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The Storm in the Barn
Tall tale. Thriller. Gripping historical fiction. This artful, sparely told graphic novel — a tale of a boy in Dust Bowl America — will resonate with young readers today. (Age 10 and up)
In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary local bullies, his father’s failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness. Certainly a case of "dust dementia" would explain who (or what) Jack has glimpsed in the Talbot’s abandoned barn — a sinister figure with a face like rain. In a land where it never rains, it’s hard to trust what you see with your own eyes — and harder still to take heart and be a hero when the time comes. With phenomenal pacing, sensitivity, and a sure command of suspense, Matt Phelan ushers us into a world where desperation is transformed by unexpected courage.
In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary local bullies, his father’s failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness. Certainly a case of "dust dementia" would explain who (or what) Jack has glimpsed in the Talbot’s abandoned barn — a sinister figure with a face like rain. In a land where it never rains, it’s hard to trust what you see with your own eyes — and harder still to take heart and be a hero when the time comes. With phenomenal pacing, sensitivity, and a sure command of suspense, Matt Phelan ushers us into a world where desperation is transformed by unexpected courage.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published September 8, 2009
24 people are currently reading
2892 people want to read
About the author
Matt Phelan
49 books273 followersMatt Phelan made his illustrating debut with Betty G. Birney’s The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster). Since then he has illustrated many picture books and novels for young readers, including Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli (Dial), Very Hairy Bear by Alice Schertle (Harcourt), and The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron (Simon & Schuster) winner of the 2007 Newbery Medal.
Matt studied film and theater in college with the goal of one day writing and directing movies. But his first love was always drawing, and the more he saw the wonderful world of children’s books, the more he realized that this was the place for him. Being an illustrator is in many ways like being an actor, director, cinematographer, costumer, and set designer rolled into one.
Matt writes: “I have a fascination with the decade of the 1930s. The movies were learning to talk (and in the case of King Kong, growl), the music was beginning to swing, and the nation was thrown into tremendous turmoil. On one hand, you see a level of suffering documented in the dramatic and gritty photography of Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans. On the other hand, consider what the American public was flocking to see in the movie theaters: the glamour and grace of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing in a series of perfect musicals. For my first book as both writer and illustrator (coming in 2009 by Candlewick Press), I naturally gravitated to this complex decade, specifically the strange world of the Dust Bowl.”
Matt studied film and theater in college with the goal of one day writing and directing movies. But his first love was always drawing, and the more he saw the wonderful world of children’s books, the more he realized that this was the place for him. Being an illustrator is in many ways like being an actor, director, cinematographer, costumer, and set designer rolled into one.
Matt writes: “I have a fascination with the decade of the 1930s. The movies were learning to talk (and in the case of King Kong, growl), the music was beginning to swing, and the nation was thrown into tremendous turmoil. On one hand, you see a level of suffering documented in the dramatic and gritty photography of Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans. On the other hand, consider what the American public was flocking to see in the movie theaters: the glamour and grace of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing in a series of perfect musicals. For my first book as both writer and illustrator (coming in 2009 by Candlewick Press), I naturally gravitated to this complex decade, specifically the strange world of the Dust Bowl.”
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October 14, 2020
What an unexpected disappointment this was.
My 12-year-old and I were thrilled to find a graphic novel to fulfill the “Kansas” portion of our middle grades project.
Matt Phelan's artwork is inspired here, with its blue, gray and white tones, aptly depicting a bleak Kansas during the 1930s Dust Bowl, but the storyline. . .
The storyline is beyond bizarre.
In the “Author's Note, Mr. Phelan explains that he chose to depict rain in his story as a “tall, dark, sinister figure with a face like a thunderstorm.” He writes that he “began to imagine what the experience of living in the Dust Bowl must have been like through the eyes of a kid.”
Okay. I get it. Interesting, conceptually, but, he made it too weird, not relatable at all.
My 12-year-old, who is also an artist, gave the visuals high marks, but she said she “hated the rest of the book, and didn't understand any of it.”
Given that she's the target audience here, I think Mr. Phelan made a mistake. Why wasn't the suffering of these farmers and the lack of rain enough to focus on, without adding a weird monster in the neighboring barn?
All he did was scare off his readers.
Three stars for the art.
My 12-year-old and I were thrilled to find a graphic novel to fulfill the “Kansas” portion of our middle grades project.
Matt Phelan's artwork is inspired here, with its blue, gray and white tones, aptly depicting a bleak Kansas during the 1930s Dust Bowl, but the storyline. . .
The storyline is beyond bizarre.
In the “Author's Note, Mr. Phelan explains that he chose to depict rain in his story as a “tall, dark, sinister figure with a face like a thunderstorm.” He writes that he “began to imagine what the experience of living in the Dust Bowl must have been like through the eyes of a kid.”
Okay. I get it. Interesting, conceptually, but, he made it too weird, not relatable at all.
My 12-year-old, who is also an artist, gave the visuals high marks, but she said she “hated the rest of the book, and didn't understand any of it.”
Given that she's the target audience here, I think Mr. Phelan made a mistake. Why wasn't the suffering of these farmers and the lack of rain enough to focus on, without adding a weird monster in the neighboring barn?
