For our family I focused on Section 2, which has four chapters covering water supplies and filtration and was pleased to note I was ahead of the game. The book helped me to identify additional sources of water around the home, how to store water, and a thorough section on the difference between filters, iodine tablets, and more. While the food storage information was helpful, I chose not to focus on that at this time as we are still trying to normalize our family’s diet. However, I have bookmarked those chapters to return to when I am in a better position to focus on.

I am fascinated by the details included in growing and harvesting your own food for storage as we have had our own raised garden beds in our postage-stamp sized back yard for years. Yes, my kids might not eat a lot of what I grow, but my husband and I do. So, I loved the information that reaffirmed what I already knew, and yet gave me several options of how to expand and modify in the future. I have also tagged the sections on Communication, Transportation and Protection for a Crisis to reread more thoroughly. I want to make sure we are up to date on what we do have an to identify new ways our family can prepare.

The Crisis Preparedness Handbook really is a plethora of valuable information to help prepare for all kinds of emergency situations. I highly recommend this handbook to everyone as a staple in their home. After reading this book I have marked what our family can work on for the moment without being overwhelmed. I have a friend that works for the National Red Cross that had told me I should store a bit of cash in a safe place each payday in case of a long term power outage that takes out ATMs and anything we’d normally pay for with a debit card. This book reaffirmed that need. Now when I go to the story and the self-checkout machine asks me if I want cash back, I click on “Yes” then store it in a safe location in the house for times of need.

2020 has been a year few anticipated. If a once-in-a-century pandemic has you wanting to include more disaster preparedness in your life, Crisis Preparedness Handbook has you covered. This exhaustive reference guide covers everything you could ever wish to know about how to survive a disaster, be it common or uncommon, short or long. Food and water security, shelter, protection, transportation, nothing is overlooked. After acquiring this book, no one can fairly claim they won’t have the knowledge necessary to survive any apocalypse that is survivable. Understanding that not every reader will be a hardcore survivalist, the book lays out varying levels of preparedness depending on the level of effort you are willing to exert. As the book itself states, it’s intended to be first and foremost a reference guide, and readers are encouraged to pick and choose the parts that work for their lifestyles. Not every reader will need every bit of information in the book, but it’s safe to say every reader will benefit from its advice.

The relationship between Pauline and her father, the need to prove yourself against the odds, the banding together of an unlikely group of heroes… all highly relatable themes for the YA genre, keep you engrossed in the story.

I will say this. If you are unfamiliar with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” or steampunk lore, this book will feel like being dropped in the middle of a world and being expected to know how to navigate it. And the first several pages will feel like a blatant rip off of Peter Jackson’s interpretation of “Mortal Engines.” Stick with it. Your patience will be rewarded with a light, easy read once you acclimate to the new world Tarbet is presenting.