The gripping story of a boy, a dog and a hurricaneSaint 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. His best friend is a stray dog named Shadow, and it's because of Shadow that Saint's still in town when Hurricane Katrina hits. Saint's not worried about the hurricane at first - he plans to live to be a hundred just to defy his palm-reader friend Jupi, who told him he had a short life line. But now the city has been ordered to evacuate and Saint won't leave without Shadow. His search brings him to his elderly neighbor's home and the three of them flee to her attic when the waters rise. But when Miz Moran's medication runs out, it's up to Saint to save her life - and his beloved Shadow's. "Brenda Woods' story is satisfying and full of hope, a hope that resides in the strength and resilience of the people of New Orleans, but most especially, in the tender heart of Saint Louis Armstrong Beach, who, by story's end, has a new and deeper song to play on his clarinet." - Nikki Grimes, Coretta Scott King Medal winner for Bronx Masquerade