Module #13: 

The Storm in the Barn

Book Summary: The Storm in the Barn is a graphic novel, part historical fiction, and supernatural thriller at the same time. Writer and illustrator Matt Phelan earned the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction for this book set in Kansas during the Dust Bowl.  In this tale, young Jack Clark witnesses the devastation that the drought has brought to his town in Kansas - from the menacing dust clouds that everyone takes shelter from, to his sister’s illness, to the rise of superstitions among the townsfolk. Jack stands up, faces, and defeats his biggest fear:  a dust demon that has been denying his town precious rain.

APA Reference of Book: Phelan, M. (2009). The storm in the barn (1st ed.). Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

Impressions: I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I liked how author/illustrator Matt Phelan included a supernatural element in a historical fiction story. Although it is still fiction, one can feel the anguish a severe drought and dust storms brought to the townsfolk and Jack’s life.

Professional Review:

Matt Phelan The Storm in the Barn; illus. by the author 203 pp. Candlewick 9/09 isbn 978-0-7636-3618-0 $24.99 (Intermediate, Middle School) Illustrator Phelan’s graphic novel debut brings 1937 Kansas, wracked by drought and hardship, to life, adding a supernatural twist that fits well with the extremities of the Dust Bowl. Populated with Phelan’s trademark loose-lined, sparely sketched, emotive characters, this is the story of eleven-year-old Jack, who hasn’t seen rain since he was seven. Exploring an abandoned barn, Jack encounters a mysterious, threatening figure with a face of rain and a bag that flashes lightning. The minimalist approach to text complements the measured, masterful panel pacing; whole spreads are wordless, forcing the reader to slow down and follow the visual details of the action. Phelan’s use of color is simply stunning; his palette of sepias, dusty browns, and charcoal grays perfectly evokes the desolate landscapes of the Dust Bowl and makes the occasional pop of color—memories of green fields, stylized depictions of folktales, the angry blood-red of a “rabbit drive”—that much more striking. The emotional landscape is equally well developed: an older sister who suffers from “dust pneumonia” and reads Ozma of Oz aloud, between coughing fits, to her younger siblings; a father who too easily dismisses his son, who never had an opportunity to prove himself on the farm, as useless. The potent subtext informs both Jack’s climactic showdown with the rain figure and the book’s tender, triumphant resolution. Claire E. Gross

Gross, C. E. (2009). The Storm in the Barn. Horn Book Magazine, 85(6), 683-684.

Library Uses: Graphic novels are a great way for reluctant readers to get excited about reading. I would recommend this book to a child who likes history or supernatural stories, but may not be an avid reader.