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Smokescreen
Nothing in Kerry’s life prepares her for her first summer job. Stationed as far north from Toronto as Florida is south, unqualified and inexperienced, she perceives hazards around every tree. What does she know about fieldwork? Or black bears? Or men? Absolutely nothing—all she’s done with her life so far is competitive dance. If her mother only knew what this job required!
Kerry’s new partner, Yvette, is unlike anyone she’s ever met and something about her doesn’t add up. Her boss is a chauvinist pig and out to get them. When forest fires break out, Kerry and Yvette are drafted for fire duty and sent deeper into the bush—even closer to the fire. As all of northwestern Ontario goes up in flames, Kerry vows to find out what is really going on and uncovers a crime of international scope and scale that will threaten her life.
Smokescreen is an adrenalin pumping adventure, pitting two resourceful young women against nature and man at their most greedy. Truth and lies. Fire and darkness. Who will triumph when nothing is what it seems?
Kerry’s new partner, Yvette, is unlike anyone she’s ever met and something about her doesn’t add up. Her boss is a chauvinist pig and out to get them. When forest fires break out, Kerry and Yvette are drafted for fire duty and sent deeper into the bush—even closer to the fire. As all of northwestern Ontario goes up in flames, Kerry vows to find out what is really going on and uncovers a crime of international scope and scale that will threaten her life.
Smokescreen is an adrenalin pumping adventure, pitting two resourceful young women against nature and man at their most greedy. Truth and lies. Fire and darkness. Who will triumph when nothing is what it seems?
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
390 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Hartry
6 books6 followersNancy Hartry is the author of two picture books, Hold On, McGinty! and Jocelyn and the Ballerina. Nancy finds inspiration for her stories in the antics of her children and her larger family. Watching Jimmy grew from her short story "Thunderbird Swing," which appeared in Secrets, published by Tundra Books. Watching Jimmy won the Canadian Library Association's Book of the Year for Children Award and was a finalist for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, and the Ontario Library Association's Golden Oak Award. When Nancy is not writing stories, she works as a lawyer. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 12, 2013
This is a pretty good book aimed at teenagers, but will be enjoyed by adults as well. It's a unique story line involving a camp that supports forest fire fighters and two girls in the middle of 300 men.
It's an eye-opening look at what goes on behind the scenes in the forest. The girl are supposed to be digging holes to check for possible septic tanks, but being federal employees, they can be reassigned at anytime--and they are--to cook for the fire fighters in the base camp.
There's a horrible boss who makes derogatory comments, tension as the girls try to live without doors that lock and windows in showers, fledgling romances, problems with bears, and meanwhile, someone keeps setting fires...and the lighter left behind at the scene points to Kerry's friend and partner, Yvette.
I learned a lot about the Canadian wilderness and how things are done. There was also some tension over the fact Kerry's love interest is a Canadian Indian. It was a very suspenseful read and I read it a day. It's hard to put down. It's engrossing.
My quibbles are with development. I think some things could have been hashed out a bit more. Kerry's romance with Aubrey...when exactly did that happen? They meet, she thinks about him, and suddenly, he's her boyfriend. Yvette's character was also a bit bi-polar. She goes from the girl taking meticulous records and demanding overtime pay to the girl who doesn't care if a cat is kicked across the room. When did she change and why? She went from kick-a** to "Let's hush up about it."
I'm not done. Full review here: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2013/...
It's an eye-opening look at what goes on behind the scenes in the forest. The girl are supposed to be digging holes to check for possible septic tanks, but being federal employees, they can be reassigned at anytime--and they are--to cook for the fire fighters in the base camp.
There's a horrible boss who makes derogatory comments, tension as the girls try to live without doors that lock and windows in showers, fledgling romances, problems with bears, and meanwhile, someone keeps setting fires...and the lighter left behind at the scene points to Kerry's friend and partner, Yvette.
I learned a lot about the Canadian wilderness and how things are done. There was also some tension over the fact Kerry's love interest is a Canadian Indian. It was a very suspenseful read and I read it a day. It's hard to put down. It's engrossing.
My quibbles are with development. I think some things could have been hashed out a bit more. Kerry's romance with Aubrey...when exactly did that happen? They meet, she thinks about him, and suddenly, he's her boyfriend. Yvette's character was also a bit bi-polar. She goes from the girl taking meticulous records and demanding overtime pay to the girl who doesn't care if a cat is kicked across the room. When did she change and why? She went from kick-a** to "Let's hush up about it."
