Oklahoma's Devastating Tornado

Residents of Moore, Oklahoma, vividly recall May 20, 2013. Just before 3:00 p.m., a monster E-5 tornado swept through the Oklahoma City suburb. When Plaza Towers Elementary School took a direct hit, teachers and students scrambled for safety. One student who, along with classmates and a teacher, survived in a school restroom recounts the sounds. Aronin then deviates to provide information on tornadoes: how they form, why Moore has more than its share, and why the Great Plains area is known as Tornado Alley. Returning to Moore, she identifies individual heroic acts and the myriad volunteers who rescued and cared for displaced humans and animals. The book’s format and eye-catching color photographs are inviting and will appeal to elementary students, and its quick turnaround-becoming a hallmark of the Code Red series-is impressive. Though much of this information is readily available online, this offering is vetted by a meteorologist.