Book Summary

Ninth Ward by Jewel Parker Rhodes (2010) is a story of a young girl living in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

Go here for an expanded summary of the book, pictures of the real Ninth Ward and a reading by the author

See also Summary and Reviews from Buffalo & Erie County Public Library

Author Biography

Jewel Rhodes

Jewel Parker Rhodes on Diversity and Character-Driven Stories

Escaping Flood Waters, August 31, 2005

Hurricane Katrina

New Orleans Hurricane History from MIT


Hurricane Katrina: A Look Back 10 Years from the National Weather Service

10 Years of Recovery and Reflection from NPR

11 Facts about Hurricane Katrina

The Lasting Effects of Hurricane Katrina, Rolling Stone, August 24, 2015

We Still Don't Know How Many People Died Because of Katrina, FiveThirtyEight, August 26, 2015

 The Big Uneasy on Vimeo, New Orleans resident Harry Shearer learning from an Army Corps of Engineers whistleblower about the failure of the levees to protect the city.

• Decade After Katrina, Pointing Finger More Firmly at Army Corps, The New York Times (May 23, 2015)

• See 2015 article from the journal Water Policy that explains how steps taken by the Army Corps of Engineers to save money led to less reliable foldaways

History of New Orleans

Louis Armstrong Park, New Orleans

Jelly Roll Morton, age 17, 1906

New Orleans History Timeline from PBS American Experience

Port of New Orleans, 1718 to 1898 from Maritime Heritage Project

Steamboat Natchez: History

A New Orleans Jazz History, 1895-1927 from National Park Service

Hesitation Blues, Jelly Roll Morton, 1938

Atlantic Hurricanes, September 2017, including Irma

Science and History of Hurricanes

How Do Hurricanes Form? from NASA

Hurricanes: A Science Primer from NPR

Create-A-Cane

• Design your own hurricane by changing winds, latitude, moisture and sea temperature

• Stop Disasters.
• An online game where students try to prevent natural disasters from happening

Galveston Hurricane of 1900



The Galveston Hurricane of 1900: Remembering the Deadliest Natural Disaster in American History from NOAA

Galveston Hurricane of 1900 from Texas Historical Association

Video on the Galveston Hurricane from National Geographic

Perfect Storms: The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 from Smithsonian Channel

More Technology Connections/Extensions:

Katrina + 10: Mississippi's Story an app in the itunes store recounts the events from the point of view of survivors, plays 911 calls placed that fateful day, and includes authentic pictures.

• Teachers should check to monitor content beforehand.