Title: “Safe as Houses”
Author: Eric Walters
Reviewer: Cyrus Shobeir, Gr. 8
Score: 4/5
“Safe as Houses” by Eric Walters is a historical fiction book about effects of Hurricane Hazel in Canada during October of 1954. The book is told from the perspective of thirteen-year-old Elizabeth Hardy, an 8th grade student who has a part time job as a babysitter. One stormy evening, while Elizabeth is watching two children named David and Suzie McBride, Elizabeth and the children get caught in a flash flood without the accompaniment of any adults. This exciting story takes the reader through a story of horror, disbelief, and morality. I enjoyed reading this book, and I think my sentiments would be reflected by most readers.
This book begins with Elizabeth picking up sixth grader David McBride and his sister, a second grader named Suzie from their school on an exceptionally rainy day. In the beginning chapters we learn a bit about the McBride family. We learn they have recently moved to Weston, a small city that is a thirty minutes’ drive from Toronto, from that city. While Suzie is a kind, friendly kid, we learn that David is a troublemaker who frequently expresses his disliking for Weston and how he hated moving to the small city. After arriving at the home of the McBride’s Elizabeth, David, and Suzie notice the heavy rain is growing even more. After hearing that the roads are bad and thus the McBride’s parents are not able to reach their house before dark, Elizabeth, David, and Suzie begin to worry a bit, but still just go about their day, even after the power and phone lines go out. After going to sleep, Elizabeth wakes up and suddenly realizes that the water has risen and is already flooding the house. After a brief moment of panic, the characters move up to the second floor of the McBride’s house to get away from the water. However, the water level keeps on rising and rising. Eventually, David finds a hatchet and the characters are able to break through the roof of the house to avoid the water. Then, the house’s foundation begins to shift from the force of the water rushing against it, and the characters jump off the house into the water to get to a tree. After successfully getting up said tree, the characters wait for the water to rise up and swallow them or for the tree to break, thinking that death is impending. However, two men (based on real people) then show up, bravely piloting a boat in the current. The characters are then rescued by them, and the book ends.
I think this book is best suited for those aged 8-12 who enjoy reading action novels. However, if you’re like me and like much of Eric Walter’s work, I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading this book no matter your age. Overall, I think that “Safe as Houses” is a well-written book that tells the tale of the 1954 flooding of Toronto and Weston in a very articulate, sensible way.