If you love dogs, SAR, and storms, then this story is for you! Checked all the boxes for me! ( )

This story begins when Luke Riley is almost thirteen. He's a few days away from his thirteenth birthday. His mother has recently died when her car was struck by lightning and she lost control of it and ran into a tree.

Luke's dad and his older twin brothers are all dealing with their loss differently. His brothers are constantly picking on him and his dad spends all his time doing his work as an electrician or working Search and Rescue with his bloodhound. Luke's brothers also have bloodhounds and are training them for search and rescue too. His dad wants to have him a bloodhound for his birthday, but Luke wants to have a papillon instead. He's seen them tracking too.

Luke's dad has arranged for him to work at a local kennel which breeds both bloodhounds and papillons so that he can afford the puppy. His dad thinks he's getting a bloodhound but Luke is determined to get a papillon instead. He gets to know Megan at the kennel. She is the same age as he is and is also a dog lover. She's determined to train her German shepherd as a search and rescue dog.

Luke has a weather phobia and an obsession with the Weather Channel. He has always been afraid of storms and his mother's death has only cemented his fears. His dad lets him call in sick if the weather is stormy but believes Luke will outgrow his phobia. Luckily, his middle school guidance counselor refers him to the high school guidance counselor who helps him deal his phobia and his grief and guilt at the loss of his mother.

Things come to a head when Megan goes missing during a storm and his papillon named Lightning is able to track her down when his father and his dog are searching in the wrong direction.

This was a great story about dealing with loss. It had all sorts of interesting facts both about the weather and about dog training. ( )

Generally, I prefer my middle grade novels to be about genius children and, even better, set in a fantasy world. Many contemporary or action novels about average children bore me and leave me cold. As such, I was nervous to read Maria V. Snyder’s Storm Watcher. While I loved her fantasy offerings, I wasn’t sure if this one could be nearly as enjoyable. However, Snyder has done well, and the moppets in Storm Watcher are likable and the puppies are the best.

Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions. ( )