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Quiet Storm. Cicha burza
Storm Williams nie lubi wyróżniać się z tłumu, ale gdy kończy podstawówkę, wszyscy oczekują od niej, że zacznie głośno wyrażać swoje zdanie, znajdzie przyjaciół i pójdzie w ślady przebojowego starszego brata.
Gdy Storm bije szkolny rekord w biegu na 400 metrów, nagle staje się gwiazdą drużyny lekkoatletycznej. W parze z nieoczekiwaną popularnością idą jednak problemy w życiu osobistym. Nadchodzi pora, by nieśmiała dziewczyna odnalazła swój głos.
Quiet Storm to czuła, inspirująca powieść o rodzinie, przyjaźni i odnajdywaniu wiary w siebie.
Gdy Storm bije szkolny rekord w biegu na 400 metrów, nagle staje się gwiazdą drużyny lekkoatletycznej. W parze z nieoczekiwaną popularnością idą jednak problemy w życiu osobistym. Nadchodzi pora, by nieśmiała dziewczyna odnalazła swój głos.
Quiet Storm to czuła, inspirująca powieść o rodzinie, przyjaźni i odnajdywaniu wiary w siebie.
304 pages, Paperback
Published June 5, 2024
22 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
January 26, 2024
A very beautiful and endearing story about friendship, confidence and the power to be who you are no matter what others say✨
February 2, 2025
This book was so cute and I adored it more than anything Whittam wrote this story so relatable that you cheer and cry for storm at times even though she didn’t have a best friend in the end she was ecompany with new friends adventures within new friends Whittam’s book made me a relate to Storm myself as someone who’s an introvert and don’t like being social was one of the reasons I adored this novel I can’t wait to see what else Kimberly writes next!
July 3, 2024
Чудех се между 3 и 4,ама само заради последните 50стр не искам да давам 4 звезди. Просто не е моето.. не е като да не беше интересно,но не беше толкова завладяващо. Много поуки свързани с това да сме себе си и да не се притесняваме какво мислят хората за нас. Абе като цяло някак си може би защото тя е първа година в гимназията и се чувствам все едно тези неща вече ги знам и нямаше нещо ново за мен.
СПОЙЛЕРИ
Едвам търпях Зариш и Мелиса.. и ест накрая вс се управи и Сторм ги заряза. Намери си нови не токсични приятелства...
Горе-долу е това..не ми хар особено
СПОЙЛЕРИ
Едвам търпях Зариш и Мелиса.. и ест накрая вс се управи и Сторм ги заряза. Намери си нови не токсични приятелства...
Горе-долу е това..не ми хар особено
April 25, 2025
The type of book I wish I could have read in high school. It still has a realtively wide appeal, though. There were a lot of relatable storylines and characters, along with plenty of heart infused into the writing.
July 15, 2024
hiljaisena ihmisenä kenelle on sanottu liian monta kertaa "eks sä puhu" niin tää oli vähän liian samaistuttava, a little 🤏 too close to home.
mutta ihan läpi menevä kirja 💞
mutta ihan läpi menevä kirja 💞
June 21, 2025
she's just like me fr :')
Read
June 22, 2025Has great story very empowered
December 22, 2025
now that was so cute
(Audio 🎧)
(Audio 🎧)
July 9, 2023
The book was very inspirational, it portrayed events that teenagers are experiencing nowadays. The book is narrated in first person. The reader is able to easily understand the characters emotions and when an event happens to a character you feel like you are a part of the story.
Overall, I highly recommend this book :).
Overall, I highly recommend this book :).
June 27, 2023
Just because you're shy doesn't mean you can't shine! A beautifully written warmhearted story with great messages and great characters, Quiet Storm follows the journey of a young introverted girl starting secondary school, having to face a whole new set of people and circumstances that make her feel totally uncomfortable - all in the shadow of "Mr perfect" her older brother Isaiah who is super confident and popular and involved in a ton of school activities (so of course her new teachers expect her to be just like him to start with), and her best friend -the only close friend she had from primary school - Zarrish is put into a different form and makes a new friend, Melissa....
