YA novel, Escape from the Wildfire, published September, 2022. Ages 11-18 (and up). Lorimer Kids & Teens. Find classroom study helps included in the backmatter of the book, and book an author visit.
TEACHER REVIEW: 5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT read! Hard to put down.
Reviewed in Canada on March 30, 2023
“I felt like I was in the action! Hard to put down the book. As a teacher, I appreciate books with enough action and no violence that would appeal to children who dislike reading. It just takes one great book to hook them. This is the book.”
ESCAPE FROM THE WILDFIRE
Author: Dorothy Bentley
Review Issue Date: November 1, 2022
Online Publish Date: October 11, 2022
Publisher:James Lorimer
Pages: 136
Publication Date: January 1, 2023
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 978-1-4594-1703-8
Section: Teen
Kirkus Review
This fact-based novel brings to life the 2021 wildfire that devastated Lytton, British Columbia.
With his sister away planting trees and their dad helping fight wildfires up north, Jack, 14, plans to spend the summer biking, working at the pool, gaming with friends, and pursuing his crush, who founded a biodiversity club. There’s not much to do in tiny Lytton, but it’s home: The scenic wilderness surrounding it has miles of biking trails and a terrific swimming hole. Life feels normal, yet Jack’s world is changing. His mom’s away in Victoria when the sweltering, tinder-dry village erupts in a fiery inferno, leaving Lytton a burned-out ruin. Accommodated in a nearby town, the residents take stock. Fire has consumed the Chinese History Museum that honored the laborers—including one of Jack’s great-grandfathers (the rest of his family is implied White)—who built railroads through B.C.’s steep mountains but were erased from history. His friend Rory’s First Nations community, whose land Lytton occupies, has suffered significant losses. The townspeople scatter—some never to return, moving in with relatives or starting over elsewhere. Itemizing his lost items for insurance purposes, Jack ponders intangible losses like community and safety and contemplates how to restore them. Surviving Alberta’s devastating 2016 House River Wildfire has given Bentley deep insights into her subject. Straightforward characterization and understated narration make this a strong choice for reluctant readers.
The finely detailed plot unwinds slowly, but make no mistake—it’s a page-turner. (author’s note, study questions, resources) (Fiction. 12-18)
Read the article profiling the novel and writer: A YA Takes Teen Readers Through the Fire.
From the publisher
Escape from the Wildfire offers a fictional account based on the real-life facts of the disastrous wildfire of 2021 that destroyed the town of Lytton after days of scorching heat. Dorothy Bentley’s own experiences of living through a wildfire led her to research the experience of Lytton residents so she could write the story of a resilient teen surviving an environmental catastrophe.
The summer of 2021 is hot even for B.C.’s arid interior under a record-breaking heat dome. Fourteen-year-old Jack hangs out with his friends Scott, Tess, and Indigenous teen Rory. On June 30, a wildfire inferno descends with horrifying suddenness. Jack must flee for his life, evacuated to a nearby town. Jack and his friends are aware of the context and possible causes of the wildfire He must come to terms with the loss of his entire village, the idea of starting all over again, and the need to change how we interact with the climate we depend on to survive.
Dorothy Bentley has written an adventure story for our time.
From the author
Donate to the Lytton Rebuild Fund. Even if some move away for good, there are people who live there and intend to stay.
10% of author proceeds are donated to the village rebuild.
Invite the author to your school.
Donate to Tree Canada.
BIODIVERSITY & CLIMATE
Information on these topics is diverse and complex. Read as many books and articles on the issue as possible, and watch as many videos on different sides of the issue to get an overall view. There are no simple causes or simple solutions, but the book’s message is that small things, like planting a tree, is a positive act for people and the enviornment.
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