All he did was scare off his readers.
Three stars for the art.
August 14, 2009
Do Americans like to romanticize the past too much? Sometimes it feels that way. We keep idly wondering about those “simpler times” when the world felt slower and more measured. We conveniently forget about the hardships, the blood, the pain, or we never remember them at all. Matt Phelan, however, will never be accused of romanticizing the Dust Bowl. An illustrator by trade, Phelan has come out with his very first graphic novel for kids. A measured, handsome volume, The Storm in the Barn is part mystery, part melodrama. Set against sweeping dust-ridden plains with their hard, lined men, Phelan conjures up another time and place. And somehow, in the midst of the pain and the heartbreak, he manages to keep the book completely appropriate for younger readers. It’s a fable. It’s a comic. It’s entirely original and completely wonderful.
Jack has no use. No use at all. When the dust came and the rain stopped, suddenly his family got caught in a kind of limbo. His father won’t ever trust Jack to help him with the chores, his sister Dorothy is sick, and the town bullies are constantly beating him up. Now on top of all that, Jack’s seeing things. Strange things. Lights in barns where there should be no light. A face in made entirely out of water. What’s hiding near his home and does it have any connection to the troubles they now all face? With delicacy and style, Phelan draws readers into another time and place and brings to life a story that is like no other you can find anywhere else.
It’s strange, but the book I kept thinking about as I read this was David Small’s new graphic autobiography Stitches. Not that Stitchesis meant to be read by kids. But both books are good at highlighting iconic images. In this particular case, Phelan has a keen sense of the setting and objects of the time period. As a result, he can bring into sharp focus an image with an almost cinematic sense. People with goggles and masks looming out of a doorway. A snake nailed to a post, its mouth curling up in a ghastly grin. A single red panel frame, the only color in the book, suggesting a newly bludgeoned rabbit. There is violence against rabbits, by the way. Bunny lovers would do well to be forewarned.
Phelan also uses sound and silence to his advantage. Much of the book has a kind of silent movie feel, though the art is distinctly noir. While there’s plenty of action, this book is subdued and allows for moments of quiet and reflection. Jack isn’t a loud, boisterous he-man hero. He’s quiet and thoughtful. Cares for his sisters, dislikes bullies, and is willing to hear a good tale. He’s kind of a pint-sized Gary Cooper too, when at last he sees men pushed to near insanity and realizes that he is the one who will have to make it end. He is the one to stand up to a force beyond reckoning. I loved how Phelan drew together the Jack tales of battling outlandish villains with this story and managed to have our very realistic Jack in his very realistic setting fight something supernatural and not jar the reader’s sense of the book’s internal reality.
For a second there, I got worried. Any author that takes a historical moment and then turns it into a parable or an allegory is playing with fire. The notion that the Dust Bowl happened because the rain became sentient is hard to swallow when you’ve read books like Albert Marrin’s Years of Dust which goes through the causes and the troubles of the time period with a fine tooth comb. Fortunately, Phelan has included an Author’s Note that gives weight and depth to his interpretation. As he says, “I began to imagine what the experience of living in the Dust Bowl must have been like through the eyes of a kid. Without the complicated explanation of the history of over-planting, soil erosion, and other factors, a young boy or girl would only know a world that could suddenly vanish in a moving mountain of dark dust. The rain had gone away. But where?” We have books like the Marrin title for our facts. Working in the Jack tales and The Wizard of Oz tales, Phelan has created an all new Kansas fantasy. One that any kid, anywhere, could enjoy.
It’s funny that in this day and age of kids having so little to be responsible for, the story of Jack desperately needing to be useful resonates. I think today's youngsters will really understand how it is to be a child on a farm somewhere and not to be of any use at all. Just blowing in the wind. Phelan hasn’t just set his story during the Dust Bowl for flavor. The very theme of the book, of needing to take matters into your own hands no matter what the danger, fits in beautifully with this setting. Matt Phelan has given us a graphic novel that tells its story with just the right number of panels and pages. This is storytelling, plain and simple. Get it while you can, folks. Get it while you can.
Ages 10 and up.
Jack has no use. No use at all. When the dust came and the rain stopped, suddenly his family got caught in a kind of limbo. His father won’t ever trust Jack to help him with the chores, his sister Dorothy is sick, and the town bullies are constantly beating him up. Now on top of all that, Jack’s seeing things. Strange things. Lights in barns where there should be no light. A face in made entirely out of water. What’s hiding near his home and does it have any connection to the troubles they now all face? With delicacy and style, Phelan draws readers into another time and place and brings to life a story that is like no other you can find anywhere else.
It’s strange, but the book I kept thinking about as I read this was David Small’s new graphic autobiography Stitches. Not that Stitchesis meant to be read by kids. But both books are good at highlighting iconic images. In this particular case, Phelan has a keen sense of the setting and objects of the time period. As a result, he can bring into sharp focus an image with an almost cinematic sense. People with goggles and masks looming out of a doorway. A snake nailed to a post, its mouth curling up in a ghastly grin. A single red panel frame, the only color in the book, suggesting a newly bludgeoned rabbit. There is violence against rabbits, by the way. Bunny lovers would do well to be forewarned.
