Another Kind of Hurricane

Two 10-year-old boys, Zavion and Henry, live 1600 miles apart in New Orleans and in Vermont; facing separate tragedies, they become connected by a treasured marble and by the power of their grief. After Zavion loses his home to Hurricane Katrina, he and his father move to a temporary home in Baton Rouge. Meanwhile, Henry%E2%80%99s best friend Wayne has a fatal accident while hiking on a mountain trail. Debut author Smith handles the aftermath of both events tenderly, as well as how they begin to unite the characters: Henry loses a marble that he and Wayne shared when his mother donates his jeans to a New Orleans charity; Henry hitches a ride to the city with a volunteer in an attempt to find the marble. Meanwhile, Zavion stows away in a bird rescue van back to New Orleans. Smith sensitively depicts both Henry%E2%80%99s rage toward the mountain he loved for betraying him and Zavion%E2%80%99s consuming feeling of obligation to the home that has vanished. As the boys%E2%80%99 paths converge, their stories are gracefully laced together and their individual communities are vividly imagined. Ages 9%E2%80%9312. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (July)