ONE POP-TART
ONE BET
A BLIZZARD OF CONSEQUENCES

After his best friend ditches him for the popular crowd, one impulsive bite lands Ray in the principal’s office—and straight into a storm of trouble he never saw coming.

This middle grade mishap spirals into a high-stakes adventure when a lost bet and hidden stash of stolen coins force thirteen-year-old Ray Larkin to make a tough decision. Now he must brave frostbite and a deadly windchill advisory to do the right thing. Because courage doesn’t wait for perfect weather.

Funny, heartfelt, and full of middle school missteps, this coming-of-age story
celebrates friendships, family, courage, and the power of choices.

Reviews

Ray makes some mistakes . . . but in the end, he discovers what’s really important to him. This story had funny and touching parts. It also shows that labels are not trustworthy. Character is shown by one’s actions and how he or she treats others.”—Goodreads Review

*****

“Fast-paced and deeply inside Ray’s POV, the reader will slowly begin to suspect that there is half a chance Ray’s view of the world is a bit out of balance. Once readers live through his chilling adventure, they too will have learned a thing or two about what it means to be a friend and to truly look out for the interests of others.”—Kristen joy Wilks, Selah Award-winning author of Phooey Kerflooey vs The Deep Deep Dark

*****

 “Full of unexpected turns, this is a story about friendship, forgiveness, and the kind of courage that shows up when no one’s watching. I loved getting to know Ray and his family, watching him navigate eighth grade and the kind of cliques found in every school. In an out-of-the-ordinary way, he discovers the “Bad” kids aren’t so bad, and the “Perfect” kids aren’t so perfect. This is a well-written, fun adventure!”—Kendy Pearson, award-winning author

*****

“The author does a great job of staying in the head of Ray, the main character—a rather out-of-touch kid who learns, through the course of the book, to see things from other kids’ points of view. Ray gets taken in easily, but sticks to his moral values and accepts his need to pay for his mistakes. Kids will enjoy his misadventures and learn valuable lessons from them.”—Susan Mass, Selah Award-winning author of middle grade fiction

*****

“I Lived through a Wind Chill Advisory is exceptionally written with a great story line and lots of twists woven into the plot. Annika Klanderud really knows middle schoolers and how they think and manages to sneak in lessons without being obvious. I had a hard time putting the book down.”—Goodreads Review

*****

“In kidlit, Dads are often absent or not that involved. I really loved the dad in this novel! He was encouraging and warm, but yet held his kids to standards. His quizzing Ray about geography was a fun motif throughout. Ray is a relatable character with a very strong voice. Bonus points that he’s mixed race and that’s treated as just part of life. It was sometimes hard to read about the mistakes Ray made in misjudging people and their motives, but that also kept me guessing throughout the novel about whom he should really trust. The crush aspect was really handled well–and I loved that he decided he wasn’t ready for that. I especially loved the themes of integrity and looking beneath the surface with people.”—Goodreads Review

*****

 “Middle grade readers will undoubtedly experience a range of emotions (with corresponding facial expressions for the most demonstrative) as they tag along through the funny moments, the anxiety-causing moments, the ‘oh boy i hope he knows what he’s doing’ moments, and the ‘nope that turned out as badly as I thought it would’ moments. And while we stay solidly in Ray’s perspective throughout the story, we also start to suspect that perhaps Ray is a bit of an unreliable narrator. At least as far as his maybe-skewed view of things.

 

“Bottom Line: I Lived Through a Windchill Advisory by Annika Klanderud delivers a fun and entertaining middle grade novel with a meaningful message. Besides the spot-on narrative voice, diverse characters, and the kind of dad we need more of in children’s and young adult fiction, the author also excels at threading important themes of friendship and integrity into the story, allowing readers to gradually connect the dots without being spoon fed. Don’t worry though if you fear that your tween may be a little too … um… emotionally unaware (lol) to pick up on organic clues like that. Because we stay in Ray’s POV, we do get a front row seat to watch those dots connect for him in real time. I Lived Through a Windchill Advisory is an engaging ‘what to read next’ choice for fans of the Wimpy Kid books or the Tree Street Kids series.”– Reading is My SuperPower