I'm not done. Full review here: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2013/...
July 16, 2013
Kerry has lived her entire life in a city, and is completely unprepared for her summer job deep in the bush in northwestern Ontario. Her coworker Yvette seems to be everything that she is not: worldly, outgoing, poised, and confident. They are set to spend a summer hunting for cottage sites when they are suddenly called up to provide support for nearby firefighting efforts. Neither of them is prepared for a sequence of events that points at Yvette as the arsonist responsible for the fire and which may cost both of them their lives.
Smokescreen is a short, fast-paced read that should have a strong appeal to young adults. There is plenty of action to drive the story forward, although there are spots that drag due to overly detailed descriptions. The story is told from Kerry's point of view, and throughout she is an easily likeable and relatable character. Yvette is less consistantly likeable, but this is generally colored by Kerry's current opinion of her.
The main issue I have with the book is the character development. Both girls see considerable change in their actions and attitudes through the story. While this is to be expected, it happens in sudden spurts rather than a more gradual change that might be expected. There is also some inconsistancy in their development. Kerry starts off very nervous about a job for which she knows she is entirely unprepared, but within a few chapters is much more at ease, even after being thrown into an even more stressful situation. As the story progresses, she wavers back and forth between the two extremes rather than a steady growth from one to the other. Yvette's behavior is even less consistent at times, often without enough information given to understand her sudden changes.
The book is written by a Canadian and published in Canada, so there are a few spots where the language seems just a little off to a U.S. native like myself. However, they are very minor and far between, and should not cause any problems for YA readers.
Overall, Smokescreen has a very strong storyline with a satisfying ending (despite a bit of info dump following the climax), but I can only give it four out of five stars.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads, and donated it to my local library after finishing it.
Smokescreen is a short, fast-paced read that should have a strong appeal to young adults. There is plenty of action to drive the story forward, although there are spots that drag due to overly detailed descriptions. The story is told from Kerry's point of view, and throughout she is an easily likeable and relatable character. Yvette is less consistantly likeable, but this is generally colored by Kerry's current opinion of her.
The main issue I have with the book is the character development. Both girls see considerable change in their actions and attitudes through the story. While this is to be expected, it happens in sudden spurts rather than a more gradual change that might be expected. There is also some inconsistancy in their development. Kerry starts off very nervous about a job for which she knows she is entirely unprepared, but within a few chapters is much more at ease, even after being thrown into an even more stressful situation. As the story progresses, she wavers back and forth between the two extremes rather than a steady growth from one to the other. Yvette's behavior is even less consistent at times, often without enough information given to understand her sudden changes.
The book is written by a Canadian and published in Canada, so there are a few spots where the language seems just a little off to a U.S. native like myself. However, they are very minor and far between, and should not cause any problems for YA readers.
Overall, Smokescreen has a very strong storyline with a satisfying ending (despite a bit of info dump following the climax), but I can only give it four out of five stars.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads, and donated it to my local library after finishing it.
July 20, 2013
Most teenagers in their junior or senior year in high school take on the task of finding a summer job. A position that will give them both money and experience for the impending future. Often times the job is recommended by a family friend or member in hopes that it will ease their transition into the working world. This story is about one such teenager named Kerry. A girl that has spent most of her life preparing to be a professional dancer. After succumbing to an injury that prevents her from dancing, her mother sends her off to a government summer position assisting fire fighters. Angry at her high strung mother and family friend that got her the job, she takes off with no intention of communicating with either one of them. Kerry wants to break ties and find out who she really is over the summer. During this summer job she is partnered with a model type French girl named Yvette. A girl who gives a first impression of being high maintenance and of low intelligence. However, Kerry learns that looks are not everything and one should never judge a person by their cover. The job proves to be very stressful and a mystery soon entails. One of bear killings and arson. The girls are forced to use their quick wits and survivor instincts to handle both job and personal danger.
I first of all want to thank the author for letting me review her book. I was not sure if I would enjoy this story, but I really had a good time. I have never read anything about forest fires, but I have driven by them on several occasions due to my location. I found the character's personalities fascinating and enjoyed the intense moments that were scattered throughout the book. I also enjoyed how the author portrayed what she believes to take place during a forest fire. It was easy to get lost in the stress of fighting the fires and trying to manage strong emotions. I loved how both of the girls developed into mature characters and stayed true to themselves. I was taken aback by the conclusion of the story and I thought it was a great ending. This book is full of action, suspense, and just plain fun. I highly recommend it and have offered it to my husband to read. I am positive that he would like this book as much as I did.
