Ingold, Jeanette. The big burn.Harcourt. 301p. bibliog. map. c2002. 0-15-204924-X. $6.95. JS To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, July 2002: Ingold's novel based on the events of the Big Burn, a massive forest fire in the Northwest in the summer of 1910, is complex, with frequent cutaways that enable the reader to follow the stories of three teenagers caught up in this calamity. The first is Seth, a young black soldier whose unit is called in to help fight the fire. The second is Lizbeth, living on a homestead with her aunt, isolated. The third is Jarrett, whose father works for the railroad railroad or railway, form of transportation most commonly consisting of steel rails, called tracks, on which freight cars, passenger cars, and other rolling stock are drawn by one locomotive or more. and whose brother is a forest ranger forest ranger n. An officer in charge of protecting or managing a section of a public forest. . The lives of each of these adolescents and those around them change dramatically as the fires spread. Jarrett takes on the job of a firefighter, learning some essentials from his brother, but essentially way over his head with danger and responsibility. Lizbeth's aunt is determined to hold on to the forestland for·est·land n. A section of land covered with forest or set aside for the cultivation of forests. on her claim, risking their lives out of greed Greed See also Stinginess. Almayer’s Folly lust for gold leads to decline. [Br. Lit.: Almayer’s Folly] Alonso Shakespearean symbol of avarice. [Br. Lit. and desperation. Seth is proud to be a soldier, but is befriended by another young man who is a bad influence on him. When a chance to escape their responsibilities comes, Seth is forced to make some difficult choices. The three teenagers' lives eventually become enmeshed en·mesh also im·mesh tr.v. en·meshed, en·mesh·ing, en·mesh·es To entangle, involve, or catch in or as if in a mesh. See Synonyms at catch. in the dramatic fight to save the forest, the towns, and themselves. Ingold lives in Montana and is able to convey the beauty of the area where the fire struck. She describes the struggle against the overwhelming fire with great care--and it is a story of danger and drama. The complicated switching from one character to another in the third person is more demanding than many YA novels that follow a plot through one character, frequently in the first person. Since this is a format many adult suspense SUSPENSE. When a rent, profit a prendre, and the like, are, in consequence of the unity of possession of the rent, &c., of the land out of which they issue, not in esse for a time, they are said to be in suspense, tunc dormiunt, but they may be revived or awakened. Co, Litt. 313 a. stories incorporate, YA readers may be familiar with it and not find it too challenging. Claire Rosser, KLIATT |
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