Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Review of Sophie Washington: Hurricane by Tonya Duncan Ellis


She's back! There's a new Sophie Washington book out, so you just know that I had to grab it and review it. I have read several of the other Sophie Washington books and reviewed them right here, and I just love her. So please enjoy an excerpt and my review. Be sure to follow the tour for other people's opinions. Leave a comment or a question for the author. And then be sure to enter the giveaway!

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I also received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.


Sophie Washington: Hurricane


#Sophie Strong

A hurricane’s coming, and eleven-year-old Sophie Washington’s typical middle school life in the Houston, Texas suburbs is about to make a major change. One day she’s teasing her little brother, Cole, dodging classmate Nathan Jones’ wayward science lab frog and complaining about “braggamuffin” cheerleader Valentina Martinez, and the next, she and her family are fleeing for their lives to avoid dangerous flood waters. Finding a place to stay isn’t easy during the disaster, and the Washington’s get some surprise visitors when they finally do locate shelter. To add to the trouble, three members of the Washington family go missing during the storm, and new friends lose their home. In the middle of it all, Sophie learns to be grateful for what she has and that she is stronger than she ever imagined.


Read an excerpt:
Ever since her BFF Maria Garcia moved a couple of weeks ago, Valentina’s been pushing her way into our friend group. Her constant adding of Spanish words to every conversation makes me gag. I’m so irritated thinking about Valentina that I don’t pay attention to where I’m going.

“Watch out!”

Nathan Jones, a boy I’ve known since fifth grade, zooms around the corner with a mason jar in his hand and clear plastic science goggles on his face. Nathan is wearing a white lab coat, and hopping in front of him is a ginormous gray-green frog.

“Eeeeek!” I scream in shock, unable to move.

“Grab him, Sophie! I need that frog to finish my science experiment!!” Nathan calls.

Water sloshes out of the jar as Nathan and the frog get closer. Then he steps in the puddle and starts sliding. He’s running so fast that he can’t slow down. 
“Oh no!” I cower to avoid him, but as he swerves, Nathan dumps the water from the jar on my head. We ram into each other, ending up in a jumbled heap on the floor then the frog leaps over us, croaks and heads down the stairway.

Click!

“That was hilarious!” laughs Valentina snapping a picture on her cellphone. “I can’t wait to post this.”

“Don’t you dare!” I struggle to my feet, and try to snag her phone, but she shuffles away.

“Look everybody!” she shrieks, skipping over to the growing group of kids.

I quickly glance at Nathan. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah, just bummed that Exhibit A of my experiment got away,” he says standing and rubbing his head. Nathan is one of the smartest kids in the sixth grade, and a good friend. He had surgery on his leg last year when a bully pushed him down in the hallway, so he is always careful not to injure it again.

https://amzn.to/2A51ZhZ


**My thoughts**
Sophie Washington books makes me happy. I find the characters to be pretty relatable, and they always seem to have real-world problems that are eventually solved in appropriate ways. There's always a lesson to be learned. And at the same time, they are just a lot of fun. This book was no exception in the series.

The Sophie Washington books also incorporate real-life scenarios. For example, this one is about dealing with a hurricane in Texas. They're still not completely over the one that beat up Houston, and now there is one attacking Corpus Christi, where Grandma Washington lives. They manage to get her safely to their house to ride out the storms, but it's still nerve-wracking watching all of the storms and flooding going on. I didn't have to deal with hurricanes growing up, but I did deal with severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, so I get how they're feeling. I admit to feeling quite emotional, stomach tied up in knots during certain parts of their adventure as the rains came. I also felt like it helped me to better understand what people went through during the hurricanes, including friends of mine.

Also in this story, old favorite friends reappear. And there's a new nemesis for Sophie in Valentina. I totally get dealing with the super snobby girls at school who are so fake, but everyone loves them. I appreciate how Sophie can see through the fakeness and doesn't fall for it. And yet, there is also an important lesson to be learned about those who are so fake. Usually they're hiding a deeper hurt and you have to get through that fakeness to find out the real story. As always, Sophie grows and matures a lot over the course of the story.

So another great installment in the series. And again, I can't wait until the next adventure.


About Tonya Duncan Ellis


Tonya Duncan Ellis was born and raised in Louisville, KY. She loves reading so much that as a child she took books with her everywhere. She knew she wanted to become a writer after an article she wrote was published in her hometown newspaper when she was a teen. Since then, Tonya has worked as a journalist and freelance magazine writer. She's an Amazon bestselling and award-winning author of the Sophie Washington children's book series, geared towards readers ages 8 to 12. The books recount adventures of Houston, TX preteen Sophie Washington and her diverse group of friends. Each funny and heartwarming story teaches lessons about friendship, responsibility, truthfulness and perseverance. Books in the series include Queen of the Bee, The Snitch, Things You Didn't Know About Sophie, The Gamer, Hurricane and Mission Costa Rica (Due to be released June 2018). When she's not writing, Tonya enjoys reading, biking, swimming, travel and spending time with her husband and three children. She lives in Houston, TX.

Website: https://tonyaduncanellis.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonyaellisbooks/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonyaDEllis

Tonya Duncan Ellis will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

15 comments:

  1. I appreciate the kind review and feature on your blog! Thanks Andi!! 😊

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  2. Thank you for the book description and the opportunity to learn about another great book. I appreciate the giveaway as well.

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  3. I'm looking forward to buying this for my 3rd grader.

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  4. Thank you for your honest review, it's much appreciated!

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  5. This sounds like a great story. I enjoyed the excerpt.

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    1. Thanks for taking time to read it Marcy. Best wishes in the giveaway!

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  6. Are any of the charachters in the book based on real people? Congrats on the release. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

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    1. Thanks Bernie. Most of the characters are fictional but a couple are loosely based on people I know. I have to keep their identities secret. :)

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