Phelan also uses sound and silence to his advantage. Much of the book has a kind of silent movie feel, though the art is distinctly noir. While there’s plenty of action, this book is subdued and allows for moments of quiet and reflection. Jack isn’t a loud, boisterous he-man hero. He’s quiet and thoughtful. Cares for his sisters, dislikes bullies, and is willing to hear a good tale. He’s kind of a pint-sized Gary Cooper too, when at last he sees men pushed to near insanity and realizes that he is the one who will have to make it end. He is the one to stand up to a force beyond reckoning. I loved how Phelan drew together the Jack tales of battling outlandish villains with this story and managed to have our very realistic Jack in his very realistic setting fight something supernatural and not jar the reader’s sense of the book’s internal reality.
For a second there, I got worried. Any author that takes a historical moment and then turns it into a parable or an allegory is playing with fire. The notion that the Dust Bowl happened because the rain became sentient is hard to swallow when you’ve read books like Albert Marrin’s Years of Dust which goes through the causes and the troubles of the time period with a fine tooth comb. Fortunately, Phelan has included an Author’s Note that gives weight and depth to his interpretation. As he says, “I began to imagine what the experience of living in the Dust Bowl must have been like through the eyes of a kid. Without the complicated explanation of the history of over-planting, soil erosion, and other factors, a young boy or girl would only know a world that could suddenly vanish in a moving mountain of dark dust. The rain had gone away. But where?” We have books like the Marrin title for our facts. Working in the Jack tales and The Wizard of Oz tales, Phelan has created an all new Kansas fantasy. One that any kid, anywhere, could enjoy.
It’s funny that in this day and age of kids having so little to be responsible for, the story of Jack desperately needing to be useful resonates. I think today's youngsters will really understand how it is to be a child on a farm somewhere and not to be of any use at all. Just blowing in the wind. Phelan hasn’t just set his story during the Dust Bowl for flavor. The very theme of the book, of needing to take matters into your own hands no matter what the danger, fits in beautifully with this setting. Matt Phelan has given us a graphic novel that tells its story with just the right number of panels and pages. This is storytelling, plain and simple. Get it while you can, folks. Get it while you can.
Ages 10 and up.
December 23, 2023
I found this one in the library alongside a multitude of literary graphic novels, so I thought it would also be similar in tone. Nothing wrong with what it ended up being, which is a children’s graphic novel. Even still, it was a pretty fun read that gave you a sneak peek into the Dust Bowl age in America, even touching on the “uselessness” that an 11-year-old on a farm would have felt: not much to do, as there is no farming, and you feel the guilt of your family struggling to keep up.
January 4, 2022
a graphic novel set in kansas during the 1930's. the young boy at the center of the story has been raised largely during the drought and so can not prove his worth to his father. he is something of a disappointment to the father as he does not seem like a man capable of taking care of his sisters.
the young boy discovers rain in an abadoned barn and is trying to figure out how to coax the rain out onto the plains.
a quick and interesting fable of growing up during this horrific time period.
the young boy discovers rain in an abadoned barn and is trying to figure out how to coax the rain out onto the plains.
a quick and interesting fable of growing up during this horrific time period.
May 22, 2015
I literally speed through this. It's pretty amazing that pictures, pictures, and pictures with a couple words sprinkled through the pages could impact the reader.
I liked the magic realism, the art, the colors, the history.
Although, not a fan of the dust:
I liked the magic realism, the art, the colors, the history.
Although, not a fan of the dust:
February 11, 2017
Were I to base my review solely on the art, this book would easily nab five stars. It's an incredibly beautiful and expressive piece in that arena, with the use of color and the amazingly rendered facial expressions lingering in the mind long after the book is closed.
Unfortunately, the story never gels. While the historical elements were both poignant and well-delivered, the main story of Jack versus the King of Storms lacked development. The use of American tall tales is a great touch, but this story doesn't stand up. The villain isn't given enough development and shows up so late in the story that he's overshadowed by earlier events. Some plot lines are left hanging, such as that of Jack's ill sister, and I didn't buy the change in Jack's father's attitude toward Jack in the end of the book. However, the book could still hold its own on a classroom shelf and certainly merits a place in a public library collection.
There is a rabbit massacre, which may not sit well with very young readers. While it isn't graphic, it is deathly sad and could upset a sensitive child. This is a graphic novel and does not double as a picture book.
Recommend to: Ages 10+, historical fiction fans
Unfortunately, the story never gels. While the historical elements were both poignant and well-delivered, the main story of Jack versus the King of Storms lacked development. The use of American tall tales is a great touch, but this story doesn't stand up. The villain isn't given enough development and shows up so late in the story that he's overshadowed by earlier events. Some plot lines are left hanging, such as that of Jack's ill sister, and I didn't buy the change in Jack's father's attitude toward Jack in the end of the book. However, the book could still hold its own on a classroom shelf and certainly merits a place in a public library collection.
There is a rabbit massacre, which may not sit well with very young readers. While it isn't graphic, it is deathly sad and could upset a sensitive child. This is a graphic novel and does not double as a picture book.
