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Burning Up
From bestselling author Caroline B. Cooney comes a riveting new novel about the destructiveness of hatred, the evil of indifference, and the power of accepting love and
Fifteen-year-old Macey Clare was looking forward to the summer, hoping for fun and romance with her neighbor's grandson, Austin. But when Macey decides to research the burning of a barn in her hometown for a school project, she finds that no one is willing to talk about what really happened that night. She has always loved this quiet, beautiful town where her grandparents live and her mother was raised. Will Macey be able to face the past and understand the present?
Fifteen-year-old Macey Clare was looking forward to the summer, hoping for fun and romance with her neighbor's grandson, Austin. But when Macey decides to research the burning of a barn in her hometown for a school project, she finds that no one is willing to talk about what really happened that night. She has always loved this quiet, beautiful town where her grandparents live and her mother was raised. Will Macey be able to face the past and understand the present?
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
42 people are currently reading
642 people want to read
About the author
Caroline B. Cooney
129 books1,767 followersCaroline Cooney knew in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer when "the best teacher I ever had in my life" made writing her main focus. "He used to rip off covers from The New Yorker and pass them around and make us write a short story on whichever cover we got. I started writing then and never stopped!"
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
April 29, 2008
OK, so, I went into a "mystery/thriller" phase back in middle school, and Caroline B. Cooney is the woman to go to. Out of all the books I read of hers, this is my most favorite. That and the "Time" series. The "Time" series is her romance series and they are my faves of hers too. Happy reading!!
April 2, 2020
Another re-read. I first read this book in middle school. It is such an emotional charged book. A book about racism being found in the most unexpected places that was true in 1999 and still true in 2020. I think every young adult should read this book growing up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2012
Macey is a 15 year old high school student. She's given an assignment by her teacher to find and report on a piece of history that took place in her small Connecticut hometown. She contemplates different topics but before her decision is made she experiences a life altering accident and tragedy. She is asked to volunteer along with fellow classmates at an inner city church where she meets one of the residents, Venita, they know each other for a total of 2 hours when an arsonist strikes and the church begins to burn with the kids trapped inside. The kids are saved and Macey whose hair had caught on fire is rescued by Austin, one of her classmates that she is interested in romantically. When they return home Macey is so deeply disturbed by the fire that she begins to wonder about a barn fire across from her own home that took place 38 years earlier and may have left someone trapped inside. Two weeks after the visit Venita is shot by a gang member and killed. The shooting and the fire trigger Macey to look more closely into the 1959 fire, but what she finds becomes deeply personnel and very frightening for her and her family. Because as it turns out the fire that took place 38 years earlier was racially motivated, it gives her pause to think about prejudice. She finds her own town has changed very little in all that time and how being quite and doing nothing can be just as bad as the arsonist who started the fire.
July 5, 2011
I started reading this thinking it would be similar to other Caroline Cooney books I had read, but was surprised at the depth of the storyline here. Macey can`t leave the mystery of a fire that happened 38 years ago alone. While it was only what originally seemed to be just a barn fire, it ended up being the home of the first black teacher in the area and the intent of the arson was to drive the teacher away. No one wants to talk about the fire, everyone has conveniently forgotten the fire happened and wants Macey to forget about it. However, she knows there`s more to the story, and is determined to find out what happened.
There is still some of the childish romance in the story that didn`t really seem to belong. It was interesting though the parallels of the narrow ways of thinking in 1959 and how even though the world has changed much since then, that narrow way of thinking is still continuing. No one wanted to be the first person to change things. Macey was so angry at the involvement or lack of involvement of her grandparents, yet when brought to the present, a lot of things still hadn`t really changed. People still didn`t want to be involved even though everyone considers themselves to be so much more advanced and open minded than in 1959.
Found the books to be a little choppy at times, but enjoyed it for the most part.
There is still some of the childish romance in the story that didn`t really seem to belong. It was interesting though the parallels of the narrow ways of thinking in 1959 and how even though the world has changed much since then, that narrow way of thinking is still continuing. No one wanted to be the first person to change things. Macey was so angry at the involvement or lack of involvement of her grandparents, yet when brought to the present, a lot of things still hadn`t really changed. People still didn`t want to be involved even though everyone considers themselves to be so much more advanced and open minded than in 1959.
