The Storm in the Barn

by Matt Phelan

Overview

Tall tale. Thriller. Gripping historical fiction. This artful, sparely told graphic novel — a tale of a boy in Dust Bowl America — will resonate with young readers today.

In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary challenges: local bullies, his father’s failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness. Certainly a case of "dust dementia" would explain who (or what) Jack has glimpsed in the Talbot’s abandoned barn — a sinister figure with a face like rain. In a land where it never rains, it’s hard to trust what you see with your own eyes — and harder still to take heart and be a hero when the time comes. With phenomenal pacing, sensitivity, and a sure command of suspense, Matt Phelan ushers us into a world where desperation is transformed by unexpected courage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763652906
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/27/2011
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	527,877
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	GN560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Matt Phelan is the illustrator of many books for young readers, including Always by Ann Stott and The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, winner of the 2007 Newbery Medal. The Storm in the Barn is his first graphic novel. He lives in Pennsylvania.

Editorial Reviews

Superb graphic-novel evocation of childhood’s yearning and triumphs. Phelan turns every panel of this little masterpiece into a spare and melancholy window into another era, capturing an unmistakable sense of time and place… All the more impressive is how he balances fleet pacing (thanks to low word density) with a thoughtful, contemplative homage to storytelling and storytellers, which, in the tradition of the greatest tall tales, presents an empowering message that all a child needs to change the world is courage and ingenuity.
—Booklist (starred review)

A thoughtful, contemplative homage to storytelling and storytellers, which, in the tradition of the greatest tall tales, presents an empowering message that all a child needs to change the world is courage and ingenuity.
—Booklist (starred review)

Children can read this as a work of historical fiction, a piece of folklore, a scary story, a graphic novel, or all four.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

The spare, sketchy lines and soft washes of the mixed-media illustrations underscore the haziness of the dust-filled air…Phelan sensitively conveys the growing despair of the community as they watch their land languish…With its appealing format and touch of fantasy, this tale of coming of age in hard times will entice readers who may otherwise be indifferent to historical fiction.
—Bulletin of the Center of Children’s Books (starred review)

Measured, masterful panel pacing….use of color is simply stunning…potent subtext informs both Jack’s climactic showdown with the rain figure and the book’s tender, triumphant resolution.
—The Horn Book (starred review)

From the Publisher

Set during the 1930s, when Kansas farmers tried to survive during a terrible drought, this graphic novel for younger readers shows a boy discovering that he can save his family by bringing back the rain. Jack Clark is a shy 11-year-old whose father thinks he's useless at practical chores. The boy is not used to having any responsibilities, so when he sees a dark figure lurking in an abandoned barn near their house, he doesn't want to do anything about it. He'd rather chalk it up to “dust dementia,” until he realizes that the brooding shape is the rain, which has withdrawn from the land so that people will yearn for it until they are willing to worship it as a god. What Jack does next won't surprise readers who've seen countless puny but plucky heroes in juvenile fiction. The big novelty here is the Dust Bowl setting, and Phelan's art emphasizes the swirling, billowing clouds of fine grit that obscure even nearby objects. Older readers might have appreciated more text to make up for the lack of visual clarity, but kids will identify with Jack and appreciate his success. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 5-7-It is 1937 in Kansas, during the Dust Bowl, and 11-year-old Jack can barely remember a world with plentiful water and crops. Unable to help his father with a harvest that isn’t there, and bullied by the other boys his age, he feels like a useless baby. Stories offer a refuge, and there are multiple stories in this work. Jack’s mother tells about the time when the land was a fertile “paradise.” Jack’s invalid sister, Dorothy, is readingThe Wizard of Oz, gaining inspiration from the adventures of another Kansan of the same name. Jack’s friend comforts him with folktales about a brave man named Jack who masters nature, battling the King of the West Wind, the King of Blizzards, and the King of the Northeast Winds. In the end, Phelan turns the Dust Bowl into another one of Ernie’s “Jack” tales when the real Jack encounters the Storm King in an abandoned barn and finds out that he has been holding back the rain. The boy must then gather the strength to determine his own narrative, as well as his parched town’s future. Children can read this as a work of historical fiction, a piece of folklore, a scary story, a graphic novel, or all four. Written with simple, direct language, it’s an almost wordless book: the illustrations’ shadowy grays and blurry lines eloquently depict the haze of the dust. A complex but accessible and fascinating book. –Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

Eleven-year-old Jack Clark feels useless on his family's Kansas farm. It's 1937: The rain went away when he was seven, so he's never been able to help out. His older sister Dorothy is sick with Dust Pneumonia, and little sister Mabel doesn't provide much companionship. Jack is the favorite target of the town bullies, but general-store owner Ernie tries to cheer Jack with traditional "Jack tales." Then the boy sees a mysterious flash in the Talbots' abandoned barn. When he investigates, he discovers a frightening apparition. Talking about it starts rumors he is suffering from Dust Dementia. Just when his family has given up hope, Jack, inspired by Ernie's stories, confronts the creature and fights a fantastic battle with miraculous results. Author/illustrator Phelan's first graphic tale is part historical mystery, part fantasy thriller. The pencil-and-watercolor panels are cinematically framed and often wordless, advancing the plot and delineating character with careful strokes. The bleakness of the Dust Bowl comes through in both the landscape and the hopeless faces of his characters. This is not to be missed. (Graphic fiction. 9-14)

Kirkus Reviews