The Disaster Days

Hatchet meets The Babysitters Club in this epic and thrilling survival story about pushing oneself to the limit in the face of a crisis.

We were all alone, in a shaken and shattered house, in the dark. And I was in charge.

Hannah Steele loves living on Pelling, a tiny island near Seattle. She's always felt totally safe there.

So when she's asked to babysit after school one day, it's no big deal. Zoe and Oscar are her next-door neighbors, and Hannah just took a babysitting class, which she's pretty sure makes her an expert. She isn't even worried that she left her inhaler at home.

Then the shaking begins.

The terrifying earthquake only lasts four minutes, but it changes everything--damaging the house, knocking out the power, and making cell service nonexistent. Even worse, the ferry and the bridge connecting the kids to help--and their parents--are both blocked, which means they're stranded alone. And Hannah's in charge as things go from bad to worse.

Praise for The Disaster Days:

"A realistic, engrossing survival story that's perfect for aspiring babysitters and fans of John Macfarlane's Stormstruck!, Sherry Shahan's Ice Island, or Wesley King's A World Below."--School Library Journal

"The strength of this steadily paced novel that stretches over four days of a scary disaster scenario is that Hannah doesn't figure everything out; she stumbles, doubts, and struggles throughout it all."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Fans of survival thrillers in the vein of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet will enjoy this tense, honest tale of bravery...an excellent (and refreshingly not didactic) teaching tool on natural-disaster preparedness."--Booklist

"The relentless progression of a variety of disaster scenarios will keep readers turning pages...equally suspenseful and informative."--School Library Connection

"Behrens uses immersive details and situations effectively viewed from Hannah's perspective to create a suspenseful, vivid story filled with lessons about responsibility and overcoming adversity."--Publishers Weekly

The Disaster Days is a perfect...

• gift for preteen survival story fans
• earthquake fiction chapter book for tween girls ages 11-14
• survivalist fiction book for middle grade girls
• summer reading book for preteens
• preteen gift for girls

Author: Rebecca Behrens
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Published: 06/01/2021
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.66lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781728246475
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.3
Point Value: 10
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 505492 / Disaster Days

About the Author
Behrens, Rebecca: - Rebecca Behrens is the author of three critically acclaimed middle-grade novels that explore famous historical figures and fascinating places: When Audrey Met Alice, Summer of Lost and Found, and The Last Grand Adventure. Her latest releases, The Disaster Days and Alone in the Woods, are thrillingly realistic survival stories. Rebecca grew up in Wisconsin, studied in Chicago, and now lives with her husband in New York City. You can visit her online at www.rebeccabehrens.com.