Found the books to be a little choppy at times, but enjoyed it for the most part.
March 30, 2015
I recently finished reading Burning Up, by Caroline B. Cooney. Burning Up is mainly a mystery, however it incorporates other themes well, such as growing up and teenage struggles. It starts when Macey has a dangerous encounter with fire, and she becomes curious and interested about a fire that burned down a house on her street in 1959. She and her friend Austin research this fire for a school report, and find out it was arson. They also find out that nobody wants to talk about it. Not even her parents will give her a clue as to what happened. Through her own research, she finds out that the person living there was an African American teacher. This was offensive to the people living in the neighborhood at the time, because it occurred at a time when there was segregation against African-American. Macey figures out that the arsonist must be someone that was living on that street at that time, which includes both her grandparents and Austin's grandparents. Macey and Austin continue to search through old files to find out information, but the more time they spend together, the more their friendship turns into a romance. What happens next is a complete shock, so read the book and find out.
In my opinion, the characters were very credible. As a teenager, I could relate to what was going on and put my self in the shoes of the characters. My favorite character is Macey; she is curious, smart, and ambitious. She will not stop until she feels she has solved the crime. I could only relate to Macey and Austin to an extent, as I have never gone through anything close to their experience in the story. My favorite part of the book was the ending. It was a complete shock, as it was almost the opposite of what I was expecting. That makes this book a good mystery, because the ending was unexpected. I would change some of the cliffhangers in the book. The author never explained what happened with Austin and Macey, and left things on a cliffhanger. Other than that, I wouldn't change anything. I would recommend this book. A fan of mysteries or thrillers will especially enjoy this book.
In my opinion, the characters were very credible. As a teenager, I could relate to what was going on and put my self in the shoes of the characters. My favorite character is Macey; she is curious, smart, and ambitious. She will not stop until she feels she has solved the crime. I could only relate to Macey and Austin to an extent, as I have never gone through anything close to their experience in the story. My favorite part of the book was the ending. It was a complete shock, as it was almost the opposite of what I was expecting. That makes this book a good mystery, because the ending was unexpected. I would change some of the cliffhangers in the book. The author never explained what happened with Austin and Macey, and left things on a cliffhanger. Other than that, I wouldn't change anything. I would recommend this book. A fan of mysteries or thrillers will especially enjoy this book.
December 19, 2011
I stumbled upon this book the other day when moving some Christmas decorations (I had gotten it I think in middle school, back when the thought of internet use in the 1990's didn't make me laugh); I'm glad I did.
Now, this book is young adult fiction, and is clearly written for a younger audience (in other words, it isn't Shakespeare). That said, it's still a great story, and, as one reviewer put it, Cooney shows an "outstanding command of emotional tension," and this aspect of her writing makes what would normally be a cheesy, overdone coming of age story about a disillusioned teenager remarkably enthralling. She results the feelings of a teenager it in such a way to where the adult can truly empathize. However, and this is important, she does not, in doing so, turn her main characters (Macey and Austin) into adults. They are absolutely teenagers; they feel like teenagers, they act like teenagers, and everything is a huge deal in there minds - like how it is when you are in high school. BUT, I found myself feeling exactly the same way about what was happening in the story.
(MILD) SPOILER ALERT:
I thought the ending fell a little short in comparison to the lead-up; it was more than a little predictable - it basically amounted "everything that was clear from about 1/3 of the way into the book was true after all..." Also, the moral of the story seemed a little forced, and it was the one time where I thought the emotional drama of it was a little overdone
END SPOILER
Despite the shortcomings that do exist, it was still a real page-turner.
