Shouting at the Rain (Hardcover)
Summer 2019 Kids Indie Next List
“A well-spun tale of a middle-grade girl whose life swells its own storms one summer on Cape Cod. The barefoot local finds herself suddenly adrift as friends’ lives shift away from her and she’s forced to deal with her motherless past. Amid all this turmoil, she finds hope in new and familiar faces. From the author of Fish in a Tree and One for the Murphys comes another poignant life journey centered on a strong, young heroine. A great summer read for young and old storm chasers.”
— Ernio Hernandez, River Bend Bookshop, Glastonbury, CT
Staff Reviews
If you would like your copy inscribed by Lynda from May-August 2019, order your copy online and please type the person's name in the "Order Comments" block at the bottom of the last check out page. Inscribed copies must be pre-paid.
I absolutely LOVED this book!! It's so beautifully written, insightful, nuanced and inspiring. This is a story about love and friendship sometimes found in new and unexpected places and different kinds of families that can still fill children's needs. I loved the characters - they were so real and not always who you think they are once you get to know them. Just like in real life, nothing is black and white, all good or all bad. I loved the setting on Cape Cod, too!
— VickyDelsie loves tracking the weather--lately, though, it seems the squalls are in her own life. She's always lived with her kindhearted Grammy, but now she's looking at their life with new eyes and wishing she could have a "regular family." Delsie observes other changes in the air, too--the most painful being a friend who's outgrown her. Luckily, she has neighbors with strong shoulders to support her, and Ronan, a new friend who is caring and courageous but also troubled by the losses he's endured. As Ronan and Delsie traipse around Cape Cod on their adventures, they both learn what it means to be angry versus sad, broken versus whole, and abandoned versus loved. And that, together, they can weather any storm.
“Limned in northeastern sea salt and Adirondack chairs, Hunt’s latest offering explores those frustrating preteen years when friends become enemies and family is at once embarrassing and desired. . . . Hunt creates a realistic sketch of small-town life and the agonies of growing up in an imperfect family. . . . The thematic elements of tweenage angst are timeless and relatable.”—School Library Journal
“In addition to telling Delsie’s story in an involving way, Hunt vividly portrays the underlying us-and-them mentality shared by locals in a seaside community that relies on outside visitors. As sweet and summery as lemonade.”—Booklist
“Endearingly blunt, stubborn Delsie lives year-round on Cape Cod. . . . In kid-friendly prose, Hunt balances Delsie’s unfettered sense of adventure with her tweenlike insecurities. . . . Her sweet desire for a family and her unexpected realization that she’s had one all along make this story well worth reading.”—Publishers Weekly
“[Delsie and Ronan’s] slow-build friendship is realistic and enjoyable. . . . Delsie is an engaging protagonist, simultaneously stubborn and uncertain, independent-minded without forced quirkiness. Hunt’s depiction of class conflict in a vacation destination is matter of fact, with money woes serving not as plot points but as part of the setting. The writing is vivid and child-friendly . . . with a satisfyingly imperfect resolution to the many conflicts.”—Horn Book