Roland Smith is well-known for creating tales of high adventure for middle school readers, and his most current work definitely falls under that category. Chase Masters lives with his father, but they don't live in the same place for very long. That is because his father works as a contractor, and he picks up his clients by heading toward areas with natural disasters. For Chase, this means a constant transitioning from one school to the next, but it also means an opportunity to spend time with his father, who is really his only family since the deaths of his mother and sister.

Since they are so familiar with natural disasters, both Chase and his dad keep a GO back, which is filled with all sorts of emergency and survival supplies. This ranges from canned food to a satellite phone and GPS unit.

Chase and his father John have just recently arrived in Saint Petersburg, Florida. They have been joined by John's assistant Tomás, which is how they arrange for where they are staying. The find themselves staying at a farm which is the winter home of a traveling circus and a refuge for injured exotic animals. The farm is actually owned by Tomás' brother. Chase ends up becoming very friendly with Nicole, whose family is made up of little people who work for the circus.

Chase and his dad have come to St. Pete's because of the predicted arrival of Hurricane Emily. He stays at the farm to live while Tomás and his dead head 40 miles south to where everyone is expecting Emily to strike. As everyone knows, though, hurricanes can be highly unpredictable.

As it starts to look like the storm is going to strike a lot closer to his new home, Chase finds himself being sent home. While he gets into a fight with the principal about whether it would be safer for the kids to stay at school, they all end up on the bus heading home. Unfortunately, Chase's fears turn out to be all too true when a major gust of wind strikes the bus, sending it rolling off the levy road and into a lake.

Chase, Nicole, and another girl named Rashawn were the only students left on the bus at the time, and they now find themselves all alone as they try to get back to Nicole's farm. Troubles include dangerous alligators, rushing waters, heavy winds, and time.

In some ways, this was really enjoyable. I thought the plot was pretty good, and Chase and his friends are very interesting. There is an interesting subplot developing in regard to a number of the journalists from an area television station that are covering the story of the hurricane.

The major problem I had with the book is that it just sort of stops at the end of the book. The final chapter (and sentence) sets up the story line for the sequel, which is going to be called The Surge. What I don't understand about this is that since the novel is not even 150 pages and none of the plots and subplots are at all resolved, this book and its sequel(s) could just have been produced in a single volume.

Readers will also have to dispense with a firm grasp of reality with some of the plot devices. For example, I don't know of any school district in which the principal decides to send students home, and I find it hard to believe that any official in Florida would be so ignorant about what should be done during a hurricane.

With that said, the book is a lot of fun.