Now, this book is young adult fiction, and is clearly written for a younger audience (in other words, it isn't Shakespeare). That said, it's still a great story, and, as one reviewer put it, Cooney shows an "outstanding command of emotional tension," and this aspect of her writing makes what would normally be a cheesy, overdone coming of age story about a disillusioned teenager remarkably enthralling. She results the feelings of a teenager it in such a way to where the adult can truly empathize. However, and this is important, she does not, in doing so, turn her main characters (Macey and Austin) into adults. They are absolutely teenagers; they feel like teenagers, they act like teenagers, and everything is a huge deal in there minds - like how it is when you are in high school. BUT, I found myself feeling exactly the same way about what was happening in the story.
(MILD) SPOILER ALERT:
I thought the ending fell a little short in comparison to the lead-up; it was more than a little predictable - it basically amounted "everything that was clear from about 1/3 of the way into the book was true after all..." Also, the moral of the story seemed a little forced, and it was the one time where I thought the emotional drama of it was a little overdone
END SPOILER
Despite the shortcomings that do exist, it was still a real page-turner.
March 5, 2015
I wanted to like this book. I really did. I had heard of the author and was excited to finally be able to experience one of her works.
What really happened? The most boring and agrivating literature classes of my life.
I really don't like Macey. Her obsession with Austin, her constant complaining. Thank God for Mr. Sibley calling her out in the end.
I am slightly reluctant to post this short semi-review. The book isn't even my genre, that title belongs to Speculative Fiction. As much as I, to be completely terse, hated this book, I am considering giving it a second chance, along with planning on checking some of Mrs. Caroline's other novels.
Not now, though. I can't deal with Macey after I just got done with her...
Happy reading!
What really happened? The most boring and agrivating literature classes of my life.
I really don't like Macey. Her obsession with Austin, her constant complaining. Thank God for Mr. Sibley calling her out in the end.
I am slightly reluctant to post this short semi-review. The book isn't even my genre, that title belongs to Speculative Fiction. As much as I, to be completely terse, hated this book, I am considering giving it a second chance, along with planning on checking some of Mrs. Caroline's other novels.
Not now, though. I can't deal with Macey after I just got done with her...
Happy reading!
December 21, 2015
I rate this book a ten. I rate it a ten because it is the best book I ever read. It goes right up my ally of books that interest me. I recommend this book to everyone it is so good. It goes with mostly teens and adults because it gets to be a little sad at one part of the book but it is still really good. Burning up is about a girl named Macey who lives with her grandparents and her friend Austin who lives with his grandparents. They go to a youth group on Saturdays and something terrible happens. Then they recover from the incident and study this fire in 1959 for a research project. They got to talk to the guy who was in the fire and found out everything about it. Then Austin moves to live with his parents and then Macey gets lonely. That is the end of the book and it is really good.
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November 4, 2021I like this book because it has to do with a mystery of a fire that had happened across the road from the main characters grandparents house. I recommend this book if you like mystery.
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October 3, 2008The name of the book I read is called burning up by caroline b.cooney this book is non-fiction.this story takesz place in a dark place over in the connecticut.
This book is about a 15-year old girl named macey clare and she loved going out 2 her quite beautiful hometown and thatz were her grandparentz lived and also were her mother grew up at,she liked going over there but she really likes going over there now that this boy name name austin has moved in with his grandparents.but one day macey had found out about this barn being burned down so she was thinking about reasearching this burned down house across the street from her grandparents home.nobody wanted to answer any type of question about the burned down barn.it had burned down in 1959.whie discovering this burned barn she finds out that one of her friends was a victim of like death and violence.so now she's trying 2 find out who burned the barned down,watz the reason for them burning it down?,and how much its affecting people around her?.
When you read this book then you will find darma,conflict,and a bunch of mesterys.I did read another book called the bully by anne scharff and that book is about a boy who was having a problem with these boys at his school and they had ended up trying to beat him and the boys brother had found out and was trying to find out who was bulling his brother because his brother didn't want 2 tell him because he already new what his brother was going 2 do,and in both books the authors share just about the same thing about thereself and when they wrote these stories then they showed a kind of sad kind of happy wrting type like that was there mood.
I did make a few connection with this book I had a text to self connection with the charater macey because see is very sweet,and nice and out going and she wants to know a lot about things that r never really talked about and that's all me right there.my text to world was you can find many people in the world like me.