Storm feels alone and that familiar feeling of panic to begin with, but as the story progresses she faces the challenges and learns to accept who she is - that being quiet doesn't mean you don't have a voice or talents of your own, and she learns important lessons about family, friendships and looking below the surface because some people are definitely not what they seem if you only look at them from the outside. (I especially liked Ryan's story arc)
This book is funny, it's positive, it's authentic (I guess school hasn't changed much since I was Storm's age), and it's spot on accurate (I was that "quiet girl" when I was that age too, and the feelings and emotions are captured perfectly here! I knew exactly how she was feeling). Storm might find her talent and her voice along the way but she isn't miraculously cured of shyness either. This is a realistic but empowering book about being who you are, accepting who you are, learning to be comfortable with who you are, and knowing that the right people - your real friends - will accept that too and love you for you.
The Williams family are an absolute joy to read about (I'd happily read a follow up book), the teachers and students as well as the various situations Storm faces in the story are so well written that you feel you're right there with her. I was cheering Storm on from start to finish. A brilliantly touching and uplifting story -I loved it!
Storm feels alone and that familiar feeling of panic to begin with, but as the story progresses she faces the challenges and learns to accept who she is - that being quiet doesn't mean you don't have a voice or talents of your own, and she learns important lessons about family, friendships and looking below the surface because some people are definitely not what they seem if you only look at them from the outside. (I especially liked Ryan's story arc)
This book is funny, it's positive, it's authentic (I guess school hasn't changed much since I was Storm's age), and it's spot on accurate (I was that "quiet girl" when I was that age too, and the feelings and emotions are captured perfectly here! I knew exactly how she was feeling). Storm might find her talent and her voice along the way but she isn't miraculously cured of shyness either. This is a realistic but empowering book about being who you are, accepting who you are, learning to be comfortable with who you are, and knowing that the right people - your real friends - will accept that too and love you for you.
The Williams family are an absolute joy to read about (I'd happily read a follow up book), the teachers and students as well as the various situations Storm faces in the story are so well written that you feel you're right there with her. I was cheering Storm on from start to finish. A brilliantly touching and uplifting story -I loved it!
June 4, 2023
When Storm starts Year 7 at Daisy Mill Academy, all her teachers expect her to be as confident and proactive as her older brother, Isaiah – the Head Boy. But Storm isn’t like Isaiah. Storm is quiet – she hates having to speak aloud in class in front of the other children and will do anything to avoid being the centre of attention.
When Storm is selected for the school athletics team, she’s excited to have finally found something she is good at but she’s not sure she will have the courage to participate unless her best friend, Zarrish, goes with her. But Zarrish is distracted by a new girl at school, Melissa, who is determined to belittle Storm at every opportunity. Storm has to find her voice and learn to stand up for herself.
I was the quiet kid at school and dealt with the mind-numbing frustration of knowing exactly what I should’ve said, but not being able to get the words out in the moment. (And people endlessly asking that annoying question: “Why are you so quiet?”) So it was fantastic to see the ‘quiet one’ represented in this moving and empowering novel.
I particularly appreciated the fact that even though Storm has to speak out, she is not suddenly miraculously cured of her shyness, her new friends accept her as she is and tell her that she needs to be proud of who she is.
I can tell that the author works in a secondary school, the school vibes are pitch perfect and her adult characters are as relatable and well-rounded as her children/teenagers. (I LOVE that Storm’s Mum has a roller-skating club!) I particularly enjoyed the empathetic portrayal of Ryan – the kid who always gets into trouble, but there are hidden circumstances behind his behaviour.
‘Quiet Storm’ is a wonderfully warm, relatable and engaging story that is bound to be a comfort and inspiration to other quiet children or anyone who is struggling to fit in during those early years of secondary school. This is also a perfect transition read that I would recommend for both upper KS2 as well as KS3.
