Javier and the Cone of Uncertainty: The Kids Under the Stairs

Gr 4-7–A boy and a hurricane—seemingly unconnected—are linked by more than sharing the name Javier. Middle schooler Javier has recently moved with his mother from Texas to Florida to be closer to his grandfather. As Hurricane Javier approaches, the boy finds himself squarely in the storm’s cone of uncertainty. But the approaching hurricane isn’t the only source of upheaval. Already struggling with anxiety and facing his first major storm, Javier is further unsettled when his mother leaves him with friends while she searches for his missing grandfather. Complicating matters even more is her apparent new relationship with one of Javier’s teachers. The fourth installment in “The Kids Under the Stairs” series centers Javier’s story, following previous books focused on his three friends. Told primarily in verse, the novel weaves in Javier’s sketches, text messages, and chat logs from the friends’ shared game, Sandbox. This layered format adds immediacy and authenticity, realistically reflecting how middle schoolers communicate—and sometimes avoid doing so—during moments of stress and uncertainty.