Pyro

by Monique Polak

Ever since he was small, Franklin has been soothed by fire. Staring into the flames helps Franklin forget his problems. And right now, he's got a lot to forget. Franklin's mother has left the family home to be with her hairdresser boyfriend. Franklin's father, the mayor of Montreal West, is too busy worrying about his public image to do anything about the family. As a rash of local fires competes with upcoming elections for media attention, Franklin's father has to work hard to keep the public happy. And Franklin has to reconsider his romance with fire.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction

128 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[A.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pyro Monique Polak began in the middle of the summer in Canada. A boy named Franklin is the main character, and his parents are getting a divorce. Because of this hardship he ends up lighting a large amount of fires all over, big or small. But there is another pyromaniac who had intentions to hurt people so that he could become a firefighter. Overall the book was very good at the beginning, and it had very enjoying writing. Then it slowly became sloppy and kept getting sloppier until the end where it came back with better writing. Overall I enjoyed the book. This made it go down to a three and a half stars for me. I would recommend for a quick read while you wait for something, because it is only 119 pages. If you do enjoy the book their is a second book to read. The second book is a little longer.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was kind of boring and so I didn't like it all that much. Franklin was not likable, to me, at all. I'm glad the story was short, because otherwise I might have wanted to set it aside and not finish it. Not one I'd recommend.

[Shadi Latif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pyro
Pyro by Monique Polak was recommended to me by a friend.Who didn’t read much, so I assumed that this was just some randomly thrown-together book with an okay ending. So I decided to gamble on this book and picked it up for a project. At first glance at the little known information about the author I regretted my decision and was considering changing my book. However when I started reading my book it ended up slowly changing my mind.
The book stars the protagonist Franklin Tankfield, and his growing family issues. The characters family is extremely troubled and broken down. Franklin uses fire to get away from everything. That really hit me in a soft spot because of my family issues and the correlation of how Franklin and I push those feelings away. The book makes sure you as a reader know he can't prevent anything, and only block it out with chaos. I personally believe it’s just my selfish side that likes the progression of the book because of my mind trying to convince itself that it’s normal to have everything fall apart permanently. I really enjoyed the book because of my dramatic family and would recommend it to anyone with any family issues, besides that I believe the book is average.

[Bsmith26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pyro by Monique Polak, is about a boy by the name of Franklin who has always had an interest in fire since he was little. His parents split up and his mom is talking to someone else named James. Franklin’s interest in fire got worse when he started lighting fires around his neighborhood. Franklin’s dad is the mayor and is trying to stop the fires being caused and burning down houses and harming people around the community. Franklin’s dad has been told that it was his son Franklin, but Franklin isn’t the one who is starting the fires that are harming people in the community but his dad doesn’t believe him. Franklin knows that the only way to make his dad believe him again is to find who the one actually starting the fires is and he thinks he has an idea.
I recommend this book for people in grades 7th through 9th and for anyone who is interested in books that are very interesting and is very detailed.

[Alice Gold · Rating 3 out of 5]

This set of stories is really enjoyed by my ELL students. The stories are easy and short enough to keep their interest. These are really great bridge books for high-interest and low-level readers. I'm only giving it 3 stars because it isn't that literary or complex, but it is great for trying to engage reluctant readers.

[Zev · Rating 2 out of 5]

Star and a half since the cover is pretty. This was boring and I wasn't the intended audience. At least it was short.

[Sheri Radford · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and easy read for reluctant teen readers.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fourteen-year-old Franklin has long been drawn to fires ever since he was little and his always-on-the-go and distracted dad built them in the fireplace and explained how it is done to get the best flame. It was the one time where his dad “was one-hundred-percent present.” The look, the sound, the smell of fires relaxed Franklin as a kid and it still does. So when his father, who is the mayor of Montreal West, is consumed with trying to calm the city’s fears about an arsonist setting ever more dangerous fires and then his mother leaves the family for her hair dresser, Franklin turns to what has always brought him comfort, setting his own fires. The title promises more edginess than it delivers though there is a romantic interest and a little danger toward the end. This will appeal to young teens that are reluctant readers because of its short paragraphs and chapters, simple plot, and easy vocabulary.

[Pren Clair · Rating 2 out of 5]

I forgot my book at home one day and was waiting for the bus near the library when i decided to run in a grab a short little book. This is what landed in my hand. I read it in about an hour. This is definitely a preteen kinda book (does that still fit in the YA category?) It had a rather unsatisfactory ending that felt up in the air. I will say that the subject matter was interesting but It kind of felt like a story that a kid would turn in for a creative writing assignment at school. Like the kid bases the story on himself, even though its a "made up" character trying to get a truth about himself out there but then, as many school assignment stories do, it kinda just drops off. the end. and you go "well that was weird and I'm a bit unsatisfied but you're a kid and not a professional writer so its ok" I'm not rushing out to get anything else by this author but im not disappointed that I spent an hour of my time reading it either.

[Nathalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

In terms of story line, this book was okay....not great. It is about a young man whose anger at life manifests itself in the fires he sets. His superficial relationships with his parents, both of whom are struggling with their own issues, do not make for great reading simply because they are not delved into deeply. Is this the fault of the author? Probably not since her intended audience is 6th-9th grade students.

This book is perfect for struggling readers. The topic is interesting, and some of the vocabulary is challenging enough to keep readers hooked without overwhelming them. The book is very small and lends itself to a satisfaction of finishing something...setting struggling readers need.

Don't spend $10 on this book. It's overpriced Buy it used.

[Joaquin Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

The protagonist of the book Pyro by Monique Polak is Franklin. He is a fourteen year old boy that is Pyromaniac, the effects of this diseases is that you are addicted to fire. You are not born with this disease, you get it. And it all started by the fault of his dad. Franklins dad is a firefighter and he showed teached him a lot of techniques about fire. Franklin turns to what has always brought him comfort, setting his own fires. Until one day he put on a fire and it all goes wrong…

I really enjoy this book, it made my realize the effects of fire and how dangerous it is. This book has its ups and its downs. However, I would really recommend it for people that are attracted to struggling books.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series and have read so many of the books which I usually, for the most part, enjoy.

Having said that, Pyro is okay - kind of average, which is surprising since this author usually writes wonderful stories.

I think my problem with Pyro is that everything feels so rushed and precipitated, especially towards the end of the book.

It starts out okay, with a few interesting things going for it - except that by the middle of the book, I pretty much had it all figured out and the ending was extremely "fits perfectly" which is usually not how the books in this series go.

Not horrible, but really nothing amazing either.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended for gr. 6-9, or older teens looking for something high-interest, low-reading-level. Franklin is a teen with a secret - he likes to set fires, in fact he finds watching a fire that he created soothing. When his mom moves out of the house, away from Franklin and his dad, he needs to make himself feel better. He has never set a fire that might injure someone, but someone in the city has been. With the help of a new friend, Franklin figures out what is going on, and gets help for himself. A quick read.

[Kathy Meulen Ellison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought the author made the main characters motivations for setting fires very clear. She must have done her homework on young fire starters and the power of creating something so destructive. Great quick read!

[Naomi C · Rating 2 out of 5]

the premise was great, but the writing style was quite juvenile, and it was way too short for any true character or plot development to happen. meh.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing extraordinarily memorable about this book. If you're looking for a quick read then this is a good bet.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I seriously love this book... it is a very good book. I loved how Franklin found out who kept starting the fires. He has a big heart and I am amazed with how much I liked that book.