Hurricanes can range in size from 100 to 2,000 kilometres across.
The strength of a hurricane is categorized from 1 to 5, according to the speed of the winds inside the storm. Category 1 hurricanes have wind speeds of around 120 to 150 kilometres per hour, while Category 5 hurricanes have wind speeds of over 250 kilometres per hour.
Because they need air that is full of water for their energy, hurricanes lose power as they move from over the ocean to over land. But the winds and heavy rains that they bring can do lots of damage to areas where people live.
Scientists are getting much better at predicting the strength and the direction of hurricanes so that people who live in their paths have time to prepare and protect themselves. But as the world’s climate changes there is still a lot of work to be done to keep people safe in the future.
About the Author
Malorie Blackman has written over sixty books and is acknowledged as one of today’s most imaginative and convincing writers for young readers. She has been awarded numerous prizes for her work, including the Red House Children’s Book Award and the Fantastic Fiction Award. Malorie has also been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. In 2005 she was honoured with the Eleanor Farjeon Award in recognition of her contribution to children’s books, and in 2008 she received an OBE for her services to children’s literature. She has been described by The Times as ‘a national treasure’. Malorie Blackman is the Children’s Laureate 2013–15.
Also by Malorie Blackman
The NOUGHTS & CROSSES sequence:
NOUGHTS & CROSSES
KNIFE EDGE
CHECKMATE
DOUBLE CROSS
NOBLE CONFLICT
BOYS DON’T CRY
THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES
TRUST ME
PIG-HEART BOY
HACKER
A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E.
THIEF!
DANGEROUS REALITY
THE DEADLY DARE MYSTERIES
DEAD GORGEOUS
UNHEARD VOICES
(A collection of short stories and poems, collected by Malorie Blackman)
For younger readers:
CLOUD BUSTING
OPERATION GADGETMAN!
WHIZZIWIG and WHIZZIWIG RETURNS
GIRL WONDER AND THE TERRIFIC TWINS
GIRL WONDER’S WINTER ADVENTURES
GIRL WONDER TO THE RESCUE
BETSEY BIGGALOW IS HERE!
BETSEY BIGGALOW THE DETECTIVE
BETSEY’S BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
MAGIC BETSEY
For beginner readers:
JACK SWEETTOOTH
SNOW DOG
SPACE RACE
THE MONSTER CRISP-GUZZLER
Have you read these
Betsey Biggalow books?
Have you read these
Girl Wonder books?
HURRICANE BETSEY
AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 448 19304 2
Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishers UK
A Penguin Random House Company
This ebook edition published 2014
Text copyright © Oneta Malorie Blackman, 1993
Illustrations copyright © Jamie Smith, 2014
First Published in Great Britain
Red Fox 9781782951865 2014
The right of Malorie Blackman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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