Blair Thomas
Father of Blair Thomas

Another exciting and thrilling adventure book, The Day it Rained Ducks, by Lane Walker is a must-read for any young reader. In this 151-page book, Walker tells the story of a young girl, her father and their chocolate lab Mac on a duck hunting adventure that readers will never forget. The book takes on a new twist in the series with an all new hunting adventure story that turns into a whole other shocking and unpredictable day out on the waters of Lake Huron. Readers will not want to put this book down with the captivating and attention-grabbing writing style Walker provides. This fictional adventure book is filled with many unexpected events and cliff-hangers, making it another suspenseful read in the Hometown Hunters Collection series that hunters and non-hunters alike will be sure to enjoy.

In the town of Lainey, Michigan, hunting is an activity that is favored by the Thomas family, as well as other citizens of the town. In this book, duck hunting is especially popular in the small town in the month of October. A day of duck hunting would become a day that the main character Blair Thomas, her father and their chocolate lab Mac would never forget. This suspenseful and electrifying story is told from Blair’s point of view, looking back on a day of hunting back when she was in the seventh-grade. Usually dreading her alarm clock, Blair welcomed the loud ringing from the clock on that Saturday morning knowing that it was the call to get ready for the day of hunting she has been looking forward to. The venture out on Lake Huron would include way more than just hunting when the weather turns from a few raindrops, to a mighty and terrifying storm.

When Blair Thomas gets an assignment to write about “the one person or event that has had the most impact on her life” it is a struggle at first for her to figure out what to write about. After some thinking, she goes back to her seventh-grade self and remembers how hard girls were on one another during that time. Blair at times struggled with comparing herself to others, especially one girl in particular, Ellie. Ellie was considered the “mean girl” in the class, and picked on Blair at times. Blair wasn’t like most girls in her class, she enjoyed sports and the outdoors, especially hunting. Blair was the only daughter in her family with two older brothers, she grew up hunting with her dad and brothers and this was something she looked forward to doing as a family. Blair didn’t see the big deal about her hobby, she thought and believed that it was perfectly OK for girls to hunt, too! As she is trying to figure out what
to write about for her senior essay, Blair goes back to the day when she went out for a day of hunting with her dad and their dog. That would be a day that would change her life in many ways. The hunting trip would force Blair to overcome many different things, as well as learn one very important and valuable lesson about herself.

When the day finally arrives for Blair, her father, and the family dog Mac to set out on their day of duck hunting, warnings of severe weather keep getting mentioned. Blair’s father assures her that the weather isn’t anything that it’s being hyped up to be. Instead, it’s the perfect storm weather for a day of duck hunting. Excited for her first duck hunting adventure with her dad, Blair was determined to score many great ducks. A little rain doesn’t get in their way, in fact, the weather was making it rain ducks! They were everywhere...until they weren’t. Their day of hunting would quickly take a turn when the weather begins to worsen. As black skies and major storm waves surround them, duck hunting would no longer become the main event of the day. The three family members would be thrown into the dangerous waters of Lake Huron, forcing each of them to find the strength within themselves to survive the immense storm. Blair would need to use her survival skills and hope to try and stay afloat and alive in the treacherous waters that the lake had been notoriously known for taking many people's lives. Blair was determined that the lake would not be taking her as its victim. The venture would be one that would teach Blair many valuable lessons, as well as learn about herself and what it takes to survive.

The Day it Rained Ducks was a great and well-written story of not only a thrilling adventure, but also a great story about accepting yourself and learning that it is okay to be different. Lane Walker’s fifth book in his hunting book series is a story I will never forget. The story comes to life on each page, making every chapter more exciting than the last. This story was one that was thrilling and exciting,
making it feel like a chore to put down. I enjoyed every bit of this book, Walker did a wonderful job writing a captivating and exhilarating new adventure story-line. This is another great read for any thrilling adventure book fan out there.