Recommend to: Ages 10+, historical fiction fans
November 23, 2021
This is one of the most gorgeous, touching graphic novels I have ever read. The story was so good. Equal parts despair and hope, it really pulled me into its heart. The art showed off the condition of the land so well. At the very end, I just wanted to cry and some of the things that were said. It was a really good ending. The main story is the boy trying to figure out where he belongs. He just wants to feel useful, but his dad continues to push him away again and again.
And the art in this makes this a favourite. It was so stunning.
And the art in this makes this a favourite. It was so stunning.
October 13, 2011
Growing up during the Dust Bowl, Jack and his sisters know little but poverty, depression, and anxiety. Their father is depressed, the older girl is seriously ill, and Jack is badly bullied by other boys. The children's only pleasures are fantasy stories and their mother's memories of a green and prosperous past.
The dominant use of dull, sere colors and the repetitive, often wordless panels did a great job of conveying the dead dryness of the land and the boredom and despair of the people who could do nothing to save their livelihoods. This technique did make the book a little dull, especially visually, but it would be effective for teaching about the Dust Bowl.
I'm not particularly interested in this period and was attracted by the supernatural element. I wish that had been developed more extensively.
The dominant use of dull, sere colors and the repetitive, often wordless panels did a great job of conveying the dead dryness of the land and the boredom and despair of the people who could do nothing to save their livelihoods. This technique did make the book a little dull, especially visually, but it would be effective for teaching about the Dust Bowl.
I'm not particularly interested in this period and was attracted by the supernatural element. I wish that had been developed more extensively.
September 17, 2015
Beautiful, simple, yet detailed illustrations with very few words. Told from an 11 year old boy's perspective, in 1937 Kansas. There is no rain and Jack wants to know how he can fix it.
Some of the story was brutal and graphic. It was told with as much grace as possible, I suppose.
All in all a quick and enjoyable experience. Hard to call it a "read" since there are so few words.
Some of the story was brutal and graphic. It was told with as much grace as possible, I suppose.
All in all a quick and enjoyable experience. Hard to call it a "read" since there are so few words.
November 30, 2010
A combination of historical fiction and fantasy/folklore make up this strange tale that takes place during the American Dust Bowl of the 1930s. A family has been suffering for four years now without rain. The eldest daughter has dust pneumonia, the youngest has never seen rain, the father cannot work the farm on his own, the mother realizes they must pull up stakes and move and now 11yo Jack, our hero, has been too young to help around the farm as he grew over the years. He thinks he is a klutz and he has started seeing things; those around him think he has come down with dust dementia. As anyone who regularly reads my reviews knows, I love fantasy but I really did not like the fantasy element in this story. I would have enjoyed it much more as a straight historical fiction. The strange King of Storms Jack meets in the neighbour's barn was just plain weird and made no sense whatsoever. There were also way too many wordless pages for my enjoyment. Finally, while the artwork did suit the time period it didn't impress me, I found it wishy-washy. This book has received rave reviews but I'm going to have to beg to differ as the whole thing left me feeling 'meh'.
June 28, 2021
I absolutely love Matt Phelan's graphic novel Snow White, so when I spotted The Storm in the Barn at the used book store, I had to have it. And it did not disappoint.
The story centers around a boy named Jack growing up during the Dust Bowl in Kansas, 1937. It's been years since any rain fell on the Great Plains, and his whole life seems to be covered in dust. The faces on these pages are hopeless, desperate, and lost. Well, most of them. Jack has a sister who suffers from "dust pneumonia" but remains a bright, happy girl.
One day, Jack thinks he sees something weird in a neighbor's abandoned barn. A bright flash of soundless light. Eventually, he investigates. Eventually, he discovers a being that could solve... not all his problems, but maybe some of them. Maybe, if Jack is brave enough, he can at least bring some hope back to his world.
The story centers around a boy named Jack growing up during the Dust Bowl in Kansas, 1937. It's been years since any rain fell on the Great Plains, and his whole life seems to be covered in dust. The faces on these pages are hopeless, desperate, and lost. Well, most of them. Jack has a sister who suffers from "dust pneumonia" but remains a bright, happy girl.
One day, Jack thinks he sees something weird in a neighbor's abandoned barn. A bright flash of soundless light. Eventually, he investigates. Eventually, he discovers a being that could solve... not all his problems, but maybe some of them. Maybe, if Jack is brave enough, he can at least bring some hope back to his world.
May 2, 2012
If you're looking for a book with many elements, look no further! Matt Phelan's, The Storm in the Barn is a graphic novel encompassing historical-fiction, folklore and horror, along with paying homage to another great piece of literature, The Wizard of Oz! The text is limited, but the story unfolds in the beautifully stunning illustrations. Matt Phelan has captured the grittiness and haziness of the Kansis Dustbowl. I found myself squinting and peering more closely, feeling as if I was being transported in time and forced to make sense of a shadowy world myself. While other readers may find the lack of visual clarity disruptive, I felt visually immensed in the plot!
July 17, 2009
Blog review here.
November 29, 2021
Thankyou Rachel Kovaciny for sharing your review of this book - I wouldn't have read it without having seen that review.
I grabbed a copy of this book from the library and read it twice over the weekend.
I've discovered that I often need to read graphic novels at least twice before the impact of their story can reach me. I got a little teary-eyed on the second read.
