Review by Booklist Review
In this fast-paced story, two young people struggle to survive after they're stranded in a dangerous wildfire in the Maine woods. Sam is left behind when he returns to camp for his cell phone. On foot, he finds an old logging trail and eventually comes upon a cabin with canned food and an old Jeep. A bit conveniently, Sam is able to drive the Jeep despite being only 12, having driven one with his dad, a civilian truck driver killed in Afghanistan. As he flees an encroaching fire, Sam nearly runs over Delphy, a tall, 14-year-old girl also left behind at a nearby witness camp. Wild animal encounters become the least of their problems after they witness and are spotted by dirt bikers deliberately setting fires. Delphy's science smarts and Sam's dogged determination and wilderness skills help them survive for six harrowing days. Exciting short chapters will appeal to readers, especially those familiar with the recent devastating wildfires in California, and an afterward contains wildfire survival tips.--Sharon Rawlins Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this high-octane adventure, Sam Castine, 12, is trapped in a Maine wildfire after he foolishly leaves the safety of his camp's evacuation buses and dashes back to retrieve his forgotten phone. When a wall of fire blocks his return, he's forced to flee farther into the wilderness to stay ahead of the blaze. Relying on skills taught to him by his late father, who died in Afghanistan, Sam is driven by his will to survive and reconnect with his mother, who is in rehab for an opioid addiction. By chance, Sam's path crosses with Delphy Pappas, 14, also fighting to escape the wildfire, and the two join forces to stay alive. Newbery Honoree Philbrick wastes no time in plunging the protagonist into danger, launching into an escapade filled with descriptions that feel immediate and tangible, powerfully conveying the destructive and terrifying reality of an uncontrollable wildfire. Though Sam and Delphy's repeatedly foiled escape efforts can feel slightly repetitious, multiple dead ends also clarify the impossibility of their situation. Both thrilling and instructive, this tale of friendship amid deadly flames will captivate readers. Ages 8--12. (Sept.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
What does it feel like to be in the middle of a wildfire, with walls of flame at your back as you run for your life? Twelve-year-old Sam Castine knows. Before he can board a bus about to evacuate Camp Wabanaski in the Maine woods, a wall of fire stops him. And for the rest of the novel, he is on the run. He comes across another lost campera teenage girl named Delphyand together they desperately seek safety. Philbrick (Who Killed Darius Drake?, rev. 1/18) roots his survival story in the details of the Great Fire of 1947 that devastated much of Maine, but sets this tale in the present, employing his usual combination of short, staccato sentences and action verbs to good effect in capturing Sam and Delphys breathless flight. Despite the simple, easy-reading prose style, much is going on here. Sams brisk first-person narrative also folds in the story of how his father died in Afghanistan and how his mother became addicted to opioids. Sam is a likable boy with a mature outlook on life, so readers will get a fine adventure story with some philosophical depth. Back matter includes extensive information about wildfires and some survival tips. dean Schneider September/October 2019 p.97(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A boy, a girl, a venerable Jeep, and a massive wildfire sweeping across the mountains of Maine. It's the perfect setup for a riveting tale of high suspense.Sam and Delphy are staying at separate summer camps on the same lake when the threat of a wildfire forces evacuationbut both are inadvertently left behind. Using the survival skills he learned from his deceased father, Sam hikes cross-country until he finds a remote cabin and the old Jeep that will prove to be his salvation. Only later, barreling along a narrow logging road, does he encounter Delphy. With shades of My Side of the Mountain for a modern audience, 2010 Newbery Honoree Philbrick (The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg) provides the pair of young adolescents, both white, with just enough modern technology to keep the tale credible. It will take all of their courage and wits to survive being lost in the wilderness, even as they are constantly threatened both by the erratic fire and the danger posed by two out-of-control arsonists. Sam's pithy first-person voice is self-deprecating enough to be fully believable and plays nicely against Delphy's sometimes less confident but heroically determined character. Short chapters, outstanding cover art, and a breathless pace make this a fine choice for reluctant readers. Interesting backmatter regarding wildfires and survival tips rounds out a thrilling tale.Outstanding suspense. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
