It begins with a trip in the helicopter piloted by his mum, Ahn. In the 'bubble' are Max, Thom and their neighbour's daughter, Bianca Anderson. They are just under 1000 ft above Brisbane, looking down at the Brisbane River with all its tributaries and surrounding urban and suburban sprawl. 

Thom is terrified of flying, but as he looks out over the landscape, it is clear to him that the first settlers made a grave mistake, by building Brisbane in the wrong place. In the middle of a flood zone. This is the first time, but not the last, that it is mentioned in the book. 

However, they can see in the distance, a storm brewing in the west and they head back to the airport, just in time before the storm lets loose it’s deluge of wild wind and water.

Back home, Max pulls out his brand-new bicycle which he received the previous week for his birthday, from the storage area under the house, and makes his way down the road to the oval. On the way, we are introduced, one by one,to his neighbours, part of their friendly community. At the oval, we meet his neighbourhood friends, most attend the local high school, except for Max who attends the same private school as his father did.

At home, we meet up with Max's extended family, his grandfather, Phil and his grandmother, Ba Ngoai, who speak to him on video chat. We also meet his dad's best friend, Joe, a weatherman for the same television station where his mum works and who Max calls Uncle Joe and Joe's parents, who Max calls Gramps Jim and Granny Nora. His neighbour, Bianca and her parents, Milly and Daniel.

Mason recounts the next few days as the rain consistently increases and Max's daily life. His school work and school friends, his relationship with his parents and with Bianca and her parents.

The story focuses on the continually deteriorating state of the weather. Ahn is sent north in the helicopter to Gympie with the news crew to report on the flooding further up the coast. It seems there is a disaster happening with the massive deluge of rain falling. 

It also appears that this storm is trending southwards. As it approaches, we can feel the tension of the people in and around Max's community, waiting for this fearsome storm to arrive.

This book is well written and, I would say, suitable for ages 10 year to young adults, It is not a long story, but it is well presented and a thoughtful tale of the ever-present threat of flooding, not only to Brisbane, but to many other towns and cities along the eastern seaboard of Australia. 

It was a little disappointing to come across three typos in this book, but lately it appears that most books do have a few.

Regardless this is a jolly good read and a thoughtful book about the environment. 

The Author

After growing up in Australia, Prue Mason travelled Australia and the world as a flight attendant and sometimes co-pilot on a private aeroplane with her husband, a professional pilot. They lived in Canada for three years, then the Gulf region of the Middle East for twelve years where she worked for children's newspaper Young Timeswriting feature articles, short stories and a counselling column. As a CELTA trained teacher, Prue also taught English as a foreign language.

THe editor

Series editor and series creator Lyn White has extensive experience as a primary school teacher-librarian and EAL teacher and in 2010 completed postgraduate studies in Editing and Communications at the University of Melbourne. Lyn is passionate about children's literature and has great expertise in engaging students and teachers with quality texts. Her work with refugee children motivated her to create the acclaimed Through My Eyes series of books set in contemporary war zones.

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