I don't love absolutely everything about this book - I feel like the solution to the main problem is too easy, especially after the intensity and actuality of most of the book, but that's probably just me and my general grumpiness about fantastical stories.
I do wonder if perhaps some of this book is a bit too intense for younger readers, it's marked as for 10 and up, but I would caution that if you have sensitive children you might want to wait until they're 12-ish because I think there's some potential here for provoking nightmares.
I'm going to read this book a third time before sending it back to the library, where there are readers waiting. I hope they enjoy it as much as I did.
I grabbed a copy of this book from the library and read it twice over the weekend.
I've discovered that I often need to read graphic novels at least twice before the impact of their story can reach me. I got a little teary-eyed on the second read.
I don't love absolutely everything about this book - I feel like the solution to the main problem is too easy, especially after the intensity and actuality of most of the book, but that's probably just me and my general grumpiness about fantastical stories.
I do wonder if perhaps some of this book is a bit too intense for younger readers, it's marked as for 10 and up, but I would caution that if you have sensitive children you might want to wait until they're 12-ish because I think there's some potential here for provoking nightmares.
I'm going to read this book a third time before sending it back to the library, where there are readers waiting. I hope they enjoy it as much as I did.
December 25, 2017
The illustrations in this graphic novel swirl with dust. Jack, the underdog main character, gets bullied at school and feels useless around his family farm where there is nothing for anyone to do. Four years have passed with no rain.
His older sister has contracted dust pneumonia and his family fears Jack may have dust dementia. Jack knows he’s healthy, but he can’t explain what presence is in the barn.
The build up to the confrontation with the sinister watery figure in the barn takes most of the graphic novel, so the ensuing dialogue and action between Jack and the Storm King lacks oomph. The climax felt like a big let down.
If you’re looking for a graphic novel that beautifully illustrates the Dust Bowl, then this story will keep you engaged. Jack was also an incredibly likeable and sympathetic main character. But the tall tale aspect of American folklore explored through the idea of a Storm King fizzled out for me.
His older sister has contracted dust pneumonia and his family fears Jack may have dust dementia. Jack knows he’s healthy, but he can’t explain what presence is in the barn.
The build up to the confrontation with the sinister watery figure in the barn takes most of the graphic novel, so the ensuing dialogue and action between Jack and the Storm King lacks oomph. The climax felt like a big let down.
If you’re looking for a graphic novel that beautifully illustrates the Dust Bowl, then this story will keep you engaged. Jack was also an incredibly likeable and sympathetic main character. But the tall tale aspect of American folklore explored through the idea of a Storm King fizzled out for me.
February 10, 2022
I think this book was pretty good personally it helped me get an understanding of what the dust bowl was and how it was if you lived in it and with some creativity added in. I thought it was a pretty good book.
May 20, 2022
My sister got me and my daughter to see five Matt Phelan books and it is the best. His first graphic novel takes place in the dust bowl but has elements of fairy tale and tail tales interspersed. Beautiful authentic illustrations that side greatly to this book.
June 8, 2024
An interesting approach to magical realism — this graphic novel does a wonderful job creating folklore that is unique to America and inspired by the Dust Bowl.
August 10, 2024
I liked the illustrations but that was about it. The historical fiction story line was too strange for my liking.
February 27, 2019
Excellent illustratios along with a exciting and deep story line.
October 25, 2009
Young Jack is the hero of our tale. Picked on by bullies and deemed useless by his careworn dad, he is a caring and helpful brother to his sisters, one of whom has "dust pneumonia" and must spend her days in bed under a draped cloth, reading her Oz books (this is Kansas, after all). When an abandoned barn on the neighboring property begins emitting a periodic strange light at night, Jack warily investigates - and soon comes in contact with a moist and hostile creature who seems in some way to be connected to this 5 year drought. When Jack finally decides to go up against this malevolent character - and wins - the whole community benefits.
This storyline, taken on its own, seems a bit thin to me (a bit like the kindly storekeeper's Jack stories, actually), and I have a bunch of questions about the barn and the carpet bag and the thunder and lightning - it just doesn't hold water, so to speak. But on the other hand, the real story is not the creature in the barn but Jack and his family and his town, and there is plenty of drama there to go around. The rabbit-killing scene alone will leave readers almost as shaken as the townspeople who take part in it.
The illustrations often show show various angles of the same scene, repeat exactly, or show a person's face as its expression transforms by almost imperceptible degrees - and these drawings have a real power. Sometimes I couldn't tell exactly what was going on - a scene with the rainy Creature apparently entangled in some rope had me completely bewildered until I just told myself, "The dude got himself entangled in some rope; time to move on, Eva." Faces and body language are deliciously expressive and tell much of the story, something I've always loved about Phelan's artwork.
The happy ending, when it finally comes, is surprisingly brief. It rains, the townspeople savor it, and Jack's dad, with a gaze that shows some awareness that something extraordinary has occurred, speaks volumes when he tells Jack they're staying on the farm and that he sure could use Jack's help with it. Jack slowly beams - and the rain continues to fall over the land.
So - a slice of dusty 30s life with a strange supernatural element and some intense moments, all illustrated with spare emotion. Recommended for ages 9 and up.
