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This feel-good family vacation story takes a sharp turn to disaster when the Thompson family flies to Oahu. The vacation begins with a string of luck: a free seat upgrade, a parking spot right by the shuttle, and an ocean-view suite on the top floor. Twelve-year-old Emma keeps track of every good thing in her notebook. Then a massive earthquake hits, and the luck runs out fast. The hotel becomes a fight for survival as the building begins to fail. The Thompsons struggle through flooded stairwells and a strange viral outbreak among other guests before reaching open water ahead of the wave.
Snowden takes time building the family before the trouble starts. Dad Mark is an engineer who plans for everything. Mom Lisa is a school counselor who keeps everyone calm. Jake is a science-obsessed fourteen-year-old with a quick sense of humor. Emma is a junior elite gymnast who turns out to be the bravest when it counts. These characters feel real by the time the danger arrives, and that makes a difference. Readers will actually want to know if they make it out.
Snowden's best move is cutting back and forth between the family on the ground and the people working the crisis from the outside. This keeps the pace up and makes the disaster feel real. The book handles details like seismic data and Coast Guard procedures without getting in the way of the story. Emma's notebook of lucky moments is a charming device early on, but it gets dropped once the disaster hits and never quite pays off. Fans of fast-moving adventures with a realistic feel will find this one well worth their time.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review