replace it and get caught in a violent storm, nearly losing their lives. Bodett's laconic delivery, so well suited to his adult stories, is reduced to a drone here, largely due to the bombastic text. Too bad he was unable to translate his skills as a storyteller to this work for children. S.G. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

March 1, 1999
When 13-year-old September and her younger brother, Ivan, are left alone in their Alaskan cabin, disaster is sure to follow--that much is evident early on, given the steady stream of foreshadowing. Shortly after their father leaves for a two-week fishing trip, September and Ivan break both of his rules. Ivan uses radio batteries to recharge his video game and in doing so manages to fry both his toy and the radio, their only means of communication with the outside world. Fearing they will be sent to their aunt's and uncle's farm if their father finds out, the siblings cross the cove in their tiny boat to get the radio fixed. Repairs take longer than expected, so September and Ivan are forced to make a few more forbidden trips to town as the "williwaw," the same type of fierce storm that killed their mother seven years ago, begins to brew. By an NPR commentator and author of The Free Fall of Webster Cummings, this moralistic tale is focused more on measuring the pitfalls of deception than on providing thrills. How and when the children will be punished for their errors in judgment may provoke more interest than how they will contend with rough water during their final crossing. Meanwhile, readers may grow impatient as they await the inevitable. Ages 10-13.

October 1, 2000
Gr 5-8-Ivan and September Crane are often left by themselves in their remote Alaskan cabin. Their mother died years ago in a Williwaw, a violent storm. Their father works on fishing boats and can only contact them by radio. Mr. Crane promises that they will not have to stay with their dreaded relatives if they can be responsible, and if Ivan does not mess with the radio wires so he can play his video game. Of course, Ivan immediately shorts out the radio with his game. The rest of the story focuses on their attempt to repair the radio by making several dangerous trips to the nearest town. Author Tom Bodett of "Motel 6" fame narrates his own story (Knopf, 1999), and manages to give it a laid back Alaskan feel. While some of the story is predictable, Bodett brings excitement to the action scenes, especially the climatic September storm. A song played over the last few lines is distracting. A good adventure story to add to audio collections in school and public libraries.-Todd Dunkelberg, Deschutes Public Library System, OR

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.