Review by Booklist Review
Opal lives in a fire tower in the Gila Wilderness with her mom and Gran. On her twelfth birthday, she begins her training as a fire lookout--the first step in following in her mother's, grandmother's, and great-aunt's footsteps. There's just one problem: Opal is deeply afraid of fire. While her mom is on a supply run, Opal's Gran fails to return from a walk. Fearing the worst, Opal sets out to find her--and spots her first smoke. This novel in verse exquisitely captures Opal's journey as she owns her fear, learns what it takes to overcome it, and discovers what she's capable of. Opal's voice shines through each poem, deepening moments of emotional resonance and intensifying action sequences. Rose seamlessly integrates the science of wildfires into the poems while also acknowledging Indigenous land practices and how modern fire management has begun employing them; the author's note elaborates on these ideas. Excellent pacing, an engrossing plot, and an endearing main character make this impossible to put down. A riveting survival story with emotional growth.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of fire season, Opal Gloria Halloway, newly 12 and raised by her mother and grandmother in a fire tower in New Mexico's Gila Wilderness, begins her training as a fourth-generation female lookout. Via first-person verse that employs language both lyrically evocative ("The sun rests on the mesa/ washing our ridge in pinks and golds") and mundane ("Gran's done so much for me"), Opal shares her pride and eagerness to carry on her family's work while harboring a secret: a harrowing experience with the devastating Black Fire two years earlier has left her pyrophobic. Exposition surrounding the family's background and fire management information initially slows the action, but as Rose (Miraculous) layers ongoing drama, the tension ramps up. In a gripping climax, Opal, alone, hunts for and then fights to contain a blaze indicated by a "finger of white" she spots while searching for her recently disappeared grandmother. An author's note provides a history of fire management--and mismanagement--and details methods of fire control developed centuries ago by Indigenous peoples and those used today. The Halloways are white. Ages 10--up. (May)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--7--A fear of fire is a secret that weighs heavy in the heart of 12-year-old Opal, the fourth generation of women to live in the fire lookout tower on isolated Wolf Peak in the Gila National Forest. Gran has started training her to one day be the fire lookout, but what Opal really wants is to move to town to attend middle school. After a storm lands them at their post without Opal's mother, Gran suddenly needs more help than Opal can provide; then Opal spots her first fire, sure to become a blaze and headed right for Gran. This fast-paced survival story is written in verse; the style brings readers along with Opal, racing through the forest as she calls on everything she has learned to take control of a situation she never dreamed of mastering. Descriptions of the National Forest feel vivid and realistic; Opal and her family know and love the land and detailed pictures are painted by the verse. They are not Indigenous, and lands are seen through their eyes, with mention of the ways that the Mogollon and Apache peoples dealt with fire. VERDICT The adventure starts fast in this wilderness survival verse novel that will circulate in libraries with students who enjoy Dusti Bowling's The Canyon's Edge, and Gary Paulsen's "Brian's Saga" series.--Jill Shepard
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young wilderness lookout confronts family expectations and her fear of fire. This novel written in emotive free verse brings the emotional impact of poetry to 12-year-old Opal Gloria Halloway's coming-of-age tale of survival. Living in a lookout tower in New Mexico's Gila National Forest with her mother and grandmother, she struggles with competing fears and desires. Blue-eyed, red-haired Opal genuinely wishes to follow in the paths of three generations of women in her family who were fire-spotting lookouts: As Gran says, "'It seems like forever / we've lived on this mountain.' // 'But fire's lived here longer.'" Yet Opal also yearns to simply attend seventh grade in nearby Cielito and live with the Trujillos, whose twin boys, Vince and Jacob, are her best friends. Deeper down, she struggles with an overwhelming fear of flames: A horrific wildfire claimed her father's life. When a washed-out trail leaves Opal's mother stranded in town and Gran gets lost in the forest, Opal must dig deep to find the courage to protect the people she loves and figure out her place in the world. Believable emotions, gripping action, and skillfully incorporated information about climate change and wildfire management make this a relatable and engaging read. A girl-versus-nature story that shines with evocative verse, a compelling protagonist, and a brisk plotline. (author's note)(Verse fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