When Storm is selected for the school athletics team, she’s excited to have finally found something she is good at but she’s not sure she will have the courage to participate unless her best friend, Zarrish, goes with her. But Zarrish is distracted by a new girl at school, Melissa, who is determined to belittle Storm at every opportunity. Storm has to find her voice and learn to stand up for herself.
I was the quiet kid at school and dealt with the mind-numbing frustration of knowing exactly what I should’ve said, but not being able to get the words out in the moment. (And people endlessly asking that annoying question: “Why are you so quiet?”) So it was fantastic to see the ‘quiet one’ represented in this moving and empowering novel.
I particularly appreciated the fact that even though Storm has to speak out, she is not suddenly miraculously cured of her shyness, her new friends accept her as she is and tell her that she needs to be proud of who she is.
I can tell that the author works in a secondary school, the school vibes are pitch perfect and her adult characters are as relatable and well-rounded as her children/teenagers. (I LOVE that Storm’s Mum has a roller-skating club!) I particularly enjoyed the empathetic portrayal of Ryan – the kid who always gets into trouble, but there are hidden circumstances behind his behaviour.
‘Quiet Storm’ is a wonderfully warm, relatable and engaging story that is bound to be a comfort and inspiration to other quiet children or anyone who is struggling to fit in during those early years of secondary school. This is also a perfect transition read that I would recommend for both upper KS2 as well as KS3.
August 13, 2024
This is a character-driven book, where the young people sound authentic and the school operates in a credible way. Everything that happens in this book is within the bounds of normal things that happen in school and as such is entirely relatable and I think young people will love it. I did.
Storm is representative of children we encounter in schools a lot. She is shy, and being made the centre of attention, even fleetingly, is very challenging for her.
Joining secondary school is such a difficult time- new children added to the (much bigger) mix all vying to be seen and heard. On top of this big change, Storm has been put in a different form class to her friend, Jarrish, who Storm feels most comfortable around. To top it off, Storm’s brother Isaiah is a model student and everyone Storm meets instantly invokes his name.
The arrival of a new girl, who seems to be on a mission to be known and an ability to get others to fall in line, presents a new challenge to Storm. How will she stand up for herself?
Amongst all the drama of just being in secondary school, Storm finds she has a talent for sprinting. Could this be how she finally steps out from Isaiah’s shadow?
I loved how in learning to be herself, Storm learned to see others differently.
UKS2- KS3. Would be a useful tool for transition from Year 6 to Year 7.
Storm is representative of children we encounter in schools a lot. She is shy, and being made the centre of attention, even fleetingly, is very challenging for her.
Joining secondary school is such a difficult time- new children added to the (much bigger) mix all vying to be seen and heard. On top of this big change, Storm has been put in a different form class to her friend, Jarrish, who Storm feels most comfortable around. To top it off, Storm’s brother Isaiah is a model student and everyone Storm meets instantly invokes his name.
The arrival of a new girl, who seems to be on a mission to be known and an ability to get others to fall in line, presents a new challenge to Storm. How will she stand up for herself?
Amongst all the drama of just being in secondary school, Storm finds she has a talent for sprinting. Could this be how she finally steps out from Isaiah’s shadow?
I loved how in learning to be herself, Storm learned to see others differently.
UKS2- KS3. Would be a useful tool for transition from Year 6 to Year 7.
September 24, 2023
I read this book for a readers cup in school, and honestly, I’m glad they chose books of such quality.
I started the first nine chapters thinking I would need to drag my way along the pages, but I had to literally force myself not to read more than nine le chapters before the tryouts quiz happened because despite the difference between myself and Storm, I still got emotionally attached, which is saying something, because I’m a very picky reader.
With the actual story itself, there was no big plot that would be considered ‘plot twist’, which made me quite upset. Nevertheless, I was able to run through the story fairly quickly, which again, is saying something.
The character development was to say the least, well done, though there was nothing that stood out, like the rest of the story, which is precisely why I rated this ⭐️⭐️⭐️.
