Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret

From the Publisher

Thirteen-year-old Kyle thought spending a vacation on the Oregon coast with his family would be great. He'd never flown before, and he'd never seen the Pacific Ocean.

One evening Kyle is left in charge of his younger sister, BeeBee, while his parents attend an adults-only Salesman of the Year dinner on an elegant yacht.

Then the earthquake comes -- starting a fire in their hotel! As Kyle and BeeBee fight their way out through smoke and flame, Kyle remembers the sign at the beach that said after an earthquake everyone should go uphill and inland, as far from the ocean as possible. Giant tsunami waves -- three or four stories high can ride in from the sea and engulf anyone who doesn't escape fast enough.

Kyle and BeeBee flee uphill as a tsunami crashes over the beach, the hotel, and the town. The giant wave charges straight up the hillside and through the woods where the children are running for their lives. The perfect vacation has become a nightmare! Somehow Kyle and BeeBee have to outwit nature's fury and save themselves from tsunami terror.

Caroline Haugen - Children's Literature

Kyle, his sister BeeBee and their parents are heading on a family vacation to the Oregon coast. BeeBee and Kyle have never been out of Kansas. Since their father is Salesman of the Year, the entire family gets to go to the awards conference in Oregon. However, the vacation is not what Kyle had expected. Daren, the school bully, turns out to be there as well. In addition, there is a terrible disaster while his parents are out on a cruise and Kyle has to learn to take care of himself and BeeBee. While the story has the potential to be highly interesting and suspenseful, it lacks the realistic detail for readers to become involved in the plot and invest themselves in the characters. The best part of the book is the sub-plot of eight-year-old BeeBee's obsession with the financial market. The book would be much stronger with more details and explanations. 2003, Simon & Schuster,

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-An earthquake, followed by a tsunami, hits the Oregon coast where 13-year-old Kyle is vacationing with his family. His parents are on a yacht, celebrating his realtor father's Salesman of the Year award, and Kyle must get his eight-year-old sister out of their burning hotel and up the hill, away from the beach. As they escape, he also saves the life of a bully who has tormented him since grade school. Later, after seeing Daren for the lying coward he is, Kyle stands up to him, ending the abusive behavior. Kyle's self-image is transformed through his experience with the tsunami and the bully. While this is a satisfying read for victims of bullying, it is unremarkable in plot and style. One character does stand out, Kyle's sister, BeeBee, a financial whiz who follows the stock market and names her teddy bear after Bill Gates. A bibliography of books, Web sites, a video, and pamphlets about tsunamis is included.-Laurie von Mehren, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

• ISBN: 0689852738
  
• ISBN-13: 9780689852732
• Format: Paperback, 160pp
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Pub. Date: September 2004
• Edition Description: Reprint
• Sales Rank: 53,221
• Age Range: 8 to 12