This storyline, taken on its own, seems a bit thin to me (a bit like the kindly storekeeper's Jack stories, actually), and I have a bunch of questions about the barn and the carpet bag and the thunder and lightning - it just doesn't hold water, so to speak. But on the other hand, the real story is not the creature in the barn but Jack and his family and his town, and there is plenty of drama there to go around. The rabbit-killing scene alone will leave readers almost as shaken as the townspeople who take part in it.
The illustrations often show show various angles of the same scene, repeat exactly, or show a person's face as its expression transforms by almost imperceptible degrees - and these drawings have a real power. Sometimes I couldn't tell exactly what was going on - a scene with the rainy Creature apparently entangled in some rope had me completely bewildered until I just told myself, "The dude got himself entangled in some rope; time to move on, Eva." Faces and body language are deliciously expressive and tell much of the story, something I've always loved about Phelan's artwork.
The happy ending, when it finally comes, is surprisingly brief. It rains, the townspeople savor it, and Jack's dad, with a gaze that shows some awareness that something extraordinary has occurred, speaks volumes when he tells Jack they're staying on the farm and that he sure could use Jack's help with it. Jack slowly beams - and the rain continues to fall over the land.
So - a slice of dusty 30s life with a strange supernatural element and some intense moments, all illustrated with spare emotion. Recommended for ages 9 and up.
November 6, 2016
I didn't realize this is a Juvenile Graphic Novel when I borrowed it from the library - but, I don't mind reading children's books once in a while, and this is more or less a children's book in graphic novel form. Having said that, I did find the sketchy/vanishing drawings well-suited to the subject - that of the encroaching dust/desert in the dust bowl of the 1930s.
This book can be read in less than an hour as the story is mostly conveyed in drawings with minimal text. I would say the author/artist did a good job letting the drawings tell the story - after all, to use a cliche, one picture is worth a thousand words. Here, Phelan's drawings convey economically yet hauntingly, a world the protagonist, Jack, age 11, is trying to find his place in - just as it appears to be crumbling under the socio-economic catastrophe of a multi-year drought, economic collapse, and so forth. Jack's mom's recollections of what the area was like before the drought devastated the crops, killed off the livestock, appears in the sole brightly-colored panels of the story - a lost paradise as the drought started several years before.
Jack is subject to bullying by a malicious gang of kids, and finds solace in wandering about the depressed town, where everyone appears to be glowering perpetually, except for the kindly general store proprietor, who serves Jack soda and stories designed to boost Jack's morale/self-esteem.
The central, fantastical or phantasmagorical theme of the book I won't discuss since it would give away the wrap-up or culmination of the book. Suffice it to say that the ending effectuates a reconciliation or acceptance of Jack by his dad, and also his arrival as an adult member of society, despite his youth.
I would recommend this book to kids (of course) but also would be a quick, satisfying read for anyone of any age - offering a glimpse into the dust-destroyed world of the Depression era Okies, as well as a segment of pure myth/story-telling.
This book can be read in less than an hour as the story is mostly conveyed in drawings with minimal text. I would say the author/artist did a good job letting the drawings tell the story - after all, to use a cliche, one picture is worth a thousand words. Here, Phelan's drawings convey economically yet hauntingly, a world the protagonist, Jack, age 11, is trying to find his place in - just as it appears to be crumbling under the socio-economic catastrophe of a multi-year drought, economic collapse, and so forth. Jack's mom's recollections of what the area was like before the drought devastated the crops, killed off the livestock, appears in the sole brightly-colored panels of the story - a lost paradise as the drought started several years before.
Jack is subject to bullying by a malicious gang of kids, and finds solace in wandering about the depressed town, where everyone appears to be glowering perpetually, except for the kindly general store proprietor, who serves Jack soda and stories designed to boost Jack's morale/self-esteem.
The central, fantastical or phantasmagorical theme of the book I won't discuss since it would give away the wrap-up or culmination of the book. Suffice it to say that the ending effectuates a reconciliation or acceptance of Jack by his dad, and also his arrival as an adult member of society, despite his youth.
I would recommend this book to kids (of course) but also would be a quick, satisfying read for anyone of any age - offering a glimpse into the dust-destroyed world of the Depression era Okies, as well as a segment of pure myth/story-telling.
May 12, 2025
Set in 1937 Kansas, The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan is a story about Jack, a twelve-year-old boy who lives on a dusty farm with his family. Jack’s family is rather poor because the farm is not doing well. In fact, no one’s farm in the town is doing well because they live in a time known as the Great American Dust Bowl. There is very little rain and many wind storms that pick up the dirt and carry it away. Jack also struggles to get the approval of his father, and he is bullied by boys in the town. Jack discovers a mysterious force in his neighbor’s barn and begins to believe it may have something to do with the lack of rain.
SPOILER ALERT!
Jack discovers an entity known as the Storm King which turns out to be a paranormal force controlling the rain.
END SPOILERS!
