Escaping the Giant Wave

by Peg Kehret

The Worst Vacation Ever!

Thirteen-year-old Kyle thought spending a vacation on the Oregon coast with his family would be great. Kyle's perfect vacation becomes a nightmare while he's babysitting his sister, BeeBee. An earthquake hits the coast and starts a fire in their hotel. Can Kyle and BeeBee outwit and outrun nature's fury to save themselves from tsunami terror?

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Survival, Adventure, Young Adult, Childrens

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Peg Kehret writes middle grade fiction and nonfiction. She's won dozens of state children's choice awards, where kids vote for their favorite book.

When she was twelve, Peg was paralyzed with polio. Most of her protagonists are the age she was then.

A volunteer with animal rescue groups, three of Peg's books are co-authored by Pete the Cat."

Reviews

[Ben W. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is to easy to predict, you know what is going to happen even before it does. NO suspense is generated by this and i can't connect with the characters. It is to short and I finished it 3 days, this book may be a better for 8 year old people. These are the reasons that i gave it a one star review. BIG THUMBS DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to agree with the blurb. This was the worst vacation ever for Kyle and his family. Not only does the school bully wind up in the same place, but young Kyle and his sister Bee Bee, who he had been left in charge of while his parents were at a dinner, have to fight for their survival. First they are hit with an earthquake., then they have to escape a hotel fire caused by the earthquake, and then finally are found running for their lives when a very large Tsunami hits the Oregon coast. That's a lot to take for an adult. Can you imagine being a kid and having to deal with this? This was a quick read and very suitable for preteens. My only complaint is that some reactions from the characters were kinda glossed over and seemed very unreal for the situation. Maybe that was done for a reason and not to scare the daylights out of a younger reader, but I think it could have been handled differently. Most of the book was done very well and I have already added most of this authors books to my TBR.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another adventure about a earthquake and tsunami on the Oregon coast.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thirteen year old Kyle is excited for his family vacation. He gets to fly on a plane for the first time and see the Pacific Ocean during their visit to Oregon's coast. As they are checking into the hotel Kyle sees a bully, Daren, from school. When Kyle’s parents go to an awards ceremony out on a large ship off the coast, they leave him to watch his sister, BeeBee, for the night. An earthquake hits and the hotel is on fire. They see Daren and try to help him get outside. Free from the flames, they feel safe. Kyle remembers a sign he saw at the beach about giant waves that can come after an earthquake. The sign said to get to higher ground. They had to get moving! Kyle tries to convince Daren to go with them, but he won't listen. Kyle and BeeBee start to trek up a nearby mountain. He's not sure how high up they need to go, but he knows they need to get away from the ocean. Along the way they find an elderly couple who is out walking their dog, trying to get to a safe place. Will a tsunami hit? Can l Kyle and BeeBee survive if it does? What will happen to their parents and Daren? You'll have to read this fast paced book to find out how it all ends.

Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret was a page turner. I have read other books by this author and have enjoyed them all. I thought Kyle and BeeBee both seemed like characters I could relate to and because Kyle was 13 it made sense that his parents left them alone for the evening so they could go to the ceremony. It was easy to relate to Kyle’s disappointment when he found out that someone who was mean to him at school was staying at his hotel. From what I could see of Darren he didn't act very kind! I can’t imagine how scary it would be to be in a major earthquake. This is a great book for kids who like realistic fiction and lots of action! I learned a lot of survival tips from the story too! I look forward to reading more books by this author.

[Molly]

i thought this book had a lot of adventure and peg kehret wrapped it up with a great ending.

[Dominique Goodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 5th graders really loved this book! It was so sweet to see how excited they were about reading this!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just as exhilarating the second time around.


4.5

I recently listened to this book on a road trip with my kids. This was the first time we tried this and it made our ride all the more fun. It kept a 6, 9, 11, and 37-year-old entertained and on the edge of our seats as we rambled down the highway. We even had a few tears mixed in at the end. (Thankfully, my 2 1/2 year old had Apple products to keep him happy.) This book is packed with nonstop action. We are grateful to The Global Reading Challenge and Julia for recommending it.

