Like a Hurricane

  • Translated by: Jonathan Kaplansky
  • Pages:128
  • Publisher:Orca Book Publishers
  • Themes:LGBTQ+, coming out, novel in verse, secrets, acceptance
  •  
  • Available:02/14/2023
  • Lexile:620L
  • Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient:X
Paperback
9781459835238
$12.95
EPUB
9781459835252 LICENSE OPTIONS
$10.99

“Immediately takes one’s breath away with its poetry and power…Deeply affecting. An ideal tool to illustrate poetic elements or emphasize stories of sharing scary yet necessary truths.”—School Library Journal, starred review

A young teen's secret is tearing him apart.

He knows he is gay but is afraid to share this knowledge with his parents or his friends. What if they reject him? And what can he do with the feelings he has for his childhood friend when he knows his friend does not feel the same way? The turmoil continues to rise with the force of a hurricane—total destruction seems almost certain.

Told in beautiful, evocative prose with its unique design, Like A Hurricane is a visually stunning exploration of what it means to be true to one's self.

★“Takes one’s breath away with its poetry and power…The kind of book readers can pore over. The more time spent with it, the better it gets…Deeply affecting. An ideal tool to illustrate poetic elements or emphasize stories of sharing scary yet necessary truths.”

– School Library Journal (SLJ), starred review
★“Immediate and immersive...Sensitive and reassuring, this book powerfully explores the deeply personal and universal need to breathe ‘for real, / for the first time.’”
– Quill & Quire, starred review
“Succinct, highly emotive text sensitively conveys the protagonist’s shifting worldview and his developing courage in owning who he is and allowing his family and friends, who are minimally characterized, to act as a support system amid his internal storm.”
– Publishers Weekly
“Beautiful, heart-warming, heart-rending, exquisitely realized in verse with minimal text, each word powerful and poignant...A text one will want to read and reread and reread. Highly Recommended.”
– CM: Canadian Review of Materials
“Utilizes different layouts for the boy's words, allowing them to flow along and around the pages…An engaging and direct piece for this age group. It is a page-turning novel in verse that pulls at the reader’s heartstrings…A very worthwhile addition to any collection serving middle-school-age kids. Highly Recommended.”
– School Library Connection
“Powerful…The design of this moving book is as stormy as Bécotte’s insightful poems.”
– Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Canadian Children’s Book News

“A sensitive and evocative stream-of-consciousness novel that might very well heal readers struggling with their identities. Very highly recommended.”

– Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Canadian Children’s Book News

“Readers will feel the strong emotion described by the author and share the sense of every feeling expressed. Heart-wrenching true, and triumphant in the end. Written for everyone who needs this story. Recommended for elementary classrooms and libraries.”

– Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)
CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens   | 2023  |  Commended
Ontario Library association (OLA) Best Bets - Honourable Mention   | 2023  |  Commended
Children's Book Council Librarian Favorites Award 6th - 8th Grade   | 2024  |  Commended
Top Grade: CanLit for the Classroom   | 2023  |  Commended
Young Readers' Choice Book Awards of British Columbia (YRCABC) Red Cedar Book Awards - Fiction   | 2025  |  Nominated
Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) David Booth Children’s and Youth Poetry Award   | 2024  |  Short-listed