The energy and pacing of this book is reminiscent of a story written by a 12-year-old boy with ADHD.  It’s fun, creative, and full of twists and turns.  Given the circumstances that Sam finds himself in, he narrates his story with play-by-play action as it happens.  It’s delivered with amazing true to life descriptions, as if this were a non-fiction story.  When Delphy, who’s fifteen, finds Sam, things get better.  Spending a few days in a disaster zone is always easier with somebody who’s nice and easy to work with.  Delphy is from a Greek immigrant family and thankfully she’s spent a lot of time with her grandfather because he taught her some cool science that they put to the test.  Sam loves the outdoors and fondly remembers a lot of what his Dad had taught him about surviving in the woods before he went off to Afghanistan.  Thankfully his unofficial “Boy Scout” skills are helping them survive.  When they are faced with scare after scare and crisis after crisis, they stick together and work through each dilemma.  They are forced to think and plan, not just panic and react.   

The author paints a real world without making it too freaky.  In the theater of my mind, I could see the fire line and feel the heat and anxiety.  Filled with fantastic details, Rodman Philbrick, has written a story that’s fast paced and easy to enjoy.  Even though this is a story set in the woods that are on fire, there are still a few surprises along the way that keep things interesting.  At the end of the book, there are even some fire tips that are good to know.  Rodman Philbrick has written over 45 books with some under different aliases.  

Review of an Advance Reading Copy 

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by The Blue Sky Press

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None 

Violence/Gore:  Multiple mentions of a father who died previously in the Afghanistan War, some details farther into the book, emotional and suggestive but not detailed; entire book is set in the woods with people in fear of harm from a forest fire; 2 people on motorcycles start a house fire which leads to more forest fire; a large animal on the road leads to a vehicle accident, no physical harm; 2 men attack a vehicle while on motorcycles, no physical harm; 12-year-old boy imagines not being able to escape the fire and worries they might end up burned; mention of the Valkries who were Norse gods that went onto battle fields and decided who lived or died; mention of a man who drove long distance through a burning highway to save his family; mention of fire fighters who died trying to save people. 

Sex/Nudity:  Mention of a teen girl removing her bathing suit but no description of nudity.

Mature Subject Matter:

Social worker, death of parent, Afghanistan War, forest fire, arson, addiction.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

12-year-old boy’s mother is addicted to opioids and in treatment.