Reviews

Hotaka by John Heffernan

maree_k's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A good read and great insights into disaster recovery from a teenager’s perspective. Structure was a little muddled though with some characters/story elements added a bit late in the narrative. Overall a good reading experience that shines a light on individual and community resilience in the face of overwhelming disaster. 

endlibrarian's review against another edition

2.0

This book isn't about surviving in a natural disaster zone, it is about government corruption and protest. Incredibly disappointing to find a book aimed at young people which has no relevance to the topic it is meant to be covering, natural disasters. It was clearly written for political reasons, rather than sharing the experiences of others.

missusb21's review against another edition

4.0

A thoughtful and honorable response to the 2011 Tsunami off Japan.

Hotaka is resilient, hard-working, and still grieving, and his narrative voice offers hope.