Snow Struck

by Nick Courage

An historic blizzard is raging across the eastern seaboard, and three unsuspecting kids are about to find themselves smack in the middle of it!

Neither Elizabeth nor her little brother, Matty, have ever been north of Georgia. They're used to sandals and shorts, not boots and parkas. So when they fly to New York City to spend the holidays with their cousin Ashley, they want to experience one thing: SNOW!

Ashley can't wait to show her cousins how magical Manhattan is at Christmastime. But instead of a week of fun, what they get is an arctic blast that knocks out the power and plunges the skyscrapers into darkness. It's unreal: the blizzard covers the Statue of Liberty in ice and topples the famous Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center!

When Ashley's dog, Fang, gets lost outside, the cousins take matters into their own hands. . . and are caught in the storm's dangerous path as they chase Fang across the frozen city. Can the little Pomeranian survive the cold, snow, and ice blanketing Manhattan? Can they?

Genres: Middle Grade, Adventure, Survival, Realistic Fiction, Audiobook, Holiday, Action

336 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 2022

About the author

Nick Courage is a New Orleans-born writer who lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his wife (the Young Adult novelist and literary agent Rachel Ekstrom Courage) and their dog, Chaely. His work has recently appeared in The Paris Review Daily, Scholastic’s Storyworks Magazine, The Rumpus, Story, and Writer’s Digest. His website updates autofeed to this page, but he's not really active on Goodreads. For more about Nick—and for free teaching resources, contact, and school visit information!—visit his website: www.nickcourage.com.

Reviews

[Ben Gartner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This nail-biting action story is full of suspense and brings home, in vivid detail, the real implications and unpredictability of global climate change. Written like a Michael Crichton or Tom Clancy novel with alternating points of view (even including those of several animals!), this story will keep readers turning the pages. For example, who knew a scene about a Pomeranian trying to escape its collar could be so full of tension and suspense?! Matty, Elizabeth, and Ashley figure out how to navigate big changes in both their external and internal lives. The writing really involves all the senses, immersing the reader in every detail of the storm. It made me wince, hold my breath, and pull up my collar, even though I was sitting in a warm house while reading. Especially when the news can mirror the "fiction" in the story.

And that collision of events in a white-knuckle scene toward the end, hoo boy! Readers should also be sure to read the Author's Note at the end.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore survival/disaster novels, so SNOW STRUCK looked like exactly my kind of read. While I did enjoy its atmospheric setting, everything else about the novel left something to be desired. The characters are likable, but bland. None of them have much personality. As for plot, there just isn't much. The story gets stale really quickly because, for the most part, nothing much is happening other than the characters trudging through the snow. While they definitely get cold, wet, and tired, I didn't worry about any of them surviving until the very end of the book when the action FINALLY picks up. I'm not big on animal narrators, so I also found the chapters told from the POV of Fang, the rat, and the arctic fox annoying. They made the story feel LESS realistic, not more. There are also some parts of the tale that stretched logic for me. Would Aunt Charley really let a group of children go outside in the worst blizzard she's ever seen just to search for a missing pup? I might be cold-hearted, but I wouldn't let my young kids out alone in such deadly conditions...

All in all, I just didn't love SNOW STRUCK like I wanted to. I wanted more dynamic characters, a more exciting plot, and a scenario that felt more realistic and substantial than just kids out looking for a puppy. For me, then, SNOW STRUCK was just an average read.

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Middle Grade book. I wanted to love this book. My biggest problem with this book is that there was so many characters, and we change different points of view so many times that is was really hard to really get to know one character. If you are not a character driven reader then this style would not bother you like it did me. This book is more about the snow storm then the characters. I found the book to be ok, but I wish I loved the characters more. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

[Shaunna MacDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the messaging about the global climate emergency…. But the story was full of potholes…. I think I would have enjoyed the action better if there weren’t incompetent adults letting them keep going back out during a stay at home order.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

SNOW STRUCK is Nick Courage’s best book yet.

Beautifully and compellingly written like his two prior middle-grade novels (THE LOUDNESS & STORM BLOWN) from the first page that, btw, begins from the POV of a hawk, SNOW STRUCK is filled with a ton of excitement, heart & super rad kids (and animals!) all while showing the devastating impact climate change is having on the world.