[༻☮Miranda☮༺ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a really predictable book. I finished it basically as soon as I started! Personally, I would NEVER read this again unless made to.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a pretty simple story about a family vacation gone terribly wrong thanks to a tsunami off the Oregon coast.



It has a pretty good lesson about how to act in an emergency and what happens to people who ignore warnings.

Language: Clean
Sexual Content: None
Violence/Gore: Mild
Harm to Animals: Dog is in danger but comes out fine
Harm to Children: Endangerment, possible deaths implied
Other (Triggers): Fire, tsunami, bullying

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

ESCAPING THE GIANT WAVE
Kyle, the main character wants Darren to stop bullying him. Darren has been bullying Kyle from kindergarten to 5th grade. Darren pushes, punches and says bad words to Kyle. He makes Kyle feel awful. Kyle doesn’t tell anyone because Darren’s bullying will get worse.
UNFORTUNATELY …Darren and Kyle are going to a vacation on the Oregon coast when they see each other there. Especially Kyle’s parents do not know this bullying situation is going on. To make things worse..Darren thought he was brave and that the tsunami was not a big deal. Apparently, there was a gang of people that formed a circle around a bonfire doing the countdown till five thirty when the wave hits. When Darren saw them he ran right to the water took his clothes off and jumped into the water. But then someone yelled to the gang and Darren that a killer wave was coming. At that moment Darren thought: a killer wave wow that sounds a lot worse than a tsunami, then the gang yelled five twenty nine! Darren thought about nothing else but quickly ran out of the water, and just kept running, then the gang yelled five thirty! At that time Kyle and BeeBee were taking cover will they survive the wave?

[Sophia Houle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thirteen year old Kyle thought spending a vacation on the Oregon coast with his family would be great. He had never flown before, and he had never seen the Pacific Ocean.Kyle`s perfect vacation becomes a nightmare when he`s babysitting his eight year old sister, BeeBee. An earthqauke
hits the coast and starts a fire in their hotel. While fighting their way through smoke and flame, Kyle remembers seeing a sign at the beach that said after an earthquake everyone should go uphill and inland, as far away from the ocean as possible. Tsunamis, giant waves that often follow earthquakes, can ride in from the sea and engulf anyone who does not escape fast enough. Can Kyle and BeeBee outwit and outrun natures fury to save themselves from tsunami terror?

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Escaping The Giant Wave is a great book by the author Peg Kehret. This book is a good action and adventure book. It will keep you at the edge of your seat wanting to read more. This book is another great book from the author Peg Kehret who is great at making these types of books. If you are the type of person who likes adventure then you will love this book. Escaping the Giant Wave is just about this family who goes to a hotel and then a huge tsunami hits them and they are trying to escape it alive. While they are trying to escape that is where the adventure and the action comes in to place. But great book in general, it's a personal favorite of mines.

[Ámbar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this book to help one of my ESL students. Though kids might find the adventure in it exciting, I thought it was predictable and superficial. Some of the events were hard to believe - an earthquake, two fires and a tsunami, all in the same afternoon- and the characters were one-dimensional or poorly drawn, especially Beebee, the protagonist's 8 year-old, capitalist sister, who's obsessed with money and the stock market. Easy to read but completely delirious.

[Sierra Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book a while ago and forgot to rate it. It was a pretty good book I guess. It wasn't boring just, unrealistic I guess. You will realize that normally, if I don't like a book it's because of the unrealistic factor.

[Avalon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book portrayed the fictional experience of surviving an earthquake, fire, and Tsunami without your parents.

[Maggie Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shared with my kiddo. She's already read all the I Survived (Tarshis) series and this fell between those and single point of view Alan Gratz in style. If I had to guess right this moment what my kiddo would do career wise based on her reading interests- it would be extreme meteorologist or storm chaser.