I would like to recommend this book to every person in this world who is very likely to see many things happy and want to resolve it and to everyone who like action books and mesterys
This book is about a 15-year old girl named macey clare and she loved going out 2 her quite beautiful hometown and thatz were her grandparentz lived and also were her mother grew up at,she liked going over there but she really likes going over there now that this boy name name austin has moved in with his grandparents.but one day macey had found out about this barn being burned down so she was thinking about reasearching this burned down house across the street from her grandparents home.nobody wanted to answer any type of question about the burned down barn.it had burned down in 1959.whie discovering this burned barn she finds out that one of her friends was a victim of like death and violence.so now she's trying 2 find out who burned the barned down,watz the reason for them burning it down?,and how much its affecting people around her?.
When you read this book then you will find darma,conflict,and a bunch of mesterys.I did read another book called the bully by anne scharff and that book is about a boy who was having a problem with these boys at his school and they had ended up trying to beat him and the boys brother had found out and was trying to find out who was bulling his brother because his brother didn't want 2 tell him because he already new what his brother was going 2 do,and in both books the authors share just about the same thing about thereself and when they wrote these stories then they showed a kind of sad kind of happy wrting type like that was there mood.
I did make a few connection with this book I had a text to self connection with the charater macey because see is very sweet,and nice and out going and she wants to know a lot about things that r never really talked about and that's all me right there.my text to world was you can find many people in the world like me.
I would like to recommend this book to every person in this world who is very likely to see many things happy and want to resolve it and to everyone who like action books and mesterys
December 1, 2012
Segregation is a big issue we find everyday, but I did not think that the topic would eventually find itself within a book. This book was a about a girl, Macey, and here curiosity on what had happened during a fire intentionally lit during 1959. I didn't like this book so much because it kept on going on and on, basically everything was a summary for a history project. The reader does encounter the fact how segregation was strong during 1959 because the author brings many examples.
The theme of the book was segregation. Every little action brought back this theme throughout the book, mainly because Macey got obsessed with it since she had never noticed it before. The author brought in different little themes, but ultimately they got taken over by the theme of segregation. But it is kept secret because it is a difficult subject. This author tries to express what segregation is doing.
The setting is a little bit different, since it passes on during 1997 in Connecticut. Because of this setting the topic of segregation is more expressed than now, but only by a little. Unfortunately the author did not provide much detail of the setting, because he did not use much description for the setting, so you can not picture yourself in the setting. It just gave a general description. Even though not much detail was provided, the setting was really crucial to the story.
I would only recommend this book if you are into segregation. This book just ties everything with segregation which really annoying. It is also annoying how the answers were so hard to find, it was just a history project trying to find proof, it would have been better if there was proof earlier and it evolved from there because there was basically no change throughout the story. This upset me, but it wasn't a horrible book.
The theme of the book was segregation. Every little action brought back this theme throughout the book, mainly because Macey got obsessed with it since she had never noticed it before. The author brought in different little themes, but ultimately they got taken over by the theme of segregation. But it is kept secret because it is a difficult subject. This author tries to express what segregation is doing.
The setting is a little bit different, since it passes on during 1997 in Connecticut. Because of this setting the topic of segregation is more expressed than now, but only by a little. Unfortunately the author did not provide much detail of the setting, because he did not use much description for the setting, so you can not picture yourself in the setting. It just gave a general description. Even though not much detail was provided, the setting was really crucial to the story.
I would only recommend this book if you are into segregation. This book just ties everything with segregation which really annoying. It is also annoying how the answers were so hard to find, it was just a history project trying to find proof, it would have been better if there was proof earlier and it evolved from there because there was basically no change throughout the story. This upset me, but it wasn't a horrible book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2017
I really did enjoy reading this book; it was definitely a page turner for me. It was a light and fun read, and it has a good message. But the ending- well, it really ruined the whole book for me. I feel duped, honestly. It just doesn't have the wholeness to it that it should have. It doesn't seem complete. It was almost like Cooney got bored of her own story line, ran out of ideas or passion for it's message and just threw up on the ending.