All the stars & thumbs-up, and it’s an absolute must-read when it’s released on January 25, 2022, especially for those who enjoy Lauren Tarshis’s fantastic I SURVIVED books.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action-packed, exciting, beautifully written descriptions of nature and NYC, with realistic kid characters. And I love the animals--including an arctic fox and an adorable little dog. Great for all ages--including reluctant readers! Highly recommended for ages 8+.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matty and Elizabeth have been stuck in a hotel room for ages since a hurricane decimated their home in Florida. Their house is slowly being rebuilt, but both kids are looking forward to visiting their cousin Ashley in New York City for Christmas and getting out and about for a change. But going through such an ordeal has changed both of them. Matty is obsessed with weather apps and has developed panic attacks and a reluctance to go outside. He's made Elizabeth promise that they won't leave each other alone anywhere. When they land in NYC they arrive to a record-breaking heat wave, and wish they had worn more of their Florida clothes. Within 24 hours though, an Arctic storm of epic proportions is headed their way and very few realize it. The cousins head down to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where Ashley's dad has a surprise for her in a photo he has on display. But while they are there the weather shifts and the snow starts to fall. They are many, many blocks from Ashley's home. The subways can't take everyone and soon cars can't drive safely, and to top it all off Ashley's puppy has run away from her mom while they were at the museum making the urgency to get back all the greater. Will they make it home? Will they find little Fang? Will the city survive?

If you're looking for a good dose of cold, new perspectives of NYC, and three cousins dealing with their own issues while battling the storm, then you want to snatch this up. I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the survival elements and the storm science was done well. Courage weaves in chapters every now and then that takes the perspective of animals in or around the city (or sometimes up in Greenland that then make their way to the city) as well as a lady named Joy who works for the National Climatic Research Center in D.C. and a group of scientists studying a fjord in Greenland that help give a bigger picture of the level of the seriousness of the storm. I liked all the different voices, and what they added to the tale. I wasn't quite satisfied with how Courage dealt with the three main kids and their personal issues. They all felt a bit flat, like Courage gave them the issues to make them come alive a little more but didn't care about it enough to really deal with them. (Same with the lady, Joy, who is gorging on sweets every time she's on page, but doesn't have much of a personality beyond that and being a workaholic.) It didn't feel like there was a ton of resolution for Elizabeth and Matty who definitely will need therapy after going through not one but two major natural disasters. Matty already had issues before the blizzard hit and they went through all they did in the story. I would've liked to see some progress in him especially, especially the way he tried to control his sister's proximity to him which definitely wasn't healthy and really wasn't addressed. So that was a little disappointing. Ashley's issues that she's developed following her parents' divorce were somewhat dealt with but not completely, and her obsession over finding Fang definitely hints at abandonment issues that need to be dealt with. Maybe Courage is planning to bring the kids back in a further book and deal with some of these things? It's possible. On the other hand, those who pick up a survival story are often more concerned with the setting, world building, and action than the character development and this does those 3 elements well. Overall, the story was very engaging and kept me reading to find out what happened next. The plot line borders on a B scifi movie flick in that the kids seem to suffer an inordinate amount of disasters in such a short period of time, but then again, that is what readers of this type of book usually sign up for, so those who like such action/disaster movies should love this. It was nice to slip away into a wintry setting, and I was totally in the mood for a survival story which this delivered in spades. Hand this to those looking for a Christmas story with a little bit more danger to it, or a good wintry survival story in a unique setting for a survival story.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. One person and one animal break a limb. One person falls through ice. No gory depictions and no deaths.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's acknowledge that I'm not the target audience for this middle grade book, so my 3-star rating (and this review) should be viewed in that context. So when I say that this was okay, I say this from the perspective of an almost 54-year-old woman who doesn't read many middle grade novels.

But I picked this up for the Unread Shelf Challenge (theme for February was "courage") so this one fit the bill both in content AND the author's last name. I also know Nick as a writerly acquaintance here in Pittsburgh; he and his wife Rachel co-founded and manage a must-read newsletter, Littsburgh, a bookish junkie's treasure trove of the MANY literary happenings and goings-on in this city,

Snow Struck reminded me of the I Survived series that my son enjoyed when he was younger. (The author of that series has a blurb on the cover.) Elizabeth and Matty are visiting their cousin Ashley in Manhattan over Christmas. When they arrive, the temperatures are quite warm but Matty, who is obsessed with the weather and meteorology, becomes alarmed about a dangerous storm headed their way. (So is a climatologist named Joy who works in Washington D.C.) Matty understands the urgency of the situation -- certainly much more than the adults caring for him, his sister, and his cousin -- but doesn't always have the courage to speak up about what he is seeing on the radar he's tracking on his phone. This feels like a secondary theme to the novel: even if you're young, your voice still matters.

(I gotta say, the adults in this novel were freakin' maddening as hell. The kids and their dad get trapped in this blizzard while visiting a museum 60 blocks away and need to be rescued, but the next day -- still in the blizzard -- they go off to find cousin Ashley's lost dog. Which is certainly a distressing situation but you'd think one adult could have said absolutely no freakin' way are you going out in this weather to look for the dog.)

The dramatic weather shifts and the impending storm are the result of the climate crisis, and Courage does a great job of educating his reader about this issue without becoming preachy. (His Author's Note at the end is insightful as he, a New Orleans native, shares why this is such a significant concern of his.) The emotional descriptions are well done, too, although slightly repetitive at times. Courage definitely has experienced some wild weather and it shows.

Snow Struck also features animals that have the ability to think and process emotions. At first I was like, eh...but upon reflecting on the bigger themes of the novel, this felt like Courage's way of showing how the climate crisis is having a significant, emotional impact on animals.

All in all, this would be good for a middle grade reader interested in adventure stories, science, the weather, etc.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As climate change makes its presence increasingly known in our world, I would expect even more books that have it as their focus will be written and published. This one, a nail-biter for sure, set in New York City during the days before Christmas, is a 3.5 for me. The author does a superb job of drawing his readers into the weather conditions in Manhattan as a historic blizzard knocks out power lines, cripples the city, and makes it impossible to move around. Elizabeth and her little brother Matty are visiting their aunt and cousin Ashley after a particularly hard year. While Ashley's parents have recently split up, Elizabeth and Matty have been living in a motel with their parents while their Florida home is being repaired after being damaged in a hurricane. The Southerners are eagerly anticipating snow and the wonders of the big city. But that isn't what happens. Although they arrive to extremely high temperatures, an icy arctic front belts the city with freezing temperatures, and their trip to a museum becomes a struggle to survive as they try to make their way home on foot through 60 city blocks of howling winds and icy streets. Later on, the adults and youngsters head into the streets to find Ashley's dog, Fang, who has run away. Since the story is largely centered in Manhattan but also veers away to Washington, D.C. where Joy works for the National Climatic Research Center and worries about what she's seeing on her weather maps, and to Greenland where a arctic fox accidentally stows away on an ice cutter transporting scientists, readers will be curious to see how all these different strands of the story will come together. While the ending is perhaps more hopeful and more dramatic than needed, I was glued to my seat and turning the pages quickly to see how everything would turn out and to ponder if I'd have been able to survive those weather conditions. This one is highly recommended for those interested in natural disasters, climate change, and description of weather so intense that they'll need a cup of hot chocolate and a North Face fleece while reading it. The book's title is just right as the city is "snow struck," and also snow stuck.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

For siblings Matty and Elizabeth, this is going to be a Christmas to remember. Having grown up in Florida, they are looking forward to spending the holiday with their cousin and her family in New York City, especially because there is a chance they will see snow for the first time. Unfortunately, all the winter layers they packed seem initially unnecessary due to unseasonably warm temperatures causing them to sweat like they would in the summer. But when the heat causes a sudden shift in the air over the polar ice cap, New York City is caught in a blizzard of epic proportions, leaving countless people fighting for their lives as the snow continues to fall.

Written from several perspectives, this story is a fast-paced and pulse-pounding adventure that feels real even though it is not. As the climate changes around them, characters around the world—human and animal alike—are interconnected: they are all affected by the unprecedented meteorological events described in the novel. These voices receive their own chapters, and clear denotations at the beginning of each section ensure that readers are aware of where the story has gone and who is speaking. Because of this design, readers are able to more easily settle into the minds of the characters to better understand the struggles they face in their individual situations.

Fans of the I Survived series will love the similarly realistic approach of this book despite the fact that the events described within it have not actually taken place. However, as an author’s note at the end describes, much of the reality presented within the pages of this story are not outside of the realm of possibility. Climate change is a natural occurrence in the world, but its progression has been accelerated by human behavior. The results of this are seen more and more every year, and it is up to humanity to do what it can to heal the earth before it is too late to do so. Filled with heart and intensity, this action-packed narrative is a noteworthy inclusion to library collections for middle grade readers.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a disaster made their home in Tampa uninhabitable, which resulted in a extended stay at a hotel room, Elizabeth and Matty fly to NYC for Christmas vacation with their Aunt Charly, Cousin Ashley, and Uncle Jack. When they disembark in NYC, they are greeted by temps more common in the heat of summer. Matty, who has become obsessed with extreme weather since his ordeal in Tampa, immediately checks his phone and that starts his ongoing campaign to alert his family of an impending disaster. Meanwhile the scientists on the research ship “Mjolnir” and Joy of the National Climatic Research Center are also focused on the convergence of abnormal fronts along with the deadly consequences for marine life as the glaciers melt. Realistic animal interactions abound--a white fox, a pomeranian dog named Fang, deer, and those famous subway rats. This is an excellent book to read during a blizzard, and the adventure of trudging through the snow, ice and wind from 77th Street to Union Square (almost) allows many NYC landmarks to play a role in the plot. The reader will turn each page feeling just as wet, cold, and exhausted as the characters. Each chapter is narrated by either Matty, Elizabeth, Ashley, or one of the animals, which allows all to relate their point of view on the situation with Fang portraying the happy go lucky puppy unfazed by the weather, and Matty, on the opposite end of the spectrum, is fit to be tied that no one listened to him especially since everything that could go wrong did. Recommended. Thank you Delacorte Press, Random House Children's and Netgalley for the e-galley.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like its predecessor novel, Storm Blown, this takes a look at how city kids would survive in a storm – this time a snow storm that hits New York City after a climatologically freakish warm streak.

Elizabeth and her little brother Matty visit their cousin Ashley in NYC for Christmas. Instead of snow pants, they end up wearing shorts – it’s super, uncharacteristically hot for NYC at this time of year. Global warming, for sure.

So when a cold front moves down, it hits all that wonderful warm air and sucks the energy right out of it, freezing the water into… a blizzard of epic proportions.

Of course, their dog – which normally never gets to go outside and smell all the wonderful things it wants to smell – chooses the eve of the blizzard to run off.

So now the kids, and a parent or two, blunder around in the snow, looking for a dog with absolutely no common doggie sense (it’s chasing a rat into the nether regions of NYC), amidst life-sucking cold.

Will they survive?

Actually, I didn’t feel anyone’s survival was ever really at risk. It’s pretty gentle middle grade, after all. But there’s a lot of tension, uncertainty and getting separated in the blizzard that makes this a real nail-biter right up to the end.

Enjoy!

Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?

Visit my blog, The Fabric of Words, for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out decent and held my interest fairly well for part one. I was excited to realize the main boy had anxiety and I think it portrayed it fairly well. Though I started to get upset that he was never listened to or helped through his anxieties.

A book with a message about global warming that overall couldn't hold my interest. The book dragged for parts two and three and it was more enduring than enjoying. It was overly wordy and full of lots of descriptions without much happening. Each short chapter changed the POV so that was bothersome as well because it wasn't only human characters "speaking" but animals too.

CC: one of the main characters is struggling with her parents' recent divorce and feeling angry at her father. pg 175 "her dad had already ruined her life once" she smirks at her father, wishes her cousin could have been squished by Rockefeller tree because he didn't want to search for her lost dog in a blizzard.
pg 26 cursed into his beard, pg 39 her curses; pg 15 shut up, she screamed wordlessly, pg 45 "dummy" to her dog, pg 194 brother "he could be so dumb"; pg 75 zombie hordes; pg 175 name calling her cousins

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would’ve been a little better with smoother transitions between POV’s, maybe even eliminating some of the characters points of views for clearer connection and clarity to the storyline.

It was a bit extreme with all three of the cousins, the attic fox, the rat, the deer, the dog, and three different scientists. At least I’m pretty sure they were different women?
(The one on the boat, Joy, the one that loves snacks, and the one that dragged the frozen sharks up the shore.

It also states that the doe weighs 300 pounds. I doubt that very much. The average weight is closer to 100 pounds for does, though it CAN go up to 300 pounds I highly doubt this one would weigh that much since it’s POV stated it was having trouble finding food, it’s just kind of common sense that less food equals less weight.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A month ago, a hurricane blew the roof off Elizabeth and Matty's house, so they've been living at a Value Inn ever since. To give the kids a break, they are sent to NYC to visit their cousin for winter break. A couple of Florida kids are excited to see snow for the first time, but when they land there, it's about 80 degrees in December. Elizabeth is excited, but Matty is very worried and keeps checking the weather to figure out what's going on. Within 24 hours of their arrival, the temperature drops and a blizzard takes over the city. If that wasn't bad enough, then their cousin's dog escapes. It's good, but it could've been a bit shorter if it focused less on the sites in NYC and more on the blizzard. A good book to discuss setting, for teachers that want to focus on that. Definitely one to read inside under a blanket. For those wanting more survival stories, like Philbrick's.

[Eileen Winfrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A huge and unexpected winter storm hits NYC near Christmas time with so much wind and snow that no plow can keep up and the power goes out. Three cousins venture out, time and again, into the storm to find a lost Pomeranian dog that got off her leash. This will be fine for “I Survived” fans, but I was unable to suspend reality enough to enjoy/be compelled by the kids (and one adult) being able to survive outside for hours and hours in the (very detailed description) extreme blizzard conditions. And to miraculously make it back to their apartment, and then go back out. It was just so unbelievable, I couldn't play along.

[Melissa Killian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect book to read in the winter, not only because the story takes place in the days leading up to Christmas, but also because the description of the snowstorm is so vivid that you'll practically feel the coldness seeping through the pages. There is also a scientific explanation as to why there is suddenly a terrible snowstorm just hours after an 80-degree day in NYC in December. It was interesting to imagine how different people would react in that situation, and we get a taste of how these characters handle things. Sometimes they showed us what not to do, but it was definitely an adventure!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

An engaging story set during a super blizzard in New York City. I liked how the story was told from various POVs, including that of different animals in the story, and although you weren't always sure how the POVs would connect, they were each compelling and you wanted to know how they connected. The book is filled with adventure and excitement as Ashley, Elizabeth, and Matty try to find Ashley's dog Fang in NYC during a blizzard.

This book would be great for fans of the I Survived series!

[LS Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me the book was unfocused. I kept thinking,p - whose story is this? The chapters switched perspectives and told in third person. I could never fully invest. I wished it had stayed with the children’s story for the entire book. In addition, somethings were just not “real” for a realistic fiction book. At one point Marty asks, “Where is everyone”? while he is standing outside in the middle of a blizzard that had been raging for hours. Really?! They’re inside! Where you should be and where the adults should have made you stay. I couldn’t get invested.

[Patricia Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had great possibilities. At first I was so excited about the connection between DC, Arctic Circle and the family caught in a blizzard in
NYC. It flowed nicely and made a powerful statement about climate change…until it didn’t. It fizzled. The deep connection between climate agencies and findings in the arctic circle were minimized and an unrealistic storyline in the NYC part took over. The moment was lost, and the beginning connection between the 3 scenarios became ‘snowed under.” Such promise in the beginning; such disappointment at the end.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This middle grade novel is full of adventure and excitement. It's set during a blizzard in New York City, and features boy and girl main characters--as well as some animals! The writing is great, and there are STEM themes along with the fun. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. The author also has free novel-study resources for teachers, librarians and parents available on his website.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting more from this story. Overall, it was a solid read with a decent story line, however it did lag in a lot of parts and didn't really deliver the anticipation you would expect from a disaster story. To be honest, it felt more like a book about the dog, than a book about a blizzard.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC, of Snow Struck by Nick Courage. This is a good book for middle school students. Winter time is fun until a blizzard hits. Trying to find your dog, Fang, in a blizzard is really hard.

[Jenny Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always fun to read a local author. Courage was a tad inconsistent with the story - he seemed to be wavering between whether he wanted to tell a story about kids surviving an extreme weather event or a story about a climate scientist discovering that the end is nigh and the storm will never end.

[I like what I like · Rating 2 out of 5]

People making consistently irresponsible decisions, incredible weather conditions, sudden conclusions and a theme of climate change

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5

[Melissa Rapson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with most of the reviewers story is a bit choppy and characters are a bit flat but as the story propelled forward into the intensity of the storm I definitely enjoyed the action.

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very slow start, but it picked up nicely!

[Shannon Takaoka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for middle grade readers who love a lot of action and suspense. When a massive snow storm hits the Eastern U.S., brother and sister Matty and Elizabeth, and their cousin Ashley, need to navigate multiple obstacles across New York City as an unprecedented storm brings normal life to an abrupt halt. Told in alternating points of view - including from the POV of a climate researcher, a Pomeranian and an arctic fox - I love that this story tackles important ideas related to climate change in a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat package that feels like watching a movie. There's also a pizza rat - what more do you need?