Hurricane Child ~ Kacen Callender

Hurricane Child, by Kacen Callender, was a fabulous read. It was so unlike any I’ve read recently because the story is mystical, intense, and mysterious. Protagonist Caroline Murphy was born during a hurricane and grew up an only child in a little house on one of the Virgin Islands. She was perfectly content with her life until one day, her mom suddenly left. The story begins three years later. Caroline is deeply hurt and feels abandoned by her mother, her classmates ruthlessly taunt her at school, her father is no help in understanding where Caroline’s mother went or why she left, and a spirit--a woman in a black dress--haunts Caroline at every turn.

But one day, a new girl named Kalinda joins Caroline’s class. It is immediately clear that something is different about Kalinda. She is confident, wise, kind, and most importantly, she wants to be Caroline’s friend. Before long, Caroline develops a crush on Kalinda, but she is nervous to share her feelings because she knows that, according to her religion and teachers, her feelings are sinful. Caroline isn’t one to follow rules or listen to everything someone says, but does Kalinda feel the same way? And could she be the key to finding Caroline’s mother?

This coming of age story has a magical and mature twist that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a quick read and hard to put down, but I would not suggest it to struggling readers because there are many characters and plot elements to keep track of and the book frequently shifts between the past and present. However, for strong readers, I highly recommend this novel because it is a captivating and thought-provoking read. 

Maturity: 1/4

This novel is ideal for age 12+. It contains no mature content. 

Pages: 214

Lexile: 1010L

Lexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child’s reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel’s themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.

If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!

Happy Reading!

♥ Kara & Riley