This novel is a great coming-of-age story with scary elements. Some parts may be too scary for kids younger than seven years old. Kids ages eleven and up will probably best understand the plot. Jack is on a quest to know what it is he can do to help his family and his town. He is trying to understand what is happening in his town as well as what it means to be brave. The plot and the artist’s choice of colors blend well. Drawn in mostly browns and grays, it sends the message that this was a dusty, dirty, desperate time. Jack’s experiences both good and bad contribute to his growing up. The end delivers a positive message without sounding too much like a fairy tale. I give this book five stars out of five for being a great example of how historical fiction can be expressed well in graphic novel form.
SPOILER ALERT!
Jack discovers an entity known as the Storm King which turns out to be a paranormal force controlling the rain.
END SPOILERS!
This novel is a great coming-of-age story with scary elements. Some parts may be too scary for kids younger than seven years old. Kids ages eleven and up will probably best understand the plot. Jack is on a quest to know what it is he can do to help his family and his town. He is trying to understand what is happening in his town as well as what it means to be brave. The plot and the artist’s choice of colors blend well. Drawn in mostly browns and grays, it sends the message that this was a dusty, dirty, desperate time. Jack’s experiences both good and bad contribute to his growing up. The end delivers a positive message without sounding too much like a fairy tale. I give this book five stars out of five for being a great example of how historical fiction can be expressed well in graphic novel form.
April 23, 2012
'The Storm in the Barn' by Matt Phelan is a historical graphic novel set in Kansas around 1937 during the Dust Bowl. Eleven-year-old Jack Clark is the protagonist of the story. He lives with his father, mother, and sister, Dorothy, on a farm that is suggested has been in the family for generations. But now a drought has struck the land and no one can seem to grow anything. Many farmers in the area have already packed up and moved away, leaving their abandoned houses and barns to be reclaimed by the land.
The illustrations do a magnificent job in capturing the tone, mood, and setting of the story. The Kansas of the story is a bleak place and most of the drawings are black and white, grey, or brown. There are some instances of yellows when Jack goes to meet the drug store merchant or listens to his sister read.
One aspect worth mentioning about this book is its lack of dialogue, but in this case it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Because the story is mostly told through the images it shows. The faces of the people look like sketch images from photographs. The characters facial expressions do their speaking for them so not much dialogue is required. This is very well the kind of book I would teach in the classroom, if nothing else to show students that there are different kinds of novels. However, I would recommend this book for older readers such as high schooler (but maybe eighth grade as well). I believe older readers will appreciate this story more and have a better understanding of its format, which is told mostly through images and color.
The illustrations do a magnificent job in capturing the tone, mood, and setting of the story. The Kansas of the story is a bleak place and most of the drawings are black and white, grey, or brown. There are some instances of yellows when Jack goes to meet the drug store merchant or listens to his sister read.
One aspect worth mentioning about this book is its lack of dialogue, but in this case it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Because the story is mostly told through the images it shows. The faces of the people look like sketch images from photographs. The characters facial expressions do their speaking for them so not much dialogue is required. This is very well the kind of book I would teach in the classroom, if nothing else to show students that there are different kinds of novels. However, I would recommend this book for older readers such as high schooler (but maybe eighth grade as well). I believe older readers will appreciate this story more and have a better understanding of its format, which is told mostly through images and color.
October 29, 2012
Told in comic book style form, Jack is a young boy in Kansas during the Dust Bowl. His family is struggling with the effects of the drought --one sister has dust pneumonia, the farm isn't producing, and they are all depressed. On top of all that, Jack is struggling with being bullied and feeling useless. There is something mysterious in the neighbor's abandoned barn and by unraveling that mystery Jack finds some worth and the answer to many of the family's problems.
I normally love fantasy and fantastical reimaginings of historical events, but I found the fantasy blend with the historical facts in this book done in an odd way that felt sudden and strange. It just didn't work for me. With all the talk about Frank Baum's Oz books I could have seen something that complemented that, but that's not where Phelan went. Even what he did do could have worked if he had built it up a little more.
I was also a little surprised to find 3 minor swear words in something aimed at the middle grades.
I do have to say that the pictures are captivating, and the format is something that appeals to many students.
I normally love fantasy and fantastical reimaginings of historical events, but I found the fantasy blend with the historical facts in this book done in an odd way that felt sudden and strange. It just didn't work for me. With all the talk about Frank Baum's Oz books I could have seen something that complemented that, but that's not where Phelan went. Even what he did do could have worked if he had built it up a little more.
I was also a little surprised to find 3 minor swear words in something aimed at the middle grades.
I do have to say that the pictures are captivating, and the format is something that appeals to many students.
August 23, 2009
In the dust bowl of the 1930s, 12-year-old Jack feels useless at home and against the town bullies, but a storekeeper's Jack tales spur him to take on the monster in a neighbor's abandoned barn and release the rain that had not fallen for 5 years.
This splendid graphic novel is a modern Jack tale, with more motivation shown than the traditional stories offer but the same kind of derring-do. Phelan manages to combine a keen and foreboding sense of the time (including his sister, coughing with dust pneumonia under her netting, masked men, snakes nailed to fence posts, and a mob of rabbit-bahsers) with coming-of-age fantasy and make it all believable. The Wizard of Oz series is explicitly referenced, but I was also reminded of the Charles Atlas ads - with bullies kicking sand in the face of the scrawny kid. Amazing drawings; I read it in a grey-scale arc but the sample illustration on the back looks like it will be mostly shades of brown. I look forward to seeing the finished version.