[Paige Fulkerson]

Pre-read before I teach this book to my 4th graders woop woop! Awesome book

[Tyler Button · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. It was exiting, thrilling, and it allways keep me guessing whats going to happen next. Right when you think that you know whats going to happen next it twist up. This book was about a family of four. Mom, Dad, Daughter, And son. This family won a prize. This price was an Vaction trip to the coast line of oregon. The family was so exited to get an all free vaction to oregon. The family got on there flight one morning they where soo exited for this vaccton. Once they got on there flight they where amazed. They had never been on a plane before. Once the plane got high anough in the air they started to have fun. Ordering drinks, Food, anything they wanted they got it and they where thrillied it was all free. For intertanment on the flight they Colored and read, they where having a blast. After they landed in Portland, Oregon they went and go there bags then headed out to catch there limo. They waited for a while but it was worth it when there Lincon jet black streetch limo pulled up in front of them. This was the first time they have ever been in a limo so they where really exited. The driver asked where to and they said the fronter lodge thats where they where staying. When they got to the frontier lodge they where shocked to see that the frontier lodge was stil in construction. So they stayed at the hotel next to it. After they got unpacked and everything the family went down to the beach. When the family was walking on the beach. The water was way to cold to swim so the daughter was picking up shells and putting them in a bucket. The son was looking for objects for a see picture he was planning on making. The two parents where just walking and talking along the beach. While walking across the beach the family noticed a sighn in the dunes. The sighn said " Warning the spot you are in is a dangered Tsunami area if there where a tsunami move as far upland as possible ". The dad said "you under stand this kids move upland if a hurricane ok ". The kids agreed and moved along with there beach trip. Once thy got back to the hotel the parents where off to a party on a cruise and the Son and Dauhter where going to be at the hotel alone. Whats going to happen next is there going to be a tsunami while there parents are gone ? Is the parents boat going to sink and not make it back to shore? Will something horrible happen to the kids ? These are all good questions Find the answer by reaing the book " Escaping The Giant Wave " By Peg Kehret

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Kyle and his family travel from Kansas to the Pacific Coast on their summer vacation, they never dreamed they would be living through one of the most destructive of natural disasters...a tsunami. Kyle was anticipating being far away from classmate Daren who bullies him relentlessly, but is horrified to find that Daren's family is also part of the same company outing that his parents have been invited to. Kyle and his sister BeeBee are left alone one night as their parents board the Elegant Empress for a company awards ceremony. Just as their room service of pizza and milkshakes are delivered, an earthquake hits. Kyle vividly remembers the signs on the beach warning residents and tourists to head for higher ground after an earthquake.

Although many beachgoers ignore the warnings, including know-it-all Daren, Kyle takes initiative and begins climbing to the highest point with his sister. As the first giant wave hits, Kyle and BeeBee barely avoid it...they know they must climb further inland. But what happened to everyone else? And how did the Elegant Empress fare out in the ocean? Fear and exhaustion take a toll on the siblings as they wait for the 'all-clear' signal so they can start the long search for their parents. Kyle tries to present a calming, confident voice to BeeBee, but inside he is frightened out of his mind.

Escaping the Giant Wave is well-researched and keeps readers on the edge-of-their-seat as the kids are trying desperately to survive. Makes us all think twice about visiting the coast, especially the Pacific Coast which has a 'nine hundred mile-long crack in the earth's crust offshore,' according to the author's note. A great read-aloud.

