Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Kids battle severe weather in mild, whimsical fantasy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Angus McFangus lives in a windmill with his eccentric inventor uncle because, he's told, his parents have boring government jobs that keep them in London. But the truth comes out when a mysterious man comes to scoop Angus up and take him to a secret school on an island that's not on any map. Angus heads for the Perilous Exploratorium for Violent Weather and Vicious Storms, where his parents trained to be Lightning Catchers -- people who study and try to control the weather with curious inventions. The principal tells Angus that his parents are lost on an expedition, but as Angus settles into his duties as a "lightning cub" at Perilous, he and his new school friends uncover the truth: His parents have been kidnapped by a madman who lives on the other side of the island. And as Angus tries to find out why, the school is bombarded with some truly bizarre weather; raining tadpoles and frogs is just the start.
Is It Any Good?
You can't not compare THE LIGHTNING CATCHER to Harry Potter. Perilous is a secret school, and 11-year-old Angus has a magical ability. And the names of all the characters are just as whimsical as J.K. Rowling's. And two boys and a girl are friends, etc... But author Cameron's world is missing something.
She's having so much fun making up clever kinds of fog (they are pretty great) that she makes the clues to the big mystery a bit too easy to spot. She also doesn't fill readers in on why students study fog all the time and what all the crazy lightning catcher inventions are really trying to do. Will they save us all from global warming? That'd be pretty heroic. There's a villain that gets away, and Angus still has to find his parents, so maybe somewhere in the next three installments the author will, ahem, clear the fog a bit.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about weather phenomena, both real and not real. You can even split a piece of paper down the middle and make a list. Is a fognato real? What about piranha mist fish? What about fulgurites? (One of those is real.)
Families can also discuss Angus' special power. What do you think he can do with his newfound abilities? Why is he worried that others won't accept him if they know about it?
First-year lightning cubs really pay their dues, doing all the dirty jobs around the school. Do you think the teachers are mean to assign all those chores, or do the kids get something out of keeping the school in order?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Victoria Jamieson
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Friendship , STEM
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Greenwillow Books
- Publication date : May 7, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 432
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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