Synopses & Reviews
Jarrett is sixteen—old enough to reject the railroad job his father wants him to take, old enough to court Lizbeth Whitcomb, old enough to join the fight against the forest fires that are destroying Idaho and Montana. But the fires are worse than anyone dreamed, and soon the flames have has come between Jarrett and everything he holds dear, between Jarrett and Lizbeth, and thrown him into the company of a young black private named Seth, whose own plans to desert the army have been cut short by the disaster.
A about the biggest wildfire of the century--the big blow-up of 1910--The Big Burn is a portrait of a time, a place, and an event that changed the way we fight wildfires, altered the landscape of Idaho and Montana, and transformed forever the lives of the people at the front lines.
Review
"A must-read for adrenaline junkies."--
VOYA"Ingold captures the momentum of a wildfire."--Publishers Weekly
Review
Synopsis
Three teens battle the flames of century's biggest wildfire--and of their own passions--during the Big Burn of 1910.
Synopsis
Based on the events surrounding one of the biggest fires of the twentieth centry,
The Big Burn is a portrait of a time and a place and an event that altered the face of Montana and Idaho, changed the way we fight wildfires, and dramatically transformed the people on the front lines forever.
About the Author
JEANETTE INGOLD, the author of six young adult novels, has been writing since she worked as a reporter on a daily newspaper many years ago. Her novel Hitch was a Christopher Award winner. She lives in Missoula, Montana.
Reading Group Guide
Q.> Why is Lizbeth so drawn to this land? Q.> Is it fair for Samuel to chastise Jarrett for leaving their father when Samuel, himself, had left two years earlier? Q.> The season for burning permits has passed, yet Celia sets a brush burn anyway. What are her motives? Q.> Why does Celia refuse to evacuate-even when Samuel strongly urges her to leave? Would you want to stay? Q.> s Mr. Blakeney right in firing Jarrett for leaving his section of fire duty at the railroad? If you had been in charge, how might you have handled this situation? Q.> Why does Seth feel so inadequate as a soldier? Is he being fair to himself? Why did he join up in the first place? Q.> Why does Seth go along with Avery's schemes? Q.> What reasons might Sarge have for not telling Seth what he really thinks of him? Copyright c 2003 Harcourt Trade Publishers