FLASH FLOOD

“Messed-up kids get attention. Good kids get left alone.”

After his parents died and his grandfather refused custodianship, 17-year-old Zack ended up in foster care. He’s spent the past three years living with kindly Susan and Jon Tate. With the arrival of 14-year-old Peter three months ago, Zack’s peaceful existence has fractured. While Zack and Peter both share ADHD diagnoses, the similarities end there. Peter’s turbulent home life with his neglectful biological parents and his fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prompt him to bristle and lash out at the Tates and their stability and behavioral expectations. When Peter runs off in a fit of frustration during a dangerous storm, Susan and Jon trust Zack to stay home alone as they head out to find Peter. But Peter returns before the adults do, and with the water levels rising and the house flooding, the boys must work together to survive a harrowing trek to higher ground. Zack’s first-person narration and the straightforward vocabulary will quickly engage readers. The imagery describing ADHD provides a generalized introduction to the condition, and a mention of medication is framed in a way that honors bodily autonomy. The pacing and tension rise and flow with the floodwaters, whisking readers along but leaving little opportunity for richer exposition and characterization, leading to an abrupt conclusion. Main characters read white; names signal some ethnic diversity among supporting characters.

A fast-paced, plot-driven story for reluctant readers.