Quiet Storm

Storm has a lively family: Dad plays in a band, Mum has a roller-skating club, both still noisily delight in singing and dancing, Minnie the dog is chaotic, and her older brother Isaiah is always busy with a worthy project. He is Head Boy, all-round wonderful, and, although teachers express their delight at having Isaiah’s sister starting in Year 7, she is very different, quiet and shy. Reading aloud in class is excruciatingly embarrassing, and she really struggles with Maths, but cannot ask for help. She also has to sit next to Ryan Taylor, who is always getting into trouble. When her friend Zarrish is told to befriend new girl Melissa, who has been expelled from other schools before, Storm learns that three is a crowd, and is sometimes excluded from their activities.  Her solace is PE, and she discovers that she is a fast runner: Mr Harris gives her a letter asking her parents to give permission to enter the qualifying stage of the Manchester Schools Athletics Championships, but, without Zarrish, who absented herself with Melissa instead of trying out, she doesn’t want to go. Anyway, Isaiah gets their parents, who are always gently encouraging, to sign the letter and he hands it in, so Storm is committed. She is welcomed by Teija, Edie and Razan and other runners, and they decide that their team must be named the Curly Girls, as they all have curly hair.

When the new kitchen instalment goes wrong and a pipe bursts, flooding the ground floor of their house, they all have to go and stay with Grandma, and Storm discovers that Ryan lives next door with his Grandad. His mother is supposed to collect him at weekends, but rarely turns up, and Storm starts to understand some of Ryan’s bad behaviour.  They become mutually supportive: Ryan turns out to be really good with the space project for which they have been paired, and encourages her running, and Storm helps Ryan to find an outlet for his frustration. Being accepted in the running team gives Storm new confidence, and, as is evident from the cover of the book, she does finally speak out to explain Melissa’s machinations and nastiness, especially to classmate Koko, for headteacher Mrs Osei.

Kimberly Whittam currently works in a secondary school and has a master’s degree in Inclusive Education and Special Needs. This, her debut novel, with its sequel to come in 2024, was the subject of a bidding war between publishers, and it’s good to see such inclusive novels becoming mainstream. It also happens to be a very good story: even if the eventual outcome is indicated on the cover, we need to find out how it happens…

Read our Q&A interview with Kimberly Whittam.