Safe as Houses
Author: Eric Walters
http://www.ericwalters.net/
Reviewer: Joseph
Eric Walter’s latest young adult book Safe As Houses is a story about Hurricane Hazel in 1954 and three kids who try to survive it. It is based around real people on Raymore Drive, a street that was completely destroyed, and three children who survived because of the help of two real life heroes. The story centers around a young babysitter named Lizzie Hardy and the two young children she babysits. She is left alone with them in the middle of the storm without her parents or theirs. Even though at first they think the storm is nothing, they realize that the storm will be truly devastating and may kill them as it floods the house and the river outside destroys houses and cars. Throughout the book Liz tries to protect the McBride children from the dangers outside and all of the children grow because of the dangerous situation. Liz looses her self-doubt in her babysitting abilities and begins to understand David’s resentment towards her. Suzie is the youngest and most naive of the group but her youthful innocence is what gives the rest of the group hope. And David is Suzie’s older brother who believes he doesn’t need a babysitter but after the whole ordeal is over he is grateful that there was someone else that cares about him and his sister. Since the book is based on true events it helps to further the readers involvement with the characters. As you follow them every step of the way you are astonished by their resourcefulness and intelligence that are beyond their years. It is an enthralling book about a terrifying event in Canadian history that Eric Walter has shone from the perspective of three young children. It is the kind of book that effectively takes an event in history and makes it real for its readers, especially the teen audience that it was written for. As well as having excellent literary quality it is filled with moments of incredible suspense. This book is well worth reading and just like Elixir it shows Eric Walters skills in taking historical events of Canada and giving them a personal feeling.
