Junius Leak and the Spiraling Vortex of Doom
by Allan Wolf
Middle School    Candlewick    528 pp.
7/25    9781536217452    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781536244939    $18.99

Junius Leak, nearly thirteen, is “exiled to a strange, watery land” in Louisiana. He’s a timid and anxious boy, afraid of yet fascinated by what he calls “waterbodies” and reluctant to spend twelve days on a houseboat on Lake Peigneur with Uncle Spot, whom he has never met, while his parents “figure things out” at a “marriage boot camp.” Based on an astounding true story of a day in 1980 when Lake Peigneur disappeared, the tale is told from the alternating viewpoints of Junius and the lake. The twin narratives converge at the mining disaster scene, though it takes four-hundred-plus pages to get to the chapter titled “And Now, What We’ve All Been Waiting For.” It is worth the wait, as events are relayed with all the liveliness of a disaster-thriller movie. But readers will realize that this is not just about waiting for disaster to strike—it is Junius’s story, too, and if the lake changes, so does he, as these circumstances require heroism. Bold action, solid characterization, and an adept handling of subjects ranging from neurodivergence and environmental science to the slave trade and the origins of Cajun culture along the Gulf of Mexico make this an example of dramatic storytelling with substance. Back matter includes a map of Lake Peigneur and the surrounding area, an author’s note, lists of “Amazing Words of Southern Louisiana” and “Amazing Waterbodies of the World,” and suggested reading about the real event.

From the September/October 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.