"Part of me wanted to talk hogwash and tell him he didn't look his age - you know, that stuff grown-ups always say - but Smokey has gray hair and a bunch of wrinkles. In other words, he really does look old, and I wasn't in the mood to tell a lie. Besides, I have a one-white-lie-a-day rule. Pops says white lies don't hurt much, but Mama says a lie is a lie."
I love the way Saint Louis Armstrong Beach expresses himself in this thoughtful, well told story of a boy who lives in New Orleans in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina brings catastrophic change to so many. Saint looks at life with great clarity for a boy so young:
"As for me, my life has three parts: the before, the during, and the after. My before was mostly good and the after keeps getting better every day, but the during sure was hard. The during was, I hope, the most horrible-est thing that will ever happen to me. The during was almost my end."
Are you ready to hear more? This book about Saint, his family, his neighbors and a free-ranging dog named Shadow who seems to have a special place in his heart for Saint, is filled with love of music, hope for the future, and the terror of living out the days when Katrina throws everything into chaos.
Saint loves the clarinet and he shows great promise. With his parents' approval and support from another street musician Smokey, he plays for tourists and earns money for his dream. Saint has his sights set on a Leblanc L1020 Step-up Pro clarinet and Smokey has one to sell. Saint is working hard to make the $1200. that is the asking price. There is a lot going on in Saint's life, and then comes news that the hurricane is wreaking havoc in Florida and headed toward the Louisiana coastline, with New Orleans in its path.
There is no mandatory evacuation - yet. Saint's mother is a social worker at a nearby hospital and is having difficulty agreeing to leave before all patients are safe. As the storm nears, Saint becomes increasingly concerned about Shadow. That 'dang dog' likes his freedom and balks at being confined to a leash and muzzle. When the mayor makes evacuation mandatory, Saint's parents send him off with his uncle's family to find refuge in Baton Rouge. Just as they are ready to leave, Shadow bolts and Saint is frantic. His father is adamant. Saint must go now. A promise is made to find Shadow and bring him along later.
Saint soon finds an opportunity to run from his uncle, and heads straight back to New Orleans. The tension builds as Saint sees deserted streets, boarded up homes and no sign of Shadow. He does seek refuge with a neighbor who has refused to leave her home, and Shadow finds him there. As the hurricane gains power and the rising waters force the three into the attic, where Miz Moran has some provisions, the storm rages on.
While the story ends in a joyful reunion, there is much to consider for the people of New Orleans. The author paints a real and engaging portrait of the beautiful, vibrant city before the storm and leaves us to wonder about the devastation in the aftermath of Katrina. Having met Saint and Miz Moran and grown to love everything about them both, it is sure to raise hope that resilience and purpose will make a brighter future possible:
"But even if, like some people claim, New Orleans is over - no one can really take it away, because New Orleans is inside of me, Saint Louis Armstrong Beach, and always will be. I put the Leblanc to my lips and blew some blues."
I love the way Saint Louis Armstrong Beach expresses himself in this thoughtful, well told story of a boy who lives in New Orleans in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina brings catastrophic change to so many. Saint looks at life with great clarity for a boy so young:
"As for me, my life has three parts: the before, the during, and the after. My before was mostly good and the after keeps getting better every day, but the during sure was hard. The during was, I hope, the most horrible-est thing that will ever happen to me. The during was almost my end."
Are you ready to hear more? This book about Saint, his family, his neighbors and a free-ranging dog named Shadow who seems to have a special place in his heart for Saint, is filled with love of music, hope for the future, and the terror of living out the days when Katrina throws everything into chaos.
Saint loves the clarinet and he shows great promise. With his parents' approval and support from another street musician Smokey, he plays for tourists and earns money for his dream. Saint has his sights set on a Leblanc L1020 Step-up Pro clarinet and Smokey has one to sell. Saint is working hard to make the $1200. that is the asking price. There is a lot going on in Saint's life, and then comes news that the hurricane is wreaking havoc in Florida and headed toward the Louisiana coastline, with New Orleans in its path.
There is no mandatory evacuation - yet. Saint's mother is a social worker at a nearby hospital and is having difficulty agreeing to leave before all patients are safe. As the storm nears, Saint becomes increasingly concerned about Shadow. That 'dang dog' likes his freedom and balks at being confined to a leash and muzzle. When the mayor makes evacuation mandatory, Saint's parents send him off with his uncle's family to find refuge in Baton Rouge. Just as they are ready to leave, Shadow bolts and Saint is frantic. His father is adamant. Saint must go now. A promise is made to find Shadow and bring him along later.
Saint soon finds an opportunity to run from his uncle, and heads straight back to New Orleans. The tension builds as Saint sees deserted streets, boarded up homes and no sign of Shadow. He does seek refuge with a neighbor who has refused to leave her home, and Shadow finds him there. As the hurricane gains power and the rising waters force the three into the attic, where Miz Moran has some provisions, the storm rages on.
While the story ends in a joyful reunion, there is much to consider for the people of New Orleans. The author paints a real and engaging portrait of the beautiful, vibrant city before the storm and leaves us to wonder about the devastation in the aftermath of Katrina. Having met Saint and Miz Moran and grown to love everything about them both, it is sure to raise hope that resilience and purpose will make a brighter future possible:
"But even if, like some people claim, New Orleans is over - no one can really take it away, because New Orleans is inside of me, Saint Louis Armstrong Beach, and always will be. I put the Leblanc to my lips and blew some blues."
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