Pretty good story, interesting take. Amount of nakedness and discussion of mating makes it not a good one to book talk to my middle school kids. ( )

Storm, told in first person, present tense prose, presents the story of the biblical flood through the eyes of 16-year-old Sebah, an unlikely stowaway aboard Noah's massive ark.

The story unfolds in chapters that correspond with the biblical timeline - 40 days of rain, 150 days for the waters to recede, 10 months until the mountains become visible, 40 days until the release of a bird, etc.
(All can be found in the 7th and 8th chapters of Genesis.)

"After chronicling Sebah's three week struggle to survive the deluge with her companion Aban, the chapter titled, "Day 22," ends,
It's another creature. Like the first, but larger. And obviously male. He perches in a round hole high in the side of the ship. There is a line of such holes. And I passed another line below as I climbed.
A whole ship of these creatures.
I think of letting go, disappearing into the sea. I let loose one hand and look down. The sea is far below. I feel the energy seep from me. It would be so easy to just give up.
...
The creature behind me nudges my dangling hand.
I reach for the male's hand, and I am half pulled, half shoved up through the hole and into the ship."

Ms. Napoli clearly put an enormous amount of thought into the logistics of preparing for a massive exodus of animals with little or no possibility of resupply for more than a year. She details the grueling work of the voyage. While Sebah struggles to remain hidden and survive in the enclosure of the bonobos, Noah and his family have a huge responsibility to the ark's inhabitants. The animals must be secure from each other, their enclosures must be cleaned, they must be fed, they must have fresh water. Their survival is imperative. The family collects rainwater, they dry and ration supplies of fresh fruits and vegetables for the ark's herbivores, they fish to obtain fresh food for the carnivores. The family's nerves grow frayed under the stress. They begin to argue and turn against one another. The hidden Sebah sees much,

""Respect!" Noah claps his hands above his head, and dust flies through the dim light. "And haven't you learned arguing gets us nowhere?" He takes his ax back from Ham. "The bottom deck stinks. I have to breathe shallow to stand going down there. Everyone has to help Japheth and me clean it out. Today! Let our wives feed and water the animals of this deck and the top —while we shovel waste. Noah goes up the ladder with Japheth at his heels."

How you will perceive this book will depend greatly upon how you perceive the biblical story of the great flood. Arguments could be made for classification as historical fiction, alternative history, survival fiction, dystopian fiction, or fantasy. However you choose to view the book, it cannot be denied that it is a thought-provoking look at the nature of humans and animals, of loss and love, of despair and hope.

An Author's Note, Timeline from Genesis Verses, and Bibliography are included.

(My copy was an Advance Reader Copy supplied by the publisher)
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5Q, 4P
As she did with Zel, and many other neoclassics, Napoli has crafted an exquisite retelling of the biblical story of Noah's Ark. The descriptive writing she uses is masterful in bringing sometimes repulsive and sometimes beautiful events to life. Reading Storm is a survivalist tale that makes the reader feel like they are guzzling hot deer blood along with Sebah and fighting for their life. Sometimes the descriptions of meals were so vivid that I became nauseous but it was well worth it to be in the shoes of a girl conquering insurmountable odds with unlikely companionship. Sebah's enduring spirit is an inspiration and I had to admit to myself that maybe surviving finals is not such a big deal in comparison. I highly recommend this novel for anyone, as its story will appeal to all but religious fundamentalists, and especially to fans of Madeline L'engle's Many Waters, another re imagining of the Ark story. ( )

I thought this was an excellent book, but I think it might be misunderstood by readers.

This is a retelling of the story of Noah with modern language. Other modifications are imagined conversations and scenarios set in the appropriate time (the third millennium BC) and place (the land of Canaan).

Sebah (later called Shebah), 16, is a Canaanite farmer, and in spite of her lack of religious devotion, is a good and spiritual being, who loves and appreciates all of nature. When the torrential rains start, she takes her pet kit fox "Screamer" and manages to escape the rising waters by climbing higher and higher, finding refuge in a huge cedar tree. She is joined by a village boy, Aban, and after a tense beginning they come to an understanding about helping to take care of each other.

By day 24, Aban is dying, and too weak to act when they see a huge ark float through the roiling waters near their raft they made from cedar branches. Aban insists that Sebah climb the rope into the ark and live, for both of them.

Sebah hides out in a cage with Screamer, already occupied by a pair of very intelligent bonobos (these are small chimpanzees) that Sebah names Queen and The Male; two aardvarks; and two duikers. She conceals herself under the straw whenever the members of Noah’s family come down to her deck to feed the animals, and this is how she learns the names of the animals as well as getting to “know” Noah’s family.

As time passes, she sees that the animals are going crazy pent up in their small cages, and at night, she figures out a way to let them run around on the deck for a while undiscovered before getting them back in their cages. Soon she is assisted by Bash, another stowaway who is hiding on top of the ark.

After Sebah is discovered by one of the wives, she goes to join Bash atop the ark, because Noah is determined, by what he considers to be his instructions from God, only to let those he selected to survive leave the ark alive. Bash is especially important to Sebah now; she is carrying Aban’s baby.

Discussion: Sebah is a wonderful character. She is brave, resourceful, and optimistic, and doesn’t back down for anyone or anything. She is the sun in the endless rain:

"…all at once I realize something: It’s stupid to be sad. That’s the sum of it. I have to find something good to do. Something that brings me hope. That’s the secret now - the secret to surviving on the ark. Maybe it’s the secret to surviving anywhere. I don’t believe in Noah’s god, but I do believe what Noah said. We must all do what we can.”

And Sebah - determined - finds way to ensure that the new earth will be a better place.

The author has run up against a good deal of negative reader response by daring to portray Noah’s family as “dysfunctional” (as if the Bible didn’t do that already), and discussing the sexual nature of animals (as if that is unnatural). [It should be noted that the bonobo, the closest living relative to humans, is known for its high levels of sexual behavior; but this activity has many functions including stress reduction.] Part of the message of this book is the effect of captivity and stress on animals (and people), and it is, in my opinion, an excellent piece of exegesis on the story, speculating on what it would be like in the ark for the people and the animals to be cooped up and living in fear for that long.

I suspect that some readers might be attracted to this book thinking it will be “Christian fiction” (even though, well, it's based on the Old Testament, but never mind), or at least, that it might offer some sort of religious gratification. This is not the kind of book it is at all, but it does adhere pretty much to the original story (if anything, portraying Noah and his family a bit more sympathetically than in Genesis). Sebah is one of the best female role models ever, taking charge of her own fate, and doing her bit to contribute to the good of humanity.

Evaluation: This is a terrific book, but one shouldn't approach it with expectations of religious affirmation in the typical sense. It is a story about survival and love, the sanctity of living things, and the rewards of recognizing and respecting that sanctity. Highly recommended! ( )