Review: The Storm in the Barn

Bibliography:

Phelan, Matt. 2009. The Storm in the Barn. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. ISBN 9780763636180

Plot Summary:

Matt Phelan’s graphic novel The Storm in the Barn is set in Kansas in 1937, at the height of the Dust Bowl days. Jack Clark is eleven years old. His sister Dorothy is seriously ill with “Dust Pneumonia”. The neighborhood boys bully him. Jack’s father is so preoccupied with the disastrous situation his family is in that he is unable to give Jack the attention he craves. In fact, Jack feels that he isn’t good for much of anything. One day Jack encounters a mysterious figure in his neighbors' abandoned barn. The man has a face like rain, and he guards a bag from which thunder and lightning periodically escape. After witnessing the brutality of the townsmen during a jackrabbit drive, Jack summons the courage to confront the Storm King. Stealing his bag, Jack runs to the top of a windmill, and, opening it, ends the Storm King’s reign. Storm clouds form and rain finally falls on the thirsty land.

Critical Review:

Matt Phelan’s graphic novel The Storm in the Barn blends together elements of historical fiction, folk tale, and supernatural mystery. It’s an interesting combination, to be sure. In Jack, Phelan has created a protagonist that many teens will be able to identify with. Jack craves attention and affirmation from his father. Jack’s father, however, has little patience or time for Jack. Despite Jack’s repeated attempts to get noticed, his father is completely preoccupied with getting his family out of a seemingly hopeless situation.

Phelan’s artwork is a blend of watercolor, pencil, and pen. The illustrations have a very clean, almost simplistic look. Colors are generally pale and washed-out looking, well-suited to the dead landscape they depict. With minimal dialogue, the characters’ facial expressions tell much of the story. Jack’s face projects openness, innocence, and sadness, while the adults in the book generally appear bitter and suspicious. We understand that they have been soured by their struggle for survival. Nowhere is this more evident than the jackrabbit drive. As the men descend upon the rabbits, their faces become terrifyingly distorted; they seem to have become something less than human.

Fictional tales play an important role in A Storm in the Barn. The man who works at the drugstore tells Jack “Jack Tales”, the exploits of another hero named Jack. Jack’s sister Dorothy passes the time by reading about Dorothy in Ozma from Oz. These fictional tales help the characters deal with hard times, and also give them the courage to face their problems.

Much of the story is realistic and historically accurate, including the description of dust pneumonia and the disturbing jackrabbit drive, perhaps the most unforgettable sequence in the book. The segments of the book dealing with the Storm King, however, have the feel of a folk tale. For this reviewer, the two “faces” of the book never completely meshed. After the highly realistic sections of the book, the scenes in the barn seem out of place. The resolution in particular, when Jack finally proves himself by stealing the Storm King’s bag, felt unsatisfying. That said, The Storm in the Barn, is undoubtedly an achievement. It blends historical fiction, folk tale, and illustration in a unique way. Young readers may very well find themselves drawn into Jack’s story.

Review Excerpts:

“Written with simple, direct language, it's an almost wordless book: the illustrations' shadowy grays and blurry lines eloquently depict the haze of the dust. A complex but accessible and fascinating book.” – School Library Journal (September 1, 2009)

“Great for a wide range of readers, this will work particularly well as a gentle introduction for those new to graphic novels or as an elegant argument on the format's behalf against dubious naysayers.”– Booklist (August 1, 2009)

Connections:

Read other books about the time period, such as Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust or Survival in the Storm: The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards, Dalhart, Texas 1935 (Dear America Series) by Katelan Janke.

Pair with a nonfiction book about the Dust Bowl, such as the photographic book The Dust Bowl Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Helped Remedy a National Disaster by Martin W. Sandler.

Listen to music related to the period, such as Woody Guthrie’s “Dust Storm Disaster”.

Watch a video documentary of the period, such as American Experience: Surviving the Dust Bowl.