I first of all want to thank the author for letting me review her book. I was not sure if I would enjoy this story, but I really had a good time. I have never read anything about forest fires, but I have driven by them on several occasions due to my location. I found the character's personalities fascinating and enjoyed the intense moments that were scattered throughout the book. I also enjoyed how the author portrayed what she believes to take place during a forest fire. It was easy to get lost in the stress of fighting the fires and trying to manage strong emotions. I loved how both of the girls developed into mature characters and stayed true to themselves. I was taken aback by the conclusion of the story and I thought it was a great ending. This book is full of action, suspense, and just plain fun. I highly recommend it and have offered it to my husband to read. I am positive that he would like this book as much as I did.
October 16, 2013
An action-packed story about friendship, firefighting and survival. Set in northwestern Ontario Canada, the main character is 17 year old Kerry, who resents her mom for sending her out to the wilderness for a summer job digging septic holes. She's not initially impressed by her cabinmate, Yvette, who is older and more experienced at camping, but gradually the two become friends, bonding over being the only two females in a camp full of male workers. Their job gets suddenly more exciting when they are sent to a firefighters' base camp to cook for fifty men while they fight an arson-caused forest fire. Kerry has to learn to do a lot of hard work, and gets involved in a mystery. Evidence suggests that Yvette may be the arsonist, or perhaps the cute firefighter that Kerry is becoming close to; there are other suspects as well, and Kerry has to sort it out and keep herself safe at the same time as the action intensifies and the bad guys make their move.
A good book with a unique setting and a nice suspenseful plot with unforeseen twists. Tiny quibbles: I was distracted by trying to figure out exactly where in Canada this took place. I thought the setting was "northwestern Canada" and it's not made clear until a third of the way into the book that it's northwestern Ontario, which to me looks like Central Canada; and, one character is described as "Metis" several times and as an American I had no idea what that meant, had to look it up. It's clear from context that there is some racial bigotry going on, but it wasn't really explained that this was a Native person. But I suppose a Canadian reader would have known that right off the bat.
A good book with a unique setting and a nice suspenseful plot with unforeseen twists. Tiny quibbles: I was distracted by trying to figure out exactly where in Canada this took place. I thought the setting was "northwestern Canada" and it's not made clear until a third of the way into the book that it's northwestern Ontario, which to me looks like Central Canada; and, one character is described as "Metis" several times and as an American I had no idea what that meant, had to look it up. It's clear from context that there is some racial bigotry going on, but it wasn't really explained that this was a Native person. But I suppose a Canadian reader would have known that right off the bat.
July 25, 2013
I won this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. In no way has this influenced my rating or opinion of this book.
This wasn't a book I would usually pick up on my own. But the synopsis sounded cool and different (I mean, forest fires? How many YA books have that in them?) and I thought I would give it a try.
I'm glad I did. I found the characters fascinating and mysterious. It was almost a who-done-it type of book, but the villain wasn't obvious to me. At all.
It's a quick read, and I loved that about it. Something new is happening all the time, and it never felt like a scene was being dragged out or anything. I finished it in a day.
Kerry is one of those protagonists that you can really feel for. She's a dancer, but was injured and unable to continue dancing, so that's why she gets the summer job. She has problems with her mother, and she's not shy talking about it. She doesn't hide behind one of those common teenage moody walls and speaks her mind. Sure, there are times when she's, well, acting like a total teenager, but I liked that about her. She's real.
This is one of those books I could see bringing to the beach. A one day reading thing. Or, better yet, bring it when you're up in the mountains. It will make you start thinking about the forest fires that could happen around you.
This wasn't a book I would usually pick up on my own. But the synopsis sounded cool and different (I mean, forest fires? How many YA books have that in them?) and I thought I would give it a try.
I'm glad I did. I found the characters fascinating and mysterious. It was almost a who-done-it type of book, but the villain wasn't obvious to me. At all.
It's a quick read, and I loved that about it. Something new is happening all the time, and it never felt like a scene was being dragged out or anything. I finished it in a day.