I really wished Cooney would've given some closure in regards to Macey and Austin's relationship. It really, really, bothered me that she didn't. The way she ended it was so much of a cliffhanger that that if I didn't already know it wasn't, I would've thought this was the first book to a sequel. It wasn't that Austin left (which was disappointing, but I realize life isn't always happy endings), it was that there was absolutely no closure for Macey or for the readers, not even a hint of it. Their relationship was a huge part of the story and it would've been nice if she would've at least given it some meaning.
The way she ended the book in other aspects was okay, though I was hoping Macey would have just a bit more insight about things. She just seemed to whine a lot at the end. I was surprised it took her so long to figure out who started the fire. I was hoping the book would end with her delivering her speech to her classmates, the last line of the book being the last line of her speech. It would have had a lot bigger impact on the reader, I think.
While reading the first 3 quarters of this book, I was sure I would give it at least 4 stars. But after reading the ending, I can't get myself to give it more than two. I'm not sure if I would recommend this book. It does have a really great message, but I feel disappointed in the author. She could've really made something great out of this story but she settled for mediocre.
I really wished Cooney would've given some closure in regards to Macey and Austin's relationship. It really, really, bothered me that she didn't. The way she ended it was so much of a cliffhanger that that if I didn't already know it wasn't, I would've thought this was the first book to a sequel. It wasn't that Austin left (which was disappointing, but I realize life isn't always happy endings), it was that there was absolutely no closure for Macey or for the readers, not even a hint of it. Their relationship was a huge part of the story and it would've been nice if she would've at least given it some meaning.
The way she ended the book in other aspects was okay, though I was hoping Macey would have just a bit more insight about things. She just seemed to whine a lot at the end. I was surprised it took her so long to figure out who started the fire. I was hoping the book would end with her delivering her speech to her classmates, the last line of the book being the last line of her speech. It would have had a lot bigger impact on the reader, I think.
While reading the first 3 quarters of this book, I was sure I would give it at least 4 stars. But after reading the ending, I can't get myself to give it more than two. I'm not sure if I would recommend this book. It does have a really great message, but I feel disappointed in the author. She could've really made something great out of this story but she settled for mediocre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2011
I thought this book was ok. I didn't think this book had a real good problem. I think they could have put some more problems in it. The only two problems in the story is that one macey cant find out a story about an arson that happened 20 years ago to a black man and that the boy she likes is helping her and in the end he moves away back to his parents house. I wish they had put more "action" in the story. The only Heart raising thing that happened through out the whole story is in the beginning they are in a church painting and a man comes in and lights the church on fire. There was one part that I liked that they put in because it completely caught be off guard. This part that I'm talking about is one of Maceys black Friend Vinita dies in a gang shooting. I do think that this book has its own kind of story I mean I've never read a book even close to it. One thing that I don’t like about this book is I thought it was kind of dragged out I think the could have made it a lot shorter and be just as good if not better of a book. .I think a recommendation on this book would be completely up to you because it depends if you like a lot of action in your books or if you like mellow kind of book.
May 14, 2014
The book "Burning Up" is a novel which shows the life of a teenage girl named Macey who survived a terrible fire and lost a lot of her hair and has to continue her life as normal as possible. Carol B. Cooney chose to use the event of losing her hair to symbolize the feeling of losing something that characterizes you as the person you are. For instance if I were to lose all of my hair I would be devastated and feel self conscious about it and try not to let anyone see where she embraces it and the fact that she doesn't take self pity shows a strong will in the character. The message Carol Cooney is trying to get across to the audience is although the outward appearance of yourself may change, the thing that people find most beautiful is inside and she shows this throughout the story by having Macey fall in love with a boy from afar, and as the boy begins to develop feelings for Macey a fire takes place that drastically changes her appearance, but the boy continues to like her because he is drawn to her personality and habits rather than her looks and charm. Carol does a great job in expressing her passion of beauty is only skin deep very well throughout this story, and made my opinion of people change.
June 13, 2009
This is a great book that mixed teen life with a serious issue. It kept me interested the whole time.
