Wildfire!

by Elizabeth Starr Hill, Rob Shepperson (Illustrator)

A rivalry, a rescue

Big-mouth Elliott, who has recently arrived from a city up north, considers Ben a "backwoods boy" and looks down his nose at folks in their rural Florida town. To make matters worse, Elliott is the one who gets the dog that Ben's neighbor puts up for adoption -- the one Ben had his heart set on. In spite of being jealous and resentful, Ben can't stop himself from trying to win Elliott's approval, and he does something very stupid, very dangerous, on a bone-dry Fourth of July evening, when fireworks have been banned because of the fire risk.

Illustrated with vivid wash-and-line drawings, this dramatic small-town story builds to a gripping conclusion as a boy races against time to make up for his own big mistake.

Genres: Childrens

80 pages, Hardcover

First published October 12, 2004

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decent but could be longer

[Debbie Reynolds · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wildfire is an okay story about two boys and a dog in Florida. A mistake almost costs them everything. The story abruptly ends. It would have been extended further.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book !! What a surprise ending

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book so many times as a kid I loved it. I may go back to read it again someday.

[Benjamin Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ran across this book, and it caught my attention because the two main characters' first names are the same as my first and last names. Just based on the description, I may or may not have read it, but with the name connection and it being fairly short, I figured it couldn't hurt.

And the book is fine, I guess. It's just too short. You get some basic set up of the area, a bit of personal history for one of the boys, and then the general attitude of that boy regarding the other boy. Then the plot happens and the boys are faced by the wildfire of the title before finding their way home. There are a number of interesting details and the story has promise, but very little of it is developed. To really get into the characters, build suspense, and pay off the ending in a satisfying way, you probably need a book at least twice this long if not more.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I great book about rural life in Florida. I read this to my class and they loved it.

[Rose]

JF Hil

[Annabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very good. I don't get why it is called Wildfire, when all the action happens in, like, 3 pages!!!

[♥Mrs.Ally Cullen♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok

[Michellesiegel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for Florida Studies! Story of boy who startes a wildfire on the Fourth of July. Quick read!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for Florida facts. The story of a boy who lives in a rural part of Florida and how he starts a fire on the Fourth of July.

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this as part of a unit discussion about honesty. I like the sweet relationship between the boy and his great-grandma. Can be used to start discussions about peer pressure.

[Becky Straub · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this to my 7 & 9 year olds. They really enjoyed it. I found it rather simplistic, even for a kid novel, but it offered up a good conversation afterwards about bullying and blame and choices.

[Flyp 2011 Tweens]

Set in Florida.