Kerry is one of those protagonists that you can really feel for. She's a dancer, but was injured and unable to continue dancing, so that's why she gets the summer job. She has problems with her mother, and she's not shy talking about it. She doesn't hide behind one of those common teenage moody walls and speaks her mind. Sure, there are times when she's, well, acting like a total teenager, but I liked that about her. She's real.
This is one of those books I could see bringing to the beach. A one day reading thing. Or, better yet, bring it when you're up in the mountains. It will make you start thinking about the forest fires that could happen around you.
July 22, 2013
I received this book as a 'first reads' from goodreads.
Although this book was short it took me a long time to get through. Although, that might be because it's not normally the type of book I would read.
This book focus around Kerry and Yvette.
Kerry's one of those people who has a mother pushing them to be a professional dancer (sort of like a dance mom) this mentioned many times even though the mother never comes into the story.
Kerry was injured and needs shin splints (I wasn't sure what those were so I had to look them up). Her mother decided that she should get a summer job so pulled some strings and got her a job assisting fire fighters. Kerry has no clue what she doing but luckily her co-worker Yvette has done this job many times. Kerry's first impression of Yvette is that she's one of 'those girls' (you know high-maintenance, low-intelligence) But as the book progresses Kerry and Yvette mature and both learn not to judge a book by it's cover.
When people set multiple forest fires, Kerry and Yvette have to move camp to cook for the firefighters. Kerry and Yvette must use their wits, survival instincts and friendship to figure out whats going on.
This was a good book that I would recommend to young teens 12-16.
Although this book was short it took me a long time to get through. Although, that might be because it's not normally the type of book I would read.
This book focus around Kerry and Yvette.
Kerry's one of those people who has a mother pushing them to be a professional dancer (sort of like a dance mom) this mentioned many times even though the mother never comes into the story.
Kerry was injured and needs shin splints (I wasn't sure what those were so I had to look them up). Her mother decided that she should get a summer job so pulled some strings and got her a job assisting fire fighters. Kerry has no clue what she doing but luckily her co-worker Yvette has done this job many times. Kerry's first impression of Yvette is that she's one of 'those girls' (you know high-maintenance, low-intelligence) But as the book progresses Kerry and Yvette mature and both learn not to judge a book by it's cover.
When people set multiple forest fires, Kerry and Yvette have to move camp to cook for the firefighters. Kerry and Yvette must use their wits, survival instincts and friendship to figure out whats going on.
This was a good book that I would recommend to young teens 12-16.
July 26, 2013
Set in the Canadian forest, this is an exciting teen read. The two teens in the book come from different backgrounds but both of them want the income their summer job working for the Department of Forestry will give them. Their initial job soon changes as they become cook's helpers for a fire fighting crew. Packed with lots of action and multiple sub plots, the book chronicles the changes in the two girls over the summer as they struggle to become real friends and make 'boy friends' along the way. Some not very plausible events, but mostly a good read for the intended audience.
August 28, 2016
Kerry is a dancer with a mother who controls every aspect of her life. When Kerry does not do well at an Irish dancing competition, her mom sends her off to Canada for a summer job. Kerry's new colleague, Yvette, is different from anyone she has met before - and the only other girl at a field work/forest fire fighting camp.
Plenty of intrigue as the forest fires appear to be deliberately set, black bears are a threat, and Kerry does not know who to trust as things get more intent.
Underage drinking, smoking, some drug use, sexual situations.
Plenty of intrigue as the forest fires appear to be deliberately set, black bears are a threat, and Kerry does not know who to trust as things get more intent.
Underage drinking, smoking, some drug use, sexual situations.
July 18, 2013
Awesome suspense with a touch of love story and learning experiences.I won this book from goodreads and would recommend this book for young readers and up. Kind of like a whodunit with a surprising end, keeps you on your toes and you don't want to put it down. thanks Nancy Harty and Goodreads.
August 6, 2013
Smokescreen was a page turner from start to finish. The cover of this book complaints the plotline. The characters were realistic. I just loved the setting. It was great to read a book that takes place in Ontario.
I won this book from the Goodreads giveaways.
I won this book from the Goodreads giveaways.
November 3, 2013
At first I thought I would really enjoy the book, but then as I delved further into it, I thought it was rushed, and lots of things I felt were skipped over. So, not my most favorite read as of late.
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August 2, 2013I enjoyed this book I received thru Goodreads. It is an easy-reading story for anyone - a bit of suspense and a growing-up story of human nature.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews