Review of Hero: Hurricane Rescue

Hero: Hurricane Rescue

byJennifer Li Shotz

Hero, a retired search-and-rescue dog, is devoted to Ben, the son of a police sergeant in Gulfport, Mississippi. The pair love playing baseball and fetch with Ben’s best friend Noah and Ben’s new friend Jack and his puppy Scout. When Jack takes Scout and leaves town on foot at the start of a hurricane, Ben, Hero, and Noah follow Jack and Scout into the woods at the height of the storm. The boys rely on Hero’s instincts and sensitive nose as they encounter treacherous reptiles, downed trees, rising flood waters, and fast-moving mudslides. Hero and the boys avoid catastrophe to find Scout and Jack, but as the boys try to leave the forest, a flash flood forces them to turn back. Hero sniffs out a young Boy Scout troop and their injured leader sheltering in a cave. It’s up to Hero and the older boys to lead the troop to higher ground where they hope to find a cellphone signal and call for help. With short chapters laced with cliffhangers, Shotz keeps excitement high as each turn of the novel brings another challenge for Hero and Ben from outsmarting an alligator, managing the increasing tension between Noah and Jack, or rescuing a Boy Scout caught in a swollen creek. This second novel in the series delivers fast-paced adventure sure to thrill middle-grade reluctant readers who are comfortable with reading, but who don’t require extensive character development.