Review | The Hurricane Girls

Summary: The Hurricane Girls

Greer, Joya, and Kiki are three best friends born just after Hurricane Katrina. Now 12 years after the catastrophe, they’re dealing with personal life struggles. Greer feels responsible for an accident that left her sister paralyzed from the waist down and has stopped running track–something she loved dearly before the accident, Kiki is grappling with an absentee father, and Joya is trying to help her financially strained family. Kiki decides that the three girls will sign up for a triathlon to get Greer back into running, but the plan ends up changing all three girls’ lives.

The Good

I loved this book much more than I expected. It’s told from all three girls’ perspectives and goes between past and present to help readers understand each girl’s unique challenges. Greer is emotionally tortured because of the circumstances surrounding her sister’s accident, but as the story progresses, she sees that her sister is thriving even with a disability (I loved that the author depicted this well). Greer also benefits from seeing a therapist to help process her guilt and understand the facts about the accident.

Kiki’s dad is notoriously flaky, so she’s alarmed to see the same trait manifest in her day-to-day choices; she never seems to see anything through to the end, and we see how it affects her friendships. She’s also dealing with body image issues and tries many diets despite her friends’ reassurances. This problem is a huge obstacle as she needs to wear a swimsuit while she takes swimming classes to prepare for the swimming part of the triathlon.

Finally, Joya, who is Latina, is a great daughter and older sister who sometimes forgets how to be a kid. She even gets a modeling gig in the course of the story to help out her parents financially. I love how supportive her parents are despite their financial pressures and how hard they work to make sure Joya can enjoy being a kid for as long as possible.

The girls have a truly heartwarming friendship, and the New Orleans setting feels rich, adding a vibrant layer to the entire story. There are also fun subplots like Greer’s sister’s progress, Kiki’s crush and eventual blossoming romance, and Joya’s family’s business.

Overall: The Hurricane Girls

The Hurricane Girls is a warm, stirring, and sparkling middle grade book about female friendships, body image, sports, and self-forgiveness. Set in the lively New Orleans, this story celebrates family, sisterhood, perseverance, and the grit required to recover from tragedy. This is one of my favorite books this year and I highly recommend it.

My Rating

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Content Notes

Here are some specifics to know about the content.

Content Warnings

• Trauma: On-page depiction of a traumatic accident leading to lifelong injury
• Sexual content: Limited to a first kiss between tweens

Diversity

• Ethnic: Joya and her family are Latin-American, and other main characters are cued white
• Sexual orientation: Main characters are cued straight

Recommended for ages: 9+

Good for kids who like:

• The Queens of New York by E.L. Shen
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
• Stories about female friendships
• Stories about athletic endeavors like Half Moon Summer
• The Braid Girls by Sherri Winston

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Publisher Details

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