Quiet Storm by Kimberly Whittam
Dec. 31st, 2023 05:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Storm has never liked to stand out from the crowd. But ever since she started Year 7, her life has been full of people telling her she needs to speak up, make friends and be more like her popular big brother.
Then Storm breaks a school record, and finds herself the new star of the athletics team. But as she’s thrust into the spotlight, her home life and friendships start spiralling out of control, and it’s time for Quiet Storm to show that she has something to say.
A tender, empowering novel about family, friendship and finding confidence in who you are.
11-year-old Storm Williams lives near Manchester with her mum (who works at the local hospital), her dad (a musician), older brother Isiah (who is Head Boy and one of the most popular kids in their school - Daisy Mill Academy - who is constantly raising money or awareness for different charities and issues) and Minnie (a hyper boxer dog). Storm has almost finished her first year at Daisy Mill Academy but hasn’t really enjoyed it. She was anxious about starting secondary school and she hates it when people look at her or ask her to read out loud and she really dislikes it when people contrast her with her more outgoing brother who is basically brilliant at everything. Worse than all this though, she hasn’t really made other friends in her year. Her best friend from primary school - Zarrish - is in a different form and their only shared class is P.E., which is also the only class that Storm actually enjoys.
When the P.E. teacher Mr Harris starts to teach Storm’s year about athletics, Storm discovers that she has a real gift for running, breaking the Year 7 record for 400 metres. Mr Harris is very excited with Storm’s talent and wants her to join the school’s athletics club and enter the Greater Manchester Schools Athletics Championships. Storm, however, isn’t so sure she can do it on her own. She’d much prefer it if Zarrish came along with her, but Zarrish has been assigned to be the buddy for new girl Melissa and the two of them seem to be getting very close, even though Melissa constantly talks back to teachers and doesn’t seem to mind getting in trouble.
As Storm’s athletics abilities start to get her noticed more at school just as her family has to temporarily move in with Storm’s grandmother, who lives next door to Ryan Taylor who is in Storm’s form and constantly in trouble with the teachers. Forced to navigate friendships, family life and who she is, Storm realises that she’s going to have to find her voice and speak up for herself …
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.
Whittam does a great job of sketching out Storm and her relationship with her family, especially her older brother Isiah who is very outgoing, gets involved in every cause and campaign going and is apparently good at everything. Storm on the other hand is much more introverted and anxious and finds that her words dry up when she’s asked to read out loud in class. The way Whittam depicts this is very relatable, especially how she feels like shrivelling up inside herself when she gets attention from others.
Also relatable is Storm’s bewilderment at the changes taking place in her friendship with Zarrish. Although Melissa is a little bit stereotypical as a “mean girl”, the way Whittam depicts the changing dynamics of the group - especially how Zarrish and Melissa behave in a more grown-up manner, thinking about make up and fashion but at the same time Melissa is keen to be more popular than she is - is believable. I also enjoyed the budding friendship between Storm and Ryan, who is constantly getting in trouble at school and doesn’t seem to care about the consequences but who is hiding a difficult home life that Storm only becomes aware of when she and her family have to move in with her grandmother.
All in all I thought this was a very strong debut from Whittam. There’s scope here for her to write other books set in Storm’s world (and I would definitely be interested in reading more about Ryan), but if her next book is something completely different, then I would be as equally keen to check it out.
The Verdict:
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
QUIET STORM was released in the United Kingdom on 8th June 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
Storm has never liked to stand out from the crowd. But ever since she started Year 7, her life has been full of people telling her she needs to speak up, make friends and be more like her popular big brother.
Then Storm breaks a school record, and finds herself the new star of the athletics team. But as she’s thrust into the spotlight, her home life and friendships start spiralling out of control, and it’s time for Quiet Storm to show that she has something to say.
11-year-old Storm Williams lives near Manchester with her mum (who works at the local hospital), her dad (a musician), older brother Isiah (who is Head Boy and one of the most popular kids in their school - Daisy Mill Academy - who is constantly raising money or awareness for different charities and issues) and Minnie (a hyper boxer dog). Storm has almost finished her first year at Daisy Mill Academy but hasn’t really enjoyed it. She was anxious about starting secondary school and she hates it when people look at her or ask her to read out loud and she really dislikes it when people contrast her with her more outgoing brother who is basically brilliant at everything. Worse than all this though, she hasn’t really made other friends in her year. Her best friend from primary school - Zarrish - is in a different form and their only shared class is P.E., which is also the only class that Storm actually enjoys.
When the P.E. teacher Mr Harris starts to teach Storm’s year about athletics, Storm discovers that she has a real gift for running, breaking the Year 7 record for 400 metres. Mr Harris is very excited with Storm’s talent and wants her to join the school’s athletics club and enter the Greater Manchester Schools Athletics Championships. Storm, however, isn’t so sure she can do it on her own. She’d much prefer it if Zarrish came along with her, but Zarrish has been assigned to be the buddy for new girl Melissa and the two of them seem to be getting very close, even though Melissa constantly talks back to teachers and doesn’t seem to mind getting in trouble.
As Storm’s athletics abilities start to get her noticed more at school just as her family has to temporarily move in with Storm’s grandmother, who lives next door to Ryan Taylor who is in Storm’s form and constantly in trouble with the teachers. Forced to navigate friendships, family life and who she is, Storm realises that she’s going to have to find her voice and speak up for herself …
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.
Whittam does a great job of sketching out Storm and her relationship with her family, especially her older brother Isiah who is very outgoing, gets involved in every cause and campaign going and is apparently good at everything. Storm on the other hand is much more introverted and anxious and finds that her words dry up when she’s asked to read out loud in class. The way Whittam depicts this is very relatable, especially how she feels like shrivelling up inside herself when she gets attention from others.
Also relatable is Storm’s bewilderment at the changes taking place in her friendship with Zarrish. Although Melissa is a little bit stereotypical as a “mean girl”, the way Whittam depicts the changing dynamics of the group - especially how Zarrish and Melissa behave in a more grown-up manner, thinking about make up and fashion but at the same time Melissa is keen to be more popular than she is - is believable. I also enjoyed the budding friendship between Storm and Ryan, who is constantly getting in trouble at school and doesn’t seem to care about the consequences but who is hiding a difficult home life that Storm only becomes aware of when she and her family have to move in with her grandmother.
All in all I thought this was a very strong debut from Whittam. There’s scope here for her to write other books set in Storm’s world (and I would definitely be interested in reading more about Ryan), but if her next book is something completely different, then I would be as equally keen to check it out.
The Verdict:
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
QUIET STORM was released in the United Kingdom on 8th June 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
