Hurricane Season

"Fig Arnold is an original and irresistible heroine in a story full of hope, art, and love." --R. J. Palacio, author of Wonder

"A thoughtful portrayal of mental illness with queer content that avoids coming-out clich s." --Kirkus Reviews

For Fig's dad, hurricane season brings the music.
For Fig, hurricane season brings the possibility of disaster.

Fig, a sixth grader, loves her dad and the home they share in a beachside town. She does not love the long months of hurricane season. Her father, a once-renowned piano player, sometimes goes looking for the music in the middle of a storm. Hurricane months bring unpredictable good and bad days. More than anything, Fig wants to see the world through her father's eyes, so she takes an art class to experience life as an artist does. Then Fig's dad shows up at school, confused and looking for her. Not only does the class not bring Fig closer to understanding him, it brings social services to their door.

As the walls start to fall around her, Fig is sure it's up to her alone to solve her father's problems and protect her family's privacy. But with the help of her best friend, a cute girl at the library, and a surprisingly kind new neighbor, Fig learns she isn't as alone as she once thought . . . and begins to compose her own definition of family.

Nicole Melleby's Hurricane Season is a radiant and tender novel about taking risks and facing danger, about friendship and art, and about growing up and coming out. And more than anything else, it is a story about love--both its limits and its incredible healing power.

Author: Nicole Melleby
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Published: 05/07/2019
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.60w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781616209063
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.3
Point Value: 9
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 503746 / Hurricane Season


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 12/21/2018 pg. 57
Booklist 04/15/2019 pg. 68
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2019
Publishers Weekly 03/25/2019
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2019 pg. 144
Shelf Awareness 05/21/2019
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2019 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Nicole Melleby is a born-and-bred Jersey girl with a passion for storytelling. She studied creative writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University and currently teaches creative writing and literature courses with a handful of local universities. When she's not writing, she can be found browsing the shelves at her local comic shop or watching soap operas with a cup of tea.