Zeke the Weather Geek: There's Mud in My Flood! - by Joan Axelrod-Contrada & Ann Malaspina (Hardcover)

About the Book

"It's spring in Green River, and Zeke is keeping an eye on the rapidly warming weather. His Mood Meter starts to wobble as he notices cracks in the river ice near his school ... could the spring thaw mean a flood is coming? Things are looking up when Zeke's hero, local meteorologist Freeze Jones, asks him to join his elite crew of Weather Watchers. He'll get to study the weather daily and provide firsthand observations that will help with the forecast! At school, Miss Li assigns Zeke the part of a singing asteroid in a play about the solar system. But how could Zeke possibly care about the play when the wacky spring weather was full of high winds and changing temperatures? He would rather be following the first rule of being a Weather Watcher: Keep your eyes on the skies. While at the library researching flood zones in his town, Zeke's Mood Meter sinks to negative 50 degrees -- half of Green River is in a floodplain, including the school! If the school auditorium floods, the play might get cancelled ... but as much as Zeke is dreading the play, his duty as a Weather Watcher comes first. And when a flash flood warning whisks the whole town into a panic, it's up to Zeke and the rest of the Weather Watcher crew to remain calm and help everyone stay safe."--

Book Synopsis

More wild and wacky weather is in the forecast in the latest installment of this STEAM-centered series.

Zeke and his friends have "spring fever" and are excited about the temperature rising, but Zeke's Mood Meter starts to wobble when he notices cracks in the river ice. If the ice melts too quickly, it could turn into a flood! When Zeke's favorite meteorologist, Freeze Jones, invites him to join his crew of Weather Watchers, Zeke hopes that will give him the inside scoop on the flood watch. Meanwhile, everyone at school is too focused on the spring play to worry about the potential spring flood. Can Zeke keep his teacher happy while still being an ace Weather Watcher?

This is the second book in an early chapter book series starring the lovable Zeke and a diverse cast of his friends and schoolmates. Page-turning adventure is paired with loads of information on the science of weather, both within the story and in informational spreads tucked between chapters. Topics covered include the spring weather cycle, wind jet streams, types of floods, ice jams, flood safety and climate change's influence on flooding. There's also a glossary of weather words and instructions for building a rain gauge at the back of the book. Playful illustrations add humor to the story and help explain the scientific concepts. This is a terrific resource for Earth science classes.

Review Quotes

A cute secondary purchase, especially for libraries where weather-related books are in demand.--School Library Journal

... the science is sound, family and school episodes are realistically humorous, and kids wanting easy doses of science will be engaged.--Kirkus Reviews (Praise for Zeke the Weather Geek: There's a Lizard in My Blizzard!)

With a positive boy hero, There's a Lizard in My Blizzard, a well laid out, readable chapter book, will be an entertaining read.--CM Magazine (Praise for Zeke the Weather Geek: There's a Lizard in My Blizzard!)

About the Author

Joan Axelrod-Contrada writes both fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults. The author of over twenty books for young people, she is also a journalist, writing teacher and graduate of the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Growing up in the Boston area, Joan watched TV meteorologists every night, and she credits them with cultivating her love of the weather and inspiring the characters of Freeze Jones and Zeke the Weather Geek. Joan lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Ann Malaspina has written over thirty books for young people about the environment, social issues and human rights. Her books have been recognized by the Sydney Taylor Book Awards, American Library Association's Amelia Bloomer Book List, Asian Pacific American Library Association, International Reading Association and state reading associations. Her poetry has been published in literary magazines. A former journalist, Ann has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in New Jersey with her family.
Paula J. Becker loves to create fun, whimsical illustrations for a variety of projects, including books, magazines, posters, greeting cards and educational curriculum. She has illustrated more than thirty books for children, and her work has been published in many children's magazines, including Highlights, High Five, Owl, Chickadee, Chirp, Clubhouse Jr., Click, Ladybug, Ask and Children's Ministry Magazine. When she's not drawing, Paula enjoys watching baseball, bicycling and birdwatching.