Night of the Twisters

Arthur is Dan’s best friend. According to Dan, Arthur is “smart” and “he studies things” (7), or, as Arthur puts it, “he cogitates” (7). The social studies teacher calls him “the Original Gazer” (8). When she asks him one day in class what he’s thinking about, he says “freedom” (8) in a factual, non-sarcastic way. He’s a “thinker” (18) who is “crazy about books” (18). Dan describes Arthur as not “gross…but he could live on his own fat cells for a month if he had to” (9). However, Arthur sees this an “advantage” (9). He has “dark skin and a mop of wavy black hair” (18). Dan and Arthur are so close they consider themselves to be “blood relatives” (18). Arthur stays by Dan’s side through almost everything and proves himself to be a loyal friend.

Aunt Goldie is Linda Hatch’s younger sister. She teaches dance at Riverside Dance Studio. She’s divorced and struggles to support herself, so she runs a crafts class over the summer that Dan and Arthur “get stuck” (10) having to attend. Dan calls it one of her “personal fulfillment classes” (10). She also bowls and is trapped for a few days at Meves Bowl after the tornadoes hit. She initially doesn’t remember much about it and is mostly “shaky and confused” (145). Her house is destroyed by the storm, and she is “still so spacey from her tornado experience” (144-45) that she decides to move into an apartment near town.

Linda Hatch is Dan’s mother. Dan feels she that she was happier before his little brother Ryan was born. She would dress up “every day in her beauty uniform, her shiny brown hair in this wedge cut that Dad liked so much” (19). Now her hair is “stringy” (19), and she seems “frazzled” (19). Although she says she’s happy, Dan is not so sure (19). He hears her telling his dad one night “I miss me” (19). She goes to help Belle Smiley during the storm and is separated from her children. She works tirelessly to find them, proving herself to be a strong mother and not as “frazzled” as Dan thinks.

John Hatch is Dan’s father. He’s a mechanic who “loves getting his hands into greasy old engines and making them purr again” (25). His “pride and joy” (25) is a “rare white 1953 Corvette” (25) that he’s fixing up in the garage. On the night of the storm, he heads out to the farm to help Dan’s grandparents with their tractor, but Dan knows he would much rather be working on the Corvette. However, his father “is also a good son” (25) and is there when his family needs him. He gets upset with Dan before the twisters come because Dan protests doing chores while Arthur is visiting. However, all is forgiven when Dan is finally reunited with his dad, along with his mom and brother, towards the end of the book.

Belle Smiley is Dan’s neighbor. She is an older woman who lives alone. She’s “a little bitty thing, but with legs like parentheses” (33). When she walks, she sways “from side to side” (33). She’s excited to show off her new door to Dan and Arthur, which survives the storm with only some dents. After the tornado, she’s trapped in her basement. Dan, Arthur, and Stacey help rescue her, for which she’s extremely grateful. She tells them she would have “perished” (99) if it hadn’t been for them. Although she has a strong spirit, she passes away less than a year later. The whole neighborhood comes together to give her a “farewell” she “would have loved” (152).

Stacey Darlington is Arthur’s sister and the object of Dan’s crush. She has “long black hair” and “dimples” (11). She has known Dan likes her ever since he told Arthur. She helps rescue Dan and Arthur, as well as Mrs. Smiley, when they are trapped in their basements. Dan thinks of her as a “rescuing angel” (93). She holds hands with Dan and prays with him when they are trying to sleep on the cots in the police station. She provides continuous comfort and support to Dan and is there for him when he needs someone.

Officer Kelly transports Dan, Arthur, and Stacey to police headquarters after they rescue Belle Smiley and put her on the bus. He sees that they’re nervous and tries to put them at ease by joking he has “a good standard cop name” (102) that they’ll be able to remember. He provides them with some information about the damage exacted by the storm, mostly through the messages coming in on his police radio. As he’s driving another tornado hits and glass smashes all over the car directly into Kelly’s face. Kelly is unable to see and asks Dan to drive. Although he’s in “trouble” (110) he’s also thinking “safety” (110) and puts the sirens and flashers on as Dan drives to the police station. He uses his best judgement in the situation to get everyone to their destination.