[Ashlynn Amdor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book, Escaping the Giant Wave. It was about a 13 year old boy named Kyle, his younger sister Beebee, and his mom and dad. Kyle's dad wins salesman of the year and earns a trip to Oregon. The fly there and have a great time. Another couple and there kid tagged along and they just so happened to be the parents of a boy in Kyle's class who bullied him. Kyle thought that the vacation was ruined but tried to avoid him. Kyle's parents decided to go on a cruise while Kyle stayed at the hotel to watch after his sister Beebee. Then all of a sudden, there was an earthquake. They survived but then after further inspection, realized that the building was on fire. They got outside and then thought that a tsunami would strike, so they headed upwards into the tall mountains. It was the right decision. Many giant waves came and they had no idea were there parents were the whole time.

I really liked this book. I had originally planned to read like 2 chapters a day but then finished it even sooner because I flew right threw it. The genre was realistic. Even though the genre wasn't mystery, you still asked many questions through out the whole book and it made you wonder about so many things. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and kept me hooked in. I think that anyone who likes books written by Peg Kehret would enjoy this one as well. I would recommend this book to anyone. It would suit anyone who enjoys these things that make you really eager to get to the next line of words on the page. I rate this book five starts because it was a good story line and it really showed that sometimes you have to be brave and be a leader to accomplish important goals.

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I currently finished reading Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret. This book is about a brother and a sister on vacation that go through some tragic situations. First, while their parents were gone, an earthquake hits the hotel. Then the hotel caught on fire. After that, a tsunami comes and almost kills them.
I believe that this is a really good book, but there were some things that I didn't particularly like. For one, I don't think that Josie should have died! She saved their lives and definitely didn't deserve to die! Also, I think that the parents should have made a more grand entrance. In the book, it sort of skims over the part when the parents find Kyle and Beebee.
Some of the things that I liked were when Kyle decides to save Daren in the burning hotel. Even though he disliked Daren, he knew in his heart that he couldn't leave Daren to just burn up and die. I also loved the fact that Kyle had some sense and didn't do down to the beach with Daren. If he had, doubt that he and Beebee would have gotten away in time and that would have messed up the while story.
Escaping the Giant Wave is a book that I would recommend to kids from ages 9-13. Plus, I would recommend it to people who like to read about natural disasters. If I had to rate this, I would give it an 8 out of 10 stars. Though I usually read other types of books, this was a nice exception. I think that this is a great book and I hope that you will read it.

[Shreema · Rating 5 out of 5]

" Escaping the Giant Wave"
The book "Escaping the Giant Wave" is written by Peg Kehret who is also the author of Small steps the year I got polio. Kyle is 13 years old and is excited to go to the Oregon coast for a vacation with his family. He thought he could be away from the bully in his school, Draen Hazeloton. When they reached the hotel in the coast, they realized that the hotel that they were supposed to stay in was still under construction. So they had to stay in an old hotel called the Town Pole Inn. Then they went to the beach where they saw a tsunami warning that read: When there is a tsunami go to higher ground. A couple of days after they came, Kyle’s parents were out on a business cruise leaving Kyle and his sister BeeBee at the inn. A couple of hours later, Kyle and BeeBee felt the ground shake and they realized that they were in an earthquake. Kyle was trying to remember what someone had said in his class about earthquakes and he remembered that after an earthquake there can be a tsunami. Kyle recalled the sign he saw at the beach earlier and said to BeeBee, “We have to get to higher ground”. Do you think Kyle and BeeBee will survive the earthquake leading to tsunami?