To summarize, while I liked this book because of the fast pace and wholesome characters, the thing that put me off the most was the bluntness of the story and characters. Don’t get me wrong, I say this because this is coming from an older audience who reads young adult fantasies, which is a completely different genre, considering this book is for all ages. So good job on this book!
I started the first nine chapters thinking I would need to drag my way along the pages, but I had to literally force myself not to read more than nine le chapters before the tryouts quiz happened because despite the difference between myself and Storm, I still got emotionally attached, which is saying something, because I’m a very picky reader.
With the actual story itself, there was no big plot that would be considered ‘plot twist’, which made me quite upset. Nevertheless, I was able to run through the story fairly quickly, which again, is saying something.
The character development was to say the least, well done, though there was nothing that stood out, like the rest of the story, which is precisely why I rated this ⭐️⭐️⭐️.
To summarize, while I liked this book because of the fast pace and wholesome characters, the thing that put me off the most was the bluntness of the story and characters. Don’t get me wrong, I say this because this is coming from an older audience who reads young adult fantasies, which is a completely different genre, considering this book is for all ages. So good job on this book!
October 11, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. I actually bought it for my quiet, sporty, 10 year old daughter for her 11th birthday and she so enjoyed it that I read it too.
Storm is a very quiet year 7 whose anxious thoughts and shyness stop her from both saying and doing what she wants. This leads to situations where she feels she must be someone else to be liked and so almost loses who she is in the process. The story shows that you don’t have to give weight to other peoples opinions of you and that sometimes friendships are closer than you think if you push yourself just a little bit outside of your comfort zone.
I think the author has done a fantastic job of both illustrating the pressures of secondary school - both real and self inflicted - and strategies to deal with them. Children (and adults) don’t always make the right choices but having the resilience to live through the embarrassments and mistakes can build self esteem and I think this book would be extremely helpful to model that to children during year 6 transition.
Storm is a very quiet year 7 whose anxious thoughts and shyness stop her from both saying and doing what she wants. This leads to situations where she feels she must be someone else to be liked and so almost loses who she is in the process. The story shows that you don’t have to give weight to other peoples opinions of you and that sometimes friendships are closer than you think if you push yourself just a little bit outside of your comfort zone.
I think the author has done a fantastic job of both illustrating the pressures of secondary school - both real and self inflicted - and strategies to deal with them. Children (and adults) don’t always make the right choices but having the resilience to live through the embarrassments and mistakes can build self esteem and I think this book would be extremely helpful to model that to children during year 6 transition.
August 3, 2023
A great book for 9-12 year olds who are described as 'shy', who find speaking up difficult and who often hide their talents. Storm is in year 7 at secondary school, intimidated by the environment, particularly as her older brother Isaiah is one of the school's stars. Disaster strikes on multiple fronts: Storm's family home is flooded by a burst pipe and rendered uninhabitable and they have to move into her grandmother's small house, which means sharing a room with Isaiah; her best friend from primary school. Zarrish, seems to be drifting away when a new girl, Melissa, starts at the school and gradually drives a wedge between the two friends. Storm is invited to join the school athletics team when she shows a talent for sprinting. She agrees to go if Zarrish goes too, but Zarrish lets her down. Storm eventually finds a new group of friends and a special niche for herself, but not without a lot of heartache and challenges along the way. I loved this book and recommend highly.
June 22, 2024
Reviewing as a year 6 secondary school transition text and it is a great fit. The challenges of starting high school, finding a voice, finding your tribe and recognising that friendships may change are all great themes and talking points to explore with students. The author’s career in secondary school education has enabled an authentic voice and realistic challenges of school life for an 11/12 year old. I wonder if the needs of the students in the supported class the main character is in could have been given a bit of a stronger representation e.g. when one of the class and the need of a teaching assistant is mocked this could have been revisited later in the text by celebrating more of the diverse students in the class.