Macey Clare feels comfortable in her home town, although it isn't always fun being shunted back and forth between her two sets of hovering grandparents, who live near her. But between hanging out with her two good friends, attending annual barbacues on the beach, and getting to know cute classmate Austin better, her life seems fine.
Then, for a school project, Macey starts investigating the story of a barn in town that burned down years back. When she meets with resistance from friends and family, she is surprised and curious. It only makes her more determined to discover the truth, even if it means digging deep. But Macey could never imagine that her small, friendly town hides a shameful secret.
An old science teacher, who was black in a time when it was dangerous to be so. Prejudices long buried become revived. True colors are shown. And Macey will never be able to see her town, her family, or herself the same way ever again.
A mystery, a character study, and a historical fiction rolled into one teen novel, this is a very well-done book.
Macey Clare feels comfortable in her home town, although it isn't always fun being shunted back and forth between her two sets of hovering grandparents, who live near her. But between hanging out with her two good friends, attending annual barbacues on the beach, and getting to know cute classmate Austin better, her life seems fine.
Then, for a school project, Macey starts investigating the story of a barn in town that burned down years back. When she meets with resistance from friends and family, she is surprised and curious. It only makes her more determined to discover the truth, even if it means digging deep. But Macey could never imagine that her small, friendly town hides a shameful secret.
An old science teacher, who was black in a time when it was dangerous to be so. Prejudices long buried become revived. True colors are shown. And Macey will never be able to see her town, her family, or herself the same way ever again.
A mystery, a character study, and a historical fiction rolled into one teen novel, this is a very well-done book.
November 18, 2009
This is an older children's/YA novel, and I wish there'd been more of this kind of stuff around when I was a kid. Young Macey lives in the swanky Connecticut burb that's been home to her family for generations. As a school project, she decides to delve into the history of a local burnt-out barn . . . and is surprised to run into a wall of adult hostility to the notion. It could have ended there -- why rock the boat? -- but Macey's attitudes mature quite a lot when she and a few classmates visit an inner-city church to do charitable work, see the deprivation of the kids there, and make friends; they mature even more when, soon after, one of those kids is murdered. With her new boyfriend, Macey pushes ahead and discovers why the barn was torched, and the levels of guilt and bigotry buried beneath the genial facades of some of her family members and their friends. The writing's good, the relationships are well handled, and difficult topics are handled more substantively than in many an adult "issues" novel. What's not to like?
September 6, 2012
A girl needs a topic for a history paper and she thinks about the old abandom burned down barn. She meets a boy and they both end up reserching the barn and such but somone dose not want them snooping aorund.So they go on an adventure about mystery and finding out the truth with a violent twist.
The characters kept the story going too, they where vividly described and hearing them think and act keep you on edge and you never knew what they where going to do next, very unberdictable.
My Favorit part was when the book started the intoduction. The author was talking about basicly nothing but it was just so interesting, he just went on about the seanery and the charicters, but the way he worded it was wondefull.
I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY reccomend this book becuase with half mystery half violent thriller all awsome, makes a good book. The book was a very easy and relaxed read, if you are looking for somthing to just casualy pick up every now and then... This is the book for you.
The characters kept the story going too, they where vividly described and hearing them think and act keep you on edge and you never knew what they where going to do next, very unberdictable.
My Favorit part was when the book started the intoduction. The author was talking about basicly nothing but it was just so interesting, he just went on about the seanery and the charicters, but the way he worded it was wondefull.
I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY reccomend this book becuase with half mystery half violent thriller all awsome, makes a good book. The book was a very easy and relaxed read, if you are looking for somthing to just casualy pick up every now and then... This is the book for you.
June 12, 2013
It's been a while since I read all of Caroline B. Cooney's books, but thankfully, this was as good as her previous works. I was apprehensive going into this book, knowing it was going to deal with race and unsure how well it would be able to do that. Overall, I'm pleased. I mean, honestly, any book that even acknowledges racism as a THING is doing it right, without pretending it's only a thing that happened in the past. I was worried that it would quickly get turned into a white savior story, with a white main character and a white author, but it MOSTLY dodged that bullet, rather choosing to be a story about self-reflection and societal biases and the importance of educating oneself. I liked that the focus was so much on Macey's self-discovery on racist ideas in her community, her family, and herself, and how those evolved over time, as well as practical things she could do to concretely make a difference in her community. In the end, it isn't really about a specific arson in 1959, it's about a culture of ignorance and hatred that makes one such event possible.