[Dreamergirl99 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is possibly one of my favorite trilogy books and it's by Peg Kehret also one of the few writers that has such an excting plot in novels. I loved it from the moment I started it and I was really holding my breath to the very end to see what the boy and his sister where going to do. It's a great read and I would recommend it for grades 6th-10th. This book is an awesome adventure anyone can enjoy... You can see that the characters are worked at a lot and the writer made you feel like you where right there throughout the book. It also shows how people don't take many things seriously, for example when the boy and his family saw the Tsunami sign on the beach they just skipped it and said it was nothing. And I don't blame them, that's how many poeple would react. At the beginning of the book I thought the main character was a real coward but later as I read I saw that he was actually very brave and acted mature in situations like when his little sister disappeared or when he stood up to the bully in the middle of the story.Be sure to read, Escaping the Giant Wave by Kehret!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaaah! A tsunami? As Kyle and his family went to their supposedly luxury trip, they happen to bethere at the wrong time. What was supposed to be their best vacation ever turned out to be a nightmare that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. The moment they got their was horrible too. Kyle's enemy from school had to be there. What luck! Also, the new luxurious hotel is still in construction and they had to go to a very archaic hotel. It is known to have built in 1845. To make matters worse, they had to stay in the hotel while their parents were having a business meeting in a very grand cruise. When they start eating pizza, a violent shake occurs which causes a big fire in the hotel? Is that all? No! There is also a warning on a big tsunami! Can they make through this nightmare or will this wave be successful?

[Brie · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s bad. Very bad. I had to read it in fourth grade. Hated every second of it. It feels like the author was trying to write Kyle, but had never been in Kyle’s age group. “Pop a wheelie”? Really? Kyle is also inhumanly perfect, and every time he was onscreen (he’s the main character, so the whole book) I was rolling my eyes and going “of course he would do that. It’s not like we can have realistic characters.” And daren is the opposite of inhumanly perfect, being inhumanly flawed. “Daren is a weak coward who is mean and has no good traits, you should hate him!” The author screams in our ears. Those are the main bad parts, but there are other bad things that I don’t have time to get into. It’s bad,

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's interesting that this story, about surviving an earthquake and subsequent tsunami on the coast of Oregon, was written in 2003, before the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Most people, I'm sure, didn't know about the threat of earthquakes followed by tsunamis in the Pacific Northwest until documentaries about it came out in 2005 and after. Certainly I didn't. The details in the book matched what I've read and seen in documentaries, so the author did her homework. The story was suspenseful, and I liked the relationship between Kyle and his sister. This would be a great book to read in a unit on earthquakes or tsunamis.
Recommended!

[Kristy Haight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interest Level: 3-6
Reading Level: 5.9

Included in These Sets/Series: Children's Crown Award - Past Winners


Subjects:
Tsunamis Fiction.
Earthquakes Fiction.
Natural disasters Fiction.
Brothers and sisters Fiction.
Bullies Fiction.
Pacific Coast (Or.) Fiction.


Notes: Includes bibliographical references. When an earthquake creates a tsunami while thirteen-year-old Kyle is babysitting his sister during a family vacation at a Pacific Coast resort, he tries to save himself, his sister, and a boy who has bullied him for years. Includes an author's note which provides factual information on tsunamis.

[Jesus S · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character Kyle goes to Oregon for the summer on a beach. But while he's there parents leave Kyle and his sister at the hotel while they are out on a date. But when they leave, there is a strong earthquake that destroys some buildings including the one they are in. But Kyle is worried because that beach is known for tsunami's. So he and his sister climbed a hill in order to avoid the tsunami. While they are climbing the hill they meet some old people who are trying to escape the tsunami themselves. But the wife is to old and is too old. But the wave is approaching slowly. But it eventually catches up. The old wife DOES NOT DIE.

[Haley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this book for school. It is about a family that goes to stay at a hotel while the parents are out on a boat for their dad's work party. The hotel that they are supposed to stay in is still being built so they have to stay in an old one. The hotel catches on fire and the kids are forced out from a high floor. They meet an old couple who are sitting on a bench looking out on the ocean when the alarm for a tsunami turns on. It is the biggest tsunami in a long time, and the kids have to figure out a way to get back to safety.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book it is about a little boy Kyle and he goes on a vacation and he stays in an old hotel. Suddenly an earthquake hits and the hotel is on fire kyle and his sister beebee try to get out while traveling through smoke. Will, they survive. will, they find theier parents. Read this awesome and interesting book to figurte it out. it is really good and not that lond either it took me 2ays to finish. Please read it its sooooooooooooo good! Its not like any other book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!