The Secrets of the Storm Vortex: The Lightning Catcher, Book 3
By Carrie R. Wheadon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Sequel stays highly imaginative but lacks momentum.
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What's the Story?
In THE SECRETS OF THE STORM VORTEX, Perilous Exploratorium for Violent Weather and Vicious Storms welcomes back Angus, Dougal, Indigo, and all the other Lightning Cubs studying to be Lightning Catchers -- but without the usual fanfare. Across the island hanging over Castle Dankhart a giant storm vortex rages above, and Angus' parents are locked in the dungeon below. Angus is worried his parents may be hurt in the storm and wants to get to the bottom of what evil Scabious Dankhart is up to. Did he make the storm on purpose? If so, how and why? Will he set the storm on Perilous? On the whole world? Of course all the adults at Perilous are as close-lipped as can be, but Angus needs answers. Luckily, being the only Storm Prophet at school has its privileges. Angus gets to start training with a Lightning Catcher in the incredibly secret Inner Sanctum. Exploring the area on his own is forbidden, but that's never stopped him before.
Is It Any Good?
This installment is as highly imaginative as the rest of the Lightning Catcher series, but, as with the others, it's very slow-moving until the very end. This would be the perfect series for kids too young for Harry Potter if each book were 100 pages shorter and the pace quicker. Angus is still a great character to root for, but it'd be nice to know more than hints about what being a Storm Prophet means for him. And it seems a bit strange and uneventful that Angus' parents have been languishing in a dungeon for three books with no word from them. A brief forward from their perspective would ratchet up the excitement in more story-building ways than descriptions of crazy weather patterns, skin conditions, and exploding puzzles.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about their favorite kinds of fake weather from the book. Would you like to run into a fog yeti? Or discover crazy phenomenon such as Shimmer Sharks?
What do you think of the Lightning Catcher series so far? Will you keep reading? What do you think will happen in Book 4? Will Angus ever rescue his parents?
Why is Angus worried about his abilities as a Storm Prophet? Have you ever been really annoyed by a classmate and wanted to have your own storm dragon to chase him or her? Since that's not an option for anyone but Angus, how would you handle the situation?
Book Details
- Author: Anne Cameron
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Friendship, Science and Nature
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Greenwillow Books
- Publication date: May 5, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 464
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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