This splendid graphic novel is a modern Jack tale, with more motivation shown than the traditional stories offer but the same kind of derring-do. Phelan manages to combine a keen and foreboding sense of the time (including his sister, coughing with dust pneumonia under her netting, masked men, snakes nailed to fence posts, and a mob of rabbit-bahsers) with coming-of-age fantasy and make it all believable. The Wizard of Oz series is explicitly referenced, but I was also reminded of the Charles Atlas ads - with bullies kicking sand in the face of the scrawny kid. Amazing drawings; I read it in a grey-scale arc but the sample illustration on the back looks like it will be mostly shades of brown. I look forward to seeing the finished version.
February 1, 2011
I had mixed reactions to this graphic novel about a timid boy living with his agriculturally-dependent family during the Dust Bowl Era. It hasn't rained since he was seven; he's now eleven and a sadder face on a child you never did see. His older sister has some kind of breathing disorder caused by all the dust and our hero has been accused of suffering from dust dementia. His father writes him off as useless and he is often the victim of bullying by the town thugs. So when he sees the spirit of rain in an abandoned barn nearby, nobody believes him; he has trouble believing it himself. There are a few emotionally jarring scenes in the novel, but somehow it didn't grab me the way I expected based on its subject matter. Maybe it's because the characters either seemed so mean or so downtrodden, which might be realistic for that time and place, but was not much fun to read. It is an interesting slice of history and the ending is not as devoid of hope as the rest of the story, so maybe others would enjoy it more than I did.
April 19, 2012
I’m a fan of graphic novels so I’m a little biased when it comes to liking them, and this book isn’t an exception. It’s beautifully drawn, with lots of space empty of text, and Phelan is imaginative with the antagonist (and uses some cool imagery; I really liked the snakes nailed along fences). Story wise, the plot isn’t too complex, it reminded me of a folk tale mixed in with a creative coming of age story. However, it’s a fun read, and while I’m not aware how accurate dust storms are, I think it provides at least a little insight into what it would be like growing up in the dust bowl.
I wouldn’t teach this book because I’m hoping to work with 11th and 12th graders. I would have a copy in class, and recommend it to students that enjoy graphic novels. I also think because of its simplicity, The Storm in the Barn would be a great introduction piece to those that aren’t that familiar with reading graphic novels or comics in general (and maybe get them hooked or prepared for other ones that I would teach).
I wouldn’t teach this book because I’m hoping to work with 11th and 12th graders. I would have a copy in class, and recommend it to students that enjoy graphic novels. I also think because of its simplicity, The Storm in the Barn would be a great introduction piece to those that aren’t that familiar with reading graphic novels or comics in general (and maybe get them hooked or prepared for other ones that I would teach).
April 24, 2012
"The Storm in the Barn" is a graphic novel that tells a story of young boy named Jack and his struggle to find his place and worth within his community and family. The novel takes place during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, and historically the novel shows a realistic portrayal of what people struggled with during the time. The story has an interesting plot and is well illustrated and a rather quick read.
As a future teacher I would recommend this book be taught to students at the 6th,7th or 8th grade level due to the book’s format and length. I think that in order to fully understand the novel one must know some information about the history of the Dust Bowl, and I think students at the previously stated grades would have some back knowledge of the time. I think it would be great if this book could be taught simultaneously to a group of students that were also learning about the Dust Bowl in their history classes.
As a future teacher I would recommend this book be taught to students at the 6th,7th or 8th grade level due to the book’s format and length. I think that in order to fully understand the novel one must know some information about the history of the Dust Bowl, and I think students at the previously stated grades would have some back knowledge of the time. I think it would be great if this book could be taught simultaneously to a group of students that were also learning about the Dust Bowl in their history classes.
January 23, 2010
It's about a boy growing up in Kansas in the Dust Bowl years. Times are hard because of a number of factors that I won't go into, because it reads so quick that I fear I'd give it away.
His neighbor's abandoned bard gives of a eclipsing (that a word? :)) radiant light, so he goes to investigate only to find a mysterious, shady figure that appears to be part precipitation. He's accused of dust dimentia, and determined to prove everyone wrong and find out if he can save his town, he investigates. An adventure ensues...
Very imaginative, and a quick read, because it's a graphic novel. The illustrations are of a different style, but very fitting to the time an place. I was a bit sad to come to the end. It's categorized as a juvenile read, but there is a small bit of content I wouldn't deem appropriate for a younger audience without some guidance. I'd give it a PG. And 5 stars, of course!
His neighbor's abandoned bard gives of a eclipsing (that a word? :)) radiant light, so he goes to investigate only to find a mysterious, shady figure that appears to be part precipitation. He's accused of dust dimentia, and determined to prove everyone wrong and find out if he can save his town, he investigates. An adventure ensues...
Very imaginative, and a quick read, because it's a graphic novel. The illustrations are of a different style, but very fitting to the time an place. I was a bit sad to come to the end. It's categorized as a juvenile read, but there is a small bit of content I wouldn't deem appropriate for a younger audience without some guidance. I'd give it a PG. And 5 stars, of course!
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