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Helicity's name suits her: it's a term meaning to spin. She loves all things weather-related. When her dreams of being placed in honors classes for math and science are crushed, she takes her horse out for a ride and is far above town when a disastrous tornado hits. Not only is her home destroyed but also her doted-on older brother's potential football scholarship, since he was injured out in the storm searching for her. With the town coming together to recuperate, Helicity joins up with Lana, a local meteorology professor who encourages her love of science, sets her up with a tutor, and invites her on a summer storm-chasing trip where Helicity will learn that storm chasing isn't all fun and games it can be dangerous if not handled with caution. Zee has created a delightful read-in-one-sitting novel featuring a girl many can relate to: Helicity struggles to follow her passion while facing doubts from herself and those around her. Some loose plot threads and unanswered questions by the end hint at the possibility of a sequel.--Tomsu, Lindsey Copyright 2018 Booklist

Publishers Weekly
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Thirteen-year-old Helicity Dunlap, named after a physics term relating to a particle's spin, loves storms, science, and math. After she isn't placed in honors classes for the coming school year, she goes for a horseback ride and is far from home when a tornado hits. Helicity's western Michigan town is destroyed, and her football-star older brother is injured while searching for her. In the aftermath, Helicity meets a meteorologist/storm chaser named Lana who gets her a handsome tutor named Sam, so that Helicity can prove to her parents that she belongs in the honors classes. It takes her father some time to come around, but Helicity is eventually allowed to go on a storm-chasing trip with Lana and Sam. But tragedy strikes there, too, and a cliffhanger sets up a sequel. Meteorologist Zee deftly balances the science of storms, their fascination to storm chasers, and Helicity's angst and family problems. Readers should easily relate to Helicity's longing to follow her passion: "Wind, moisture, pressure, temperature-there was so much about the weather that she didn't know, and so much she wanted to understand." Ages 8-12. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

ABC News meteorologist Zee embellishes her debut novel with plenty of accurate weather information.Thirteen-year-old Helicity (a physics term that means "to spin") finds herself on the fringe of a devastating tornado that sweeps through her town. Caught up in filming it, she barely escapes, but her older brother, Andy, out looking for her as the storm strikes, is less fortunate. He's injured, possibly ending a promising football career and leaving their father raging about his potential loss of a scholarship. Helicity, fascinated by weather, attracts the interest of a young female meteorology professor and storm chaser, Lana. Lana has a cute 17-year-old male sidekick named Sam, who too often lets his enthusiasm carry him into danger, breaking Lana's safety rules. The weather isn't the only thing that's extreme in this book. Andy quickly (and predictably) becomes addicted to the pain meds that his ridiculously angry father helps provide. Meanwhile, Helicity, in spite of her age, is implausibly invited to spend the summer storm chasing with Lana and Sam. Default-white cardboard characters who seem to lack any real reason for their behavior move enigmatically through the storm-wracked landscape. The action ramps up nicely toward a conclusion that, disappointingly, leaves nearly all the conflict unresolved, presumably setting up the next in the series. The weather is nicely evoked and fully believable; the trite plot stretches credibility to the breaking point.This might possibly appeal to readers who are weather-focused. (Fiction. 9-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.