January 30, 2015
Burning Up was an okay book over-all. I thought the book was very predictable for a mystery. I could easily infer what was going to happen, and in a mystery I would like more surprise then this book. The point of view changed through out the book very randomly, which got confusing, and hard to follow. I would never read this book if it wasn't required for my book club. My book club had very different opinions about the book and it made a very good argument about where the book was going. I do not recommend this book to anyone because it is a very tedious task to read. The main message was very clear and was to never keep a big secret about something important. It was a good moral to story, but wasn't worth reading the book to find. There is also no clear ending to this book, which makes me feel as if I wasted my time reading this because I got little excitement or knowledge about the book. I also think this book was too easy for me and I did not challenge myself at all.
March 10, 2009
I didnt like this book so much even though thing iough I love mystery sotories. But at the time I did like at the in some parts when the author makes a pretty good imagery thats why I putted 4 stars, because if not the only thin g on the storie would be about the main character named macey resolving the mystery, I really dont like that. But in the story there are some parts where the story gets to the top when they are trying to solve the mystery and start blaming a guy really intense thats where the imagery started. The end of the storie is like there is going to be the second book but you get hooked. That is one of the most important part of the book because I would read the second one because in the end it said that the fault was her fault and she had to start putting fires out. But what I learned that you dont give up and keep on going until you get what you want.
February 27, 2012
This is a great book with an important message.
In this novel, a young woman named Macey has chosen to research an ancient fire in her neighborhood that destroyed a barn where someone lived, forty years ago, for her history assignment. She's amazed and puzzled when everyone she asks either has no information or records of the fire or refuses to talk to her about it.
Macey is determined to solve the mystery of who set the fire-because when she discovers who the occupant of the barn was at the time, she's sure it was arson. But when Macey finally realizes who the arsonist was, she also realizes that she wasn't setting out to do what she thought she set out to do.
Ultimately, she realizes that the obligation she felt she had was not to solve the fire of the past, but to put out the same fire that still burned in the present.
In this novel, a young woman named Macey has chosen to research an ancient fire in her neighborhood that destroyed a barn where someone lived, forty years ago, for her history assignment. She's amazed and puzzled when everyone she asks either has no information or records of the fire or refuses to talk to her about it.
Macey is determined to solve the mystery of who set the fire-because when she discovers who the occupant of the barn was at the time, she's sure it was arson. But when Macey finally realizes who the arsonist was, she also realizes that she wasn't setting out to do what she thought she set out to do.
Ultimately, she realizes that the obligation she felt she had was not to solve the fire of the past, but to put out the same fire that still burned in the present.
February 16, 2010
I really liked the plot and the message, but as for the writing... The imagery was great, as was the dialogue, but sometimes Cooney just seemed to jump around too much. For instance, one character could be talking about one thing, and then randomly jump to another. There were no hints that they had been thinking of anything else, either. It was like some need to get back to the point was driving the dialogue, rather than letting the events come as a part of the story.
But that was only at parts. Cooney also managed to make the awkward situations FEEL awkward, and the differences between people tangible. And the message of this book, along with the courage Macey ended up having, were really thought-provoking ideas.
But that was only at parts. Cooney also managed to make the awkward situations FEEL awkward, and the differences between people tangible. And the message of this book, along with the courage Macey ended up having, were really thought-provoking ideas.
September 15, 2010
I learned several things in this book. for example, i learned that Macey has a project to do and she decides to do it about a fire that happened in 1959.Also, when she begins to study about the past fire she ask her grandmother about it and she replies as if she did not even know that the fire happened and acted as if she did not recall that event. In addition, the more she studies about the fire the more people start to deny what happened and act suspicious. People start telling Macey to not bring the fire back that it was the past to forget about it but she does not forget about it she continue her studies. Macey is a student, teenager,lives in a small town, and is a smart girl. Finally, this book is a mystery type of book and is worth the time of reading.
