Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere

Armani never expected Katrina to be so devastating. It all started on her tenth birthday. To Armani, double-digits meant she was officially growing up, but her wonderful birthday party was ruined by one of the worst hurricanes in history, Katrina. Armani lives in New Orleans, in the lower nines, and her neighborhood took a bad hit in the storm.Follow Armani through the Super Dome, where she alone is left to look after her two sisters after Katrina hits the city. All the while, she finds family and friends, but always gets separated from them in the crowded Super Dome shelter. Will Armani ever be reunited with her family? Or will Hurricane Katrina have permanently torn them apart? Read the book, Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere, by Julie T. Lamana to find out!Armani = a brave ten-year-old girl who cares about her family more than anythingSealy = Armani's sister who always has her nose in a book or is sniffling about somethingKahla and Kheelin = the three-year-old twin siblings of Armani who are two peas in a pod, even though little Kheelin suffers from horrible asthma attacksGeorgie = constantly irritating Armani with his know-it-all attitude, but deep down he is very caringMama = a loving mother who tries to do anything for her childrenDaddy = a selfless father who puts his children before anything elseMee Maw = a wonderful grandma who worries a lot and loves the newsThe message or moral of this story is to stay strong and be brave. The author constantly hints this as the theme when Armani keeps telling herself to go on and to protect her sisters. I think this is an important skill because if you are not brave and strong, you will quit many things instead of pushing through.I enjoyed the book, Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a good page-turner or who wants to learn more about Hurricane Katrina. I liked this book because it seemed real and used actual historical events.

The book chronicles the bad decisions and misfortune of a family living in the 9th ward of New Orleans that chose not to evacuate, and the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. The narcissistic and hateful main character Armani doesn't particularly like white people. Her ghetto language is awful. On the first page, we find the main character talking about her cousins big butt, and how everyone other than her has bad body odor. We have her cousin Tay Tay, and the drunken uncle who abuses her.When Armani essentially shoves her baby sister Khayla into the filthy cesspool water to try to keep from falling herself (in the knee deep water), you see what a horrible person she is. This book may be appropriate for adults, but I'm not convinced that it's appropriate for younger readers. The author seems to relish talking about dead bodies: dead bodies floating in the water, dead bodies being abused in the super dome, Rarely does the author focus on the good of humanity. She does like to focus on those that acted like animals - caring only about themselves.The author does unintentionally highlight the fallacy of relying on government to take care of your every need.Contains some spoilers below.The book also fails to provide closure. We don't know if Armani's cousin Danisha survives after giving up her seat on the bus for Armani and her sisters. We don't know what happens to Danisha's brother Booger, or her parents who were attacked in the Superdome. We don't even know what happens to her Uncle TBone, although his latest girlfriend Sugar's hat is found in the filthy water.It is curious that after Armani's father prays for Jesus to protect his family, he is immediately struck by a tree branch. The bleeding and infection are possibly what leads to his death. Perhaps Jesus was telling that George that he should have evacuated the family instead of going ahead with Arman's 10th birthday party.I'm not sure how a real mother could desert her children with the immature ten year old child Armani in the vile superdome, particularly after stepping over a dead body. I'm not sure why the family didn't have a leash and collar/harness for the dog. Why would you get a dog for your daughter when a hurricane is in the forecast? Why get a dog when you can't take care of what you already have?Armani doesn't seem happy unless she's trash talking someone who is trying to help her.It's sad that the family has too many members to fit in the family vehicle. Apparently that is the lame excuse for not even trying to evacuate.

Very sad. I cried most of the way through it. We live close to the coast and get our share of hurricanes. A couple weeks after hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Hurricane Rita came through my home town. It brought back memories of the time for myself and it illuminated the plight that those in Katrina had to live through. It was pretty sad, but the author wove the story together well. She made you feel like you were really seeing things through the eyes of a ten year in New Orleans

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This was a really lovely story told from the perspective of a 10 year old girl. That being said, it's not an immature point of view. The tragedy of Katrina is told in such a way the reader will fell personally connected to it's tragic events.Adults as well as young adults will be able to relate to the characters who are developed so well. The family connection is strong with love even while exploring sibling dislike and alcoholic relatives. My favorite relationship was Memaw and Armani. There is no sweeter relationship than that of a child and her grandmother.I highly recommend this book and will look forward to the author's next tale!

Armani can hardly wait to turn ten. She doesn't want anything to interfere with the birthday party she's been anticipating: not even the fact that her neighbors decided to evacuate he Lower Ninth for an approaching storm. but when Hurricane Katrina hits, Armani's tight- knit world is turned upside-down. Ten is not what she expected. stranded on her roof- top, Armani uses every ounce of strength she learned from her family to survive and re- unite with those she loves. This is an important story, tenderly told. 4th grade and up.

My 13 year old loved this book. He laughed and cried. It was extremely inspirational and he learned so much.

Se lo pidió su maestra en la escuela. Es muy bueno dijo mi hija.

Really good read for young adult or adult. Story of strength and perseverance.

My kids enjoyed the story