(Storm Catchers) [By: Bowler, Tim] [Jun, 2005]

by Tim Bowler

Fin is devastated by guilt when his sister, Ella, is kidnapped. She is snatched away from the house in the middle of a storm. As the kidnappers make their demands, Fin's guilt is replaced by a fierce determination to find his sister by whatever means he can, and bring the criminals to justice. But as the drama unfolds, a complex web of family secrets is revealed. It emerges that Ella's kidnapping is revenge for mistakes Fin's father made, years before. The consequences will change all their lives forever.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Suspense, Teen, School, Thriller

Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Tim Bowler is one of the UK’s most compelling and original writers for teenagers. He was born in Leigh-on-Sea and after studying Swedish at University he worked in forestry, the timber trade, teaching and translating before becoming a full-time writer. He lives with his wife in a small village in Devon and his workroom is an old stone outhouse known to friends as ‘Tim’s Bolthole’.

Tim has written twenty books and won fifteen awards, including the prestigious Carnegie Medal for River Boy. His most recent novel is the gripping Bloodchild and his provocative Blade series is being hailed as a groundbreaking work of fiction. He has been described by the Sunday Telegraph as ‘the master of the psychological thriller’ and by the Independent as ‘one of the truly individual voices in British teenage fiction’.

Reviews

[viki♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hated it. And I don't say that for a lot of books.

Had to read it for school nearly 2 years ago, and the first few 50ish pages were decent! But it just began to get full after.

You could basically say I DNF as I was literally blanked out while reading it (still reading the book, but nothing was really going in 🤣)

But yeah would not recommend ❤️

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

this is the last time i take book recs from a man

[K. Carters · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to rate this book or if I'm being fair/harsh/generous. When I write the story down, it's something I would be interested in reading and it's not a bad notion. However, I don't think it translates to the book. The pace should be ultra quick -you are thrown in with an abduction in the opening chapter- but it feels ploddy and like nothing is happening. Half the book was learning to dowse for example -which wasn't that useful to the actual plot or outcome...the same thing would have happened if they had done it or not! Likewise, the dialogue just seemed fake and awkward. It didn't feel right. They were on a cliff with a storm approaching and a kid missing...and they stop to fill in all the plot gaps for nearly three pages, explaining motives, spoilers, side plots and so forth. Just feels a bit cheated. I don't feel much for any of the characters and genuinely didn't blink when it was teased that the kid had jumped off the cliff. There's no pay off at the end, no one has learnt their lesson and people just act strangely and get on with their lives. Maybe I'm too harsh but I just found the characters very one dimensional and not very interesting. Shame as it's a great idea for a story...

[D C · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read it for school. It actually started off really decent, but then about a hundred pages in the plot got completely bogged down by, I shit you not, the antagonist going fishing. By the time it got back on track I'd checked out. I didn't care what happened anymore. All the tension was gone and I was praying for it to end as soon as possible. All the characters were awful and not in an interesting way. The plot was borderline incoherent. There was so much random stuff that was introduced, seemingly to pad out the page count, and then just never brought up again. Whoever gave this book an award needs to be shot. This book killed my family, burned down my house and wrote Alien 3.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is 1 of the most moving books I have read in a long time. Its beautifully written, from the kidnapping to the collapsing to the truth to the strange little boy it's well worth the look!!!

The Summary (back of the book) Taken from the Book Storm Catcher:

"Tell a soul and she's dead. We'll be in touch."
The kidnap shocks the whole family. Ella has been snatched away from the house in the middle of a storm. Her brother Fin will never forgive himself for leaving her on her own. Now Sam, their little brother, has gone wandering on the cliff to "catch the storm" as it blows out to the sea.

As the kidnapper's plans unfold, all members of the family are forced to confront their deepest, darkest secrets. Fin comes to realize that Ella is not the only victim and that the real villian may be closer to home than anyone thought.

A new storm is breaking on the horizon. And it's going to change everything...




Thats the whole preview!!! Please read!!

[Anna Fiolkowska · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book.the amount of things happening at once was at times hard to understand, but at the end paid off with amazing twists to the story, which personally, were never expected. For example when Ella's dad turns out to be the father of Imogen Prescott or that the little girl that Sammy followed around was in fact the ghost of Imogen Prescott.

A lot of unsolved mysteries throughout the book also kept me wanting to find out what was happening. A good idea to support this, is who the little girl Sammy was talking to, or even better, why did she keep on calling him to catch the storm and why did the Ricky Prescott get so scared when Sam mentioned it accidentally over the phone.

The only part I did not understand, was why was Imogen's death Fin's dad's fault. Maybe I didn't read that very well or it indeed isn't mentioned in the book.

However in the end, when Ella's dad uncovers all the secrets, one by one, it feels really good to suddenly know exactly what was happening in the book all along when all this time, you knew of nothing...

In summary, this is so far my favourite book I've ever read. It's perfect.

[Hannah S · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started off good, but slowly got worse and worse to the point where I was wondering how it had got an award to be honest.
The blurb kinds of paints it out to be a thriller with elements of mystery in it, but it’s just got random supernatural elements that don’t really make sense and kind of leave you a bit confused. The whole ‘dowsing’ thing was a lazy way to proceed with the book’s plot.
And with regards to how the kidnappers’ motives were found out, it doesn’t really give the reader a chance to work it out on there own. Almost the entire thing just gets explained by one character at the end which is a lot to take in and somewhat irritating.
And none of the characters really learn anything from the whole ordeal so ultimately reading it just felt pointless.

[Jepha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't understand how this book won an award,it feels like the author took a couple of unfinished NaNoWriMo projects and smashed them together. It's a mystery novel that tries to become supernatural? The exposition is terrible. instead of dropping clues and developments over the course of the story, we are led blindly until suddenly everything is revealed in a monologue after the climax has taken place.
There is very little depth to any of the characters, I wonder how many 3 year olds the author has met because, as a preschool teacher, I found it the things that Sammy got up to were quite unbelievable.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hm how do I rate this book? In one way it’s genius and in another it is not. Not much happens and even though you would expect a story about kidnapping to be fast pasted, it is very slow going. There are some chapters that seem irrelevant to the story/ come out of nowhere with no context. But at the same time I sorta enjoyed it? I don’t know. The little boy Sammy is a quirky character and without him I think the story would be a no go. He definitely carries the story. I feel it was a brilliant idea and I see what the author is trying to do but I don’t think it is executed as cleanly as it could be.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storm Catchers was a great book! We originally read it in school, but as I enjoyed it, I bought myself a copy and decided to annotate and highlight my favourite parts: to really understand the plot and characters. I really enjoyed the story, and I loved how the plot unfolded. One thing I really liked was the characters! They all seemed very secretive and mysterious in their own ways, and they kept changing and adapting because of the situations. My least favourite parts were on the boat- I just found them slightly dull and repetitive. Apart from those 2 scenes, I enjoyed the book! :D 4 stars!

[Noor Alzidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was soo damn good, i was intrigued the whole time, you don’t really know what’s going on or what’s going to happen, oh my my the suspense!!!

1000/10 would recommend. It’s so light, only 290something pages and you can literally finish it in one sitting if you went hard at it, and it wouldn’t even be that difficult because you’ll be gripped so hard and you’ll be turning page after page frantically.

[Aoife · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catch the storm ? Peter Parnell can catch these hands!!

Looking forward to teaching my students about the audacity of men once again being the downfall of society

Lowkey though this is not a good book 🤦‍♀️

August update: I don't have the year group that I would have been teaching this book too, so both I and my friends who I snapchatted to about this book have suffered

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was very exciting and a real page turner

[Tailsmo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable thriller for teens. Creepy supernatural element. I will be looking for more books from this author.

[René · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a steaming pile of crap. I feel personally offended.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, a great find in a charity shop. I will be looking for more books by this author in the future.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dear Tim Bowler
Your book is shit,
But you're shitter

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A teen mystery thriller by Tim Bowler, Storm Catchers follows the viewpoint of Fin. Upon finding out his sister was kidnapped and held for ransom, he attempts to take things into his own hands when his parents are unable to handle the situation. Recommended dowsing by a friend, Fin realizes his sister may not be too far off, but is she still alive? Meanwhile, Fin's younger brother, Sammy, is acting up more. He's wondering outside a lot and talking more frequently to a supposedly imaginary friend, but is there a connection to his sister's disappearance?

The book starts very quickly into the story, with the kidnapping scenario occurring immediately and the family receiving the ransom notice. The story progresses moderately after that, with Fin attempting to search for his sister, Sammy's unusual antics, and the parents fretting over the ransom. We are left to ponder who the kidnapper is as well as the connection of Sammy's imaginary friend and a constant warning of an impending storm, supposedly. It is very apparent that this book was more plot focus than character development, as some moments just feel like they came and went. Luckily the mystery and the ongoing subplots wraps up kind of nicely at the end. It was all right, but the way the twist came is what brought it to a 4 for me

[Justice Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stormcatchers is an exciting story that makes you feel a lot of emotions. It's about being scared loving your family and being brave. The main idea of the book is how people will do anything for someone they love. It shows that when things seem impossible you can keep going with hope and determination. I loved how the story is about family, especially Fin and his sister Ella.

Fin and Ellas relationship is what makes the story so special. When Ella gets taken Fin feels really bad. Thinks it's his fault. You can see how much he cares about her throughout the book. He loves Ella much that he's brave even when hes scared. Their bond feels real and strong which makes the story more emotional.

The storm, in the story is really important. It's not just rain and wind; it represents all the things that are happening and how Fin is feeling inside. The storm makes everything feel dark and tense which makes the story more exciting.

The story is really tense. Makes you feel nervous. There are lots of moments where you wonder whats going to happen. The mystery and danger keep you reading.

I would definitely say that you should read this book if you like stories that're exciting and make you feel emotions. It's a good book thats hard to stop reading.

[Maïté · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is a story about a girl who gets kidnapped, in the meantime there is a storm on the way. The girls family tries to find her while they are doing that they find a secret that will change their life.

Fear and courage form some part of the story because they are scared that something is going to happen to the girl or if she is even still alive and they have to be courageous to be able to save her.
The relationship between the girl and her older brother is that they are close and really care for each other, her older brother sad and scared when she Is kidnapped but also worried that something would happen to her. The story takes place near the sea and at a light house and the setting of the story is around the storm that is coming, that is a crucial element. The author uses the storm to create tension in the story but also uses it to create suspense. In some parts he succeeds but in most he doesn’t. I would recommend this book because I thought the book was very predictable and I could almost guess the whole plot from the beginning. Something I did like about the book is that the chapters at short and easy to read.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t dislike this book like I thought I would, actually I quite enjoyed it. I liked all the different aspects of the story and how they all tied up in the end. I felt the book was the perfect length and everything that happened had some significance to plot. I also loved the character of Ricky and how he had so many layers to him and his actions all had valid motivations.

Some thing I didn’t like, was how the whole mystery was solved by waving a pendulum around. Just felt a little too easy for the main characters and the magic seemed too powerful and out of place in the story. I have to say that all of Tim Bowlers books are the same. I’ve read quite a few now and the ghost girl is something we saw in Bloodchild and antagonist out for revenge after some past trauma was in Buried Thunder. I just feel this author re-uses the same plot points in all his books and it’s probably not worth reading as many of them as I have.

Overall I liked this book a decent amount, but probably won’t be picking up any new books from this author. 3 stars.

[Leon Colman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed reading Storm Catchers! It was a great book and from the start i was already on the edge of my seat reading it. It's about the journey of finding Fin's (the main character) little sister Ella, who has been kidnapped out of revenge. I have to say some parts were quite slow and the book didn't really do a great job at putting in a spiritual element. I'm still confused if this was meant to have a spiritiual twist or not, because some parts were a little confusing. The ending was also a little bit complicated and far fetched. The theme of fear and courage was a little vague and the relationship between Fin and Ella was not stressed on enough in my opinion. The setting like the storm was also a little bit confusing because i still don't know why it was such an important factor in the story. The tension and suspense in this story was actually quite good and i loved reading these parts. It probably wouldn't be my first recommendation for a thriller, but i would probably not advise against reading it.

[Alexandre Coucke · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed by Storm Catchers. The premise sounded gripping — a boy’s sister goes missing, and dark secrets begin to surface — but the execution didn’t live up to the promise. The story felt slow and unnecessarily confusing at times, with too much focus on atmosphere and not enough on clear plot development.

While the emotional struggle of the main character, Fin, is central to the novel, his thoughts often feel repetitive. Instead of building tension naturally, the narrative circles around the same fears and suspicions without moving the story forward in a satisfying way. This made parts of the book drag, especially in the middle chapters.

Some of the characters also felt underdeveloped. Their motivations weren’t always clear, which made it hard to fully connect with them or care about the outcome. The mystery itself had potential, but the resolution didn’t feel as powerful as it should have after so much buildup.

Overall, Storm Catchers tries to be intense and psychological, but it ends up feeling frustrating and drawn out rather than truly gripping.

[Jasper Vermeulen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's an interesting book. It keeps you entertained and has a detailled storyline. It's easy to follow the story without having to think really hard about what the story is about. The book encourages bravery and facing your fears. You can feel the tension of the situation and you can really dig into the character's emotions and feelings.

I think the relationship between Finn and Ella really displays the bond that a brother and sister can have. You can clearly see that Fin really cares about Ella and has done everything he could to save Ella. You can feel the pressure on Fin's shoulders after leaving Ella alone in the house.

The storm plays a really important role in the book because it elevates the seriousness of the situation. It gives the story a sort of unsettling setting that gives the story a unique vibe.
The storm and the grey weather that's in the book really elevates the story.

I think it's a quite good book that really shows the power of courage and embracing youre fears.
I would certainly recommend this book for teens.

[Aster D'Haenens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an interesting book with plot twists and it will get you on the edge of your seat on the most exciting parts. It tells the story of a young girl, Ella, that gets kidnapped in the middle of a storm. Her family tries everything to get her back, but the kidnapper didn't want money from them, and they had no other option than to confront their secrets. I thought this book was exciting at some parts, but it didn't make me want to read further and a lot of parts were boring. This isn't a book i would normally read but i don't think its a bad book and the exciting parts were more interesting. The theme of fear and courage definitely did stand out and it made the book more special and fun to read. I thought the relationship between Fin and Ella was very beautiful and heartwarming, especially when he goes out of his way to look for her. I would definitely recommend this to other teenagers that like this genre of book.

[Dy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read the Book Storm Catchers

The book is about a girl named Ella being kidnapped. The kidnapper asks for money to bring Ella back.
But after they gave the money, the kidnapper didn't give Ella back. Sam has a special mind that made it, so the family knew where Ella was.

I liked the book, it was exciting and sometimes tense. The brother Fin tried a lot to search for Ella. The storm during the search for Ella made it more exciting, and I was on the edge of my seat. I liked the theme of fear and courage.

I would probably recommend this book to other teenagers because it was easy to read and very exciting. The book is also pretty short.

I didn't give it a 5-star rating because some parts were long with no tension. But overall, I still give it a 4-star rating because the end was tense and exciting

[Jelte Wostijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Storm Catchers.

It tells the story of the family Parnell. It is about Ella, the daughter, being kidnapped and the rest of the family looking for her. I liked the book in general, but sometimes it was a bit boring. The theme of the book was well found, it was about fear and courage. It worked really well for this book. The realationship between Fin and Ella was also great. I still don't really understand what the storm had to do with this story. The book is called Storm Catchers but the storm wasn't really a big part of it. It was just an extra. The tension and suspense was not there, until you came to the last part of the book. The rest of the book was a bit boring.

I would recommend this book to teenagers who like a fast pace book with some tension in it. But if you want tension the whole book you shouldn't read it.

[Ginessa S · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book title is Storm Catchers by Tim Bowler. The book is about this little girl that gets kidnapped and her family is the only one that knows this, they all try to look for her but they all don’t have any luck, but they’re little brother finds her, but they cannot do anything because if they do tell anybody, the kidnapper kills her. The author makes it sorta scary and a mystery so many people would want to know what would happen next so they continue to read it, and be more interested in the book. I recommend this book to people because many people would probably like this book due to it being a mystery and it would probably be really hard to stop after what the book is about and how it is written.

[Quinten Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of storm catchers goes something like this:
There is a heavy storm weeping trough the sky. At night, a girl gets kidnapped right when she is left home alone. As the story progresses, we learn the ins and outs of this family. Everything from the friends they made to the dark secrets that should never have been discoverd...

I think storm catchers is a really fun book and i did enjoy it! But, I must admit, it did start a bit slow and it could be tedious sometimes. And some things weren't explained, sometimes it was far fetched. But that goes out the window, as Mr. Bowler really knows how to bring tension to the story. The twists were unexpected and the passion was there. I would recommend, but if you like action and fast-paced storytelling, I wouldn't recommend.

[Rhea Coco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Storm catchers tells the story of a girl named Ella that gets kidnapped by an unkown boy who threatens to kill her in the middle of a storm. Her brother Fin feels very guilty and does everything he can to find her alive, together with his mom and dad. Meanwhile her little brother Sam is distracted by other things.
Throughout the search the truth finally comes to light...


I think this book is perfect for people who like themes like courage, fear and love. The story really shows how those feelings can effect a person and his/her actions.
I think that the relationship between Fin and Ella is truly heartwarming and shows how having a sibling can really help you in a lot of different situations.