(2) 4-6 It's time for twelve-year-old Opal, who has spent her entire life living atop the fire tower in the Gila National Forest, to learn the family trade. While Opal is proud to belong to a family of lookouts and loves her home in the sky, she has a secret that's nerve-wracking in her circumstances: she is afraid of fire. Her father, a smokejumper, died when she was just a baby, and memories of a life-threatening fire two years ago have her questioning her presumed future career. What's more, she dreams of attending middle school in town with her friends rather than being homeschooled out in the forest. Then disaster strikes: poor trail conditions extend her mom's trip into town for supplies, and her gran is injured just as a wildfire is approaching. Opal decides to face her fears head on and jumps into action to contain the blaze. This thrilling novel in verse packs all of the adventure and excitement of a survival story into concise, poetic stanzas ("red orange yellow / layers of light / terrifying / loss and change / this place / my heart / my wilderness / an end / a start / this heat / these flames"). A thorough author's note includes information about the benefits of controlled burns, the Gila Wilderness, and the dangers of droughts and our warming planet.

Reviewer: Hill Saxton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(3) 4-6 After hearing about gold in the Klondike, eleven-year-old Jasper and his older brother, Melvin, run away from their drunken father in 1897 Washington State. They search for a mysterious stake of land worth millions, available to whoever can solve the riddles to find it. The rough and wild reality of the Alaskan wilderness is brought to vivid life in this entertaining and heartfelt tale.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Rob Dunlavey. Set in the wetlands of the Mississippi River Delta, this book relates the actions of bayou wildlife as a hurricane approaches, occurs, and abates; creatures scurry for shelter, endure the onslaught, and survive the storm. Both the text's shifting cadence and Dunlavey's mixed-media illustrations artfully capture the dark, foreboding nature of the approaching storm, its fury, and the calm after. Author's note. Websites.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 In alternating verse narratives, Native American Kimi and Roanoke colonist Alis describe their developing friendship. The two girls provide perspective on life in their communities and on how each interacts with the other. This intriguing and fresh look at a sixteenth-century mystery is also an exploration of what it means to be a friend and to belong. An author's note separates facts from speculation. Glos.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(2) 4-6 In this spare survival story in verse set on the homesteaded Kansas prairie, May finds herself snowed in, alone, and unable to send for help. Dwindling supplies, evidence of wolves, and a blizzard--along with the psychological challenges of claustrophobia and despair--make up the tense plot. Author Rose uses a close-up lens and a fine sense of rhythm to draw us into a stark world.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012