Eye Of The Hurricane

He turned eagerly toward the aircraft when he heard the engine begin to turn over. Come on, come on! Start!

It did, causing the six people on the ground to let out a collective yell of joy. That faded into disappointed groans as the motor died.

“What’s the matter, Keegan?” Franks yelled, striding to the helicopter’s open right door. “That motor sounded fine to me! Why’d you shut it down again?”

“The warning chip light came on again.”

“Meaning what?” Franks demanded hotly.

“Meaning,” Keegan replied bluntly, “there’s no way we can fly out of here. So we’d better find shelter fast – or we’re all going to die in the hurricane.”

Book: Eye of the Hurricane (The Ladd Family Adventure Series #9) by Lee Roddy, Focus On The Family Publishing, 1994

Genre: Adventure

Target Audience: Boys 11-15

Subjects: Lies, Sibling Relationships, Dating, Rebellion/Disobedience

Summary: A hike into the jungle, into the swamp for a research trip turns life-threatening when first, a hurricane approaches, then Josh, Tank, Josh’s father and Dr. Nakamura, an ornithologist, encounter a couple of poachers, wanting to hunt the same exotic bird as Dr. Nakamura. Meanwhile, back at home, Josh’s family is trying to prepare for the hurricane as well, taking all the precautions they can. Josh’s sister is upset about more than the hurricane though. She is fighting the guilt of fighting with her brother before he left. She had tossed out angry, hurtful words at him when he dared to ask her about the boy she’d been caught seeing – a boy who doesn’t believe at all the same thing as she does. Not only that, but she lied to her parents about it. The hurricane threatens to make a broken relationship stay broken permanently.

Notes: Mystery Of The Island Jungle is ninth in the Ladd Family Adventures, a series focused on a twelve year old boy living in Hawaii and the adventures he has with two of his friends, usually adventures that somehow relate to surviving the elements of nature. In Eye Of The Hurricane Josh and his friend are once again out in the jungle when danger strikes. The spiritual issues in this book are plentiful. Tiffany, Josh’s sister wrestles with her decision to date a boy who doesn’t share her beliefs and mocks her for them and encourages her to rebel against her parents. Her mom points out that the symbol he wears stands for the opposite of her cross. Her brothers point out how she is lying and deceiving their parents in her pursuit of the boy. Josh has a chance to share his faith with those he’s trapped in the jungle with. They see his trust in God despite the danger.  

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.