July 18, 2013
Burning Up by Caroline B. Cooney is not one of my favorite books. The main character, Macey pursuits the same question throughout the whole book, what is the connection with a barn fire that happened like 40 years ago and a girl that she had known for only two hours who died trying to stop gang members from shooting near a church? She overreacts and has all this emotion towards finding the connection even though even if she finds out it won't change anything. The worst part is you already find out what the connection between the two events is on page 144 of 230! Honestly, I don't see the reason for writing 96 more pages. But don't be so discouraged! The story does have a powerful message to it.
February 6, 2010
This book was short, yet packed with important lessons about bravery, family, racism, facing up to the truth, and standing up for what you believe in. The down to earth way the book was written helps you easily see how to relate these things to your own life while still giving you the enriching experience of catharsis that you can only get by reading an captivating novel. It challenges you, like the character Macey was challenged, to change your life by finding the truth, and then to teach others these truths despite the enemies you'll make. It helps define what a true friend really is as well. I really liked it because it was an easy read but still had such meaning to it.
November 29, 2012
This book was really good to read. It had a decent amount of details could of used a little more about where it got on fire and ow it did.
when Macy was around 8 years old her mother died and the father left them before she passed away. So the grandparents took Macy back to there house near her old house and lived there. when Macy was 15 years old she was so interested about learning fire when there grandparents barn was caught on fire and killed lots of livestock in the barn. then she starts investigated on how the barn caught on fire. so she started invested and suddenly she found a friend that lived in the inner city and just moved to Boston.
the part where it said she had a new
when Macy was around 8 years old her mother died and the father left them before she passed away. So the grandparents took Macy back to there house near her old house and lived there. when Macy was 15 years old she was so interested about learning fire when there grandparents barn was caught on fire and killed lots of livestock in the barn. then she starts investigated on how the barn caught on fire. so she started invested and suddenly she found a friend that lived in the inner city and just moved to Boston.
the part where it said she had a new
February 2, 2015
In my opinion I wasn't a big fan of Burning Up. The story didn't appeal to me how I would've hoped it would, I thought that there was going to be one main mystery/ conflict but in the end it turned out to be two. I probably wouldn't read this book again or buy it since I wasn't really a fan, but I would recommend this to anyone who likes historical books or mystery books. The theme of the book I'd have to say would be never keep secrets from anyone close to you, it can effect you and everyone around you. The story has many problems in it so that's why id say this is the theme.
January 30, 2015
I really liked this book. When I read the back of this book I knew right away I wanted to read this. I would recommend this book to some that like mysteries and can hold a good argument about a book. My book club group had all different opinion and stances. The theme of this book can have many lessons one of the themes is never keep a secret from someone that the secret can ruin your relationship. Another lesson is if someone saying to stop something important to you keep going. Never stop instill you find your answer to what you are looking for.
November 10, 2015
Cooney's story is set in 1999 Connecticut. Fifteen year old Macey Clare is given the class assignment of local history. When Macey expresses interest in a fire that occurred in 1959, she is met with resistance.
Cooney's theme is provocative and topical, as it addresses Racism and prejudice.
The way the story is written, makes it perfect for reading out loud at a book club or in a classroom.
Some of Macey's and Austin's introspections have poetic qualities to them.
Cooney's story is a piece of literature that promotes independent thinking and hopefully, intelligent conversation.
Cooney's theme is provocative and topical, as it addresses Racism and prejudice.
The way the story is written, makes it perfect for reading out loud at a book club or in a classroom.
Some of Macey's and Austin's introspections have poetic qualities to them.
Cooney's story is a piece of literature that promotes independent thinking and hopefully, intelligent conversation.
May 22, 2014
Very much written for the "YA" audience, and a bit dated for modern readers... but still valuable for teaching tolerance awareness of the the race/ class differences that still exists today. It would be good for a young teen to read. As an adult, I was a little bored, but since it was a free book, I can't complain too much!
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