May 28, 2024
Mimo że to nie fantastyka, którą zwykle czytam, bardzo się wciągnęłam. Historia jest niestety bardzo realna, wiele dzieci w szkołach doświadcza prześladowania lub odrzucenia, żeby wpasować się w klasę najczęściej nie można być ani za cicho, ani za głośno, większość dzieci niestety zmienia się, żeby dopasować. Książka ma piękny przekaz i daje motywację dla osób podobnych do Storm i do tego, żeby nie ulegać innym jak chcą na siłę nas zmienić.
Na początku książki ciężko mi było przyzwyczaić do czasu i osoby w którym napisana jest książka, ale już po chwili to nie przeszkadza.
Na początku książki ciężko mi było przyzwyczaić do czasu i osoby w którym napisana jest książka, ale już po chwili to nie przeszkadza.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2023
Kimberly Whittam’s debut novel for readers aged 10+ is a well observed novel about shyness, anxiety and standing up for yourself. I think that anyone who is quiet or introverted will find it very easy to relate to Storm and her worries and the way Whittam draws the relationships between Storm, Zarrish and Melissa and Storm and her brother is very believable. All in all this is a very strong debut and I look forward to reading Whittam’s next book.
December 16, 2025
Ksiązka była bardzo słodka, ale widać że skierowana do młodszych czytelników w przegrodzie wiekowym 11 - 12 lat. Wątek bardzo ładnie poprowadzony i totalnie utożsamiałam się z główną bochaterką, bo sama jestem bardzo nieśmiała. gwiazdkę dodejmuję za to że mogłoby się trochę więcej dziać. Po prostu bardzo szybko się ta książka skończyła. I myślałam że będzie wątek miłosny pomiędzy storm i tym jej kolegą ale nie było. ale tej ogólnie polecam🫶🫶🫶
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2023
A highly original story from a new voice that captures exactly how it feels to be a quieter, more introverted person in a busy school setting – and it’s about time this type of protagonist was shown properly. The classroom scenes are amazingly authentic. The author works in a school, and you can tell she has her finger on the pulse. Children of this age will absolutely love this book.
August 22, 2023
4.5 stars. A great book for young teens to read as it deals with peer pressure, new environments, making friends, finding your voice and bullying. I liked how Storm’s character deals with her shyness and emotions and gives a great insight into how others view different scenarios. What one person takes in their stride can cause others to worry and fret. Good story and great diverse characters.
December 1, 2023
I read this book after it was recommended by my friend. I absolutely adored it because it features a girl who is shy, just like me. I really liked that Storm didn't become someone else, she became confident in who she is as a person.
I also enjoyed Storm's relationships with her classmates, especially Ryan and Koko.
I rate this book 5/5 stars.
I also enjoyed Storm's relationships with her classmates, especially Ryan and Koko.
I rate this book 5/5 stars.
March 17, 2023
Super contemporary novel for readers of 11+ with an introvert as the main protagonist. You can read my full review here: http://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home....
June 28, 2023
A heartwarming story about a shy girl who learns to shine in the spotlight. The characters and setting were authentic and felt very real. A refreshing read and I would love a sequel to see what the characters are up to further into their secondary school journey.
September 24, 2023
I read this after it was recommended by my school librarian. I enjoyed how real it felt and I could imagine myself in Storm's world. I'm glad that it was about Storm becoming more comfortable with who she is rather than her trying to fit in with the crowd.
July 10, 2024
I really liked this book because I'm going into year seven like Storm. My favourite character was Koko because she is confident and doesn't care what people think. I would recommend this book to everyone, not just shy people.
July 10, 2024
My best friend gave me this book for my birthday and I love it so much. The characters are realistic and go through similar things that I go through. My favourite part was when Storm joined the athletics club and made real friends. I hope there will be a sequel.
July 10, 2024
I gave Quiet Storm to my friend for her birthday because she reminded me of her. I also read it, and thought it was perfect. I hope there is a sequel because I think it will be awesome to see what happens to the characters through high school.
June 22, 2023
I totally and utterly fell in love with Storm. Just seeing her develop and over come so much. Everyone needs a friend like Storm!
July 6, 2023
My twelve year old loved it. It felt very real of the year seven experience. I adored that it was set in Manchester too. More from this author please!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews