I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011

The novels in the I Survived series, which narrate natural disasters, raise topics that can be scary for young readers, but that also capture their interest and curiosity. One example is the theme of humans’ limitations when it comes to controlling nature. Tarshis addresses this interest and curiosity in two significant ways. First, she portrays Dex as wanting to experience a tornado in real-life as well as wishing to learn more about tornados by storm chasing with Dr. Gage. Thus, he reflects the concerns of the kinds of young readers who would be drawn to the novel. Second, copious details about tornadoes are peppered across the narrative, and characters discuss what makes tornadoes so dangerous and destructive—namely, knowledge of why and how tornados develop remains limited.

The first chapter begins with Dex in the tornado’s grip and ends with him acknowledging that he had wanted “to see a tornado for real,” but its violent power is far beyond what Dex imagined (1). When the tornado catches up with Dex and Dr. Gage, they become subject to its whims. Dr. Gage’s equipment and training ultimately cannot prevent them from falling under the tornado’s control. In Chapter 3, before he lived through one, Dex understood that tornadoes were among “the most destructive forces in nature” (15).