Saint Louis Armstrong Beach

A boy, a dog, and New Orleans' most famous hurricane Saint is a boy with confidence as big as his name is long. A budding musician, he earns money playing clarinet for the New Orleans tourists, and his best friend is a stray dog named Shadow. At first Saint is sure that Hurricane Katrina will be just like the last one--no big deal. But then the city is ordered to evacuate and Saint refuses to leave without Shadow. Saint and Shadow flee to his neighbor's attic--and soon enough it's up to Saint to save them all.

Brenda Woods is the author of the Coretta Scott King Honor winner The Red Rose Box. She lives in the Los Angeles area.