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MP3 CD Format Separated from his siblings in the midst of a dangerous forest fire, 11-year-old Virgil must find a way to survive using only his wits and the lessons his late mother taught him about the wilderness. Virgil is making his older siblings trek to a mountain lake on a trip unlike any they've have taken before. They carry precious the ashes of their beloved mother, who asked that her remains be scattered at her favorite spot. But when a forest fire is sparked by a bolt of lightning at the exact moment when their van breaks down, the journey quickly turns to disaster. While the oldest, Josh, is gone to find help, Virgil and his sister, Kaitlyn, spot fleeing animals and soon see flames flickering above the tree line. Once the sky begins to darken with the haze of burning timber, Virgil finds himself separated from his sister and left alone in the wilderness. He isn't sure he can make it, but with the memory of his late mother, a science teacher, and all her lessons to guide him, he quickly learns that not everything has a perfect explanation and survival starts with letting go. Fire on Headless Mountain showcases not only the overwhelming beauty and terrifying power of nature, but also the gift of memory when facing great emotional and physical trials. Lessons on ecosystems and fire safety are also seamlessly interwoven into this thrilling adventure tale.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
September 7, 2022
Amazing and page-turning story. I love the adventure of the three siblings. Joshua, Katlyn and special for Virgil were so brave, trustwoerthy and responsible. I couldn't imagine if i were trapped in a forest, haunted by fire, flames, thick smoke, strange screaming and mountain lion. It dragged my sensation in horrible of sort, but it was awsome. The main point i've been getting Through out this story is how to be smart and having brilliant ideas if want to survive in horrible and cruel situasion, let alone in solitude.
July 14, 2022
I went into this book figuring I wouldn't like it. I have to say, this is a really good book. It's well written, drags you in, terrifying... and the absolute relief you feel every time someone makes it... Wow. I mean... the maybe-creepy-serial-murderer-living-ing-the-woods is barely a side-plot.
March 31, 2023
Grabbed this on a whim at the library. Written for middle school readers, it’s so well written that I was hooked from the beginning.
July 22, 2023
What a great read. The characters are sweet, the story is magical and full of suspense. A great book that confronts loss and grieving in a beautiful way.
July 5, 2025
This was a little hidden gem of a middle grade adventure book. Fire on Headless Mountain is an emotional journey as three siblings battle a very real and dangerous forest fire on a camping trip alongside their internal and very individual battles of coping with the grief and loss of their enigmatic mother. Poignant, tense, and reflective this is a heartfelt book that not only keeps you on the edge of your seat as the fire burns through the story but navigates the difficult twists and turns of bereavement and grief. A fantastic read!
November 12, 2022
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Joshua Pepper, 19, is in charge of driving the family's camper to Little Lost Lake, to scatter the ashes of their mother with sister Kaitlyn, 15, and Virgil, 12. Their father has decided it is too much for him to bear to return to the scene of the place where their family was happiest, so he instead goes to a writer's conference in San Francisco. The children take off deep into the woods just as a storm is brewing. Virgil, who was very close to his mother and struggling after her death, knows that she loved storms, and urges his brother to continue driving. The van breaks down and Joshua can't fix it, so he takes off to walk for help. There isn't any food, since Virgil forgot to pack it, and there's not much water, although they manage to process some the way their mother taught them. It's clear that there is a fire in the area, and Virgil and Kaitlyn try to get out, but Kaitlyn manages to fall and hurt her ankle badly. Virgil hopes to repair the van, and has some luck, but eventually he and Kaitlyn get separated. Luckily, she gets picked up by the firefighters that found Joshua. Virgil manages to find a local man who runs a small store, and gets a few supplies before heading off to the lake, which he feels will be a safer place to weather the fire, and he can also scatter his mother's ashes. He has a lot of close calls, but always manages to hold onto the box. With fire raging everywhere, will he be able to survive?
Strengths: This is a good example of Why One Should Be Prepared in the Wilderness and reminded me a bit of Johnson's Falcon Wild. Do not rely on cell phones, do not take decrepit vehicles into the back woods, and for the love of all that is good and holy, BRING SUPPLIES. The Peppers, of course, do not do these things, which leads to their adventure. I think it's important for young readers to see how devastating wild fires are, and see how dangerous they can be. Virgil puts the science information from his mother to good use, and manages to survive his experiences, but this is definitely a pulse-pounding cautionary tale!
Weaknesses: The flashback scenes with the mother instructing Virgil about science really slow the book down, and I can't imagine that his mother would be happy that he risked his life to save her ashes on multiple occasions. This was a great adventure book, but the inclusion of Virgil's intense grieving did not improve the story. Frequent readers know that I am never a fan of books with people unable to move forward after deaths.
What I really think: From Cooney's 1995 Flash Fire to Henry's 2021 Playing with Fire, there are a lot of interesting books that cover conflagrations. Add this to a list that also includes Paulsen's Escape from Fire Mountain (1995), Garretson's Wildfire Run (2010)Philbrick's Wildfire (2019), Tarshis' I Survived the California Wildfires 2018 (2020), Rhodes' Paradise on Fire (2021), and Davis' Partly Cloudy (2021), and Lorentz's Wayward Creatures (2022).
Joshua Pepper, 19, is in charge of driving the family's camper to Little Lost Lake, to scatter the ashes of their mother with sister Kaitlyn, 15, and Virgil, 12. Their father has decided it is too much for him to bear to return to the scene of the place where their family was happiest, so he instead goes to a writer's conference in San Francisco. The children take off deep into the woods just as a storm is brewing. Virgil, who was very close to his mother and struggling after her death, knows that she loved storms, and urges his brother to continue driving. The van breaks down and Joshua can't fix it, so he takes off to walk for help. There isn't any food, since Virgil forgot to pack it, and there's not much water, although they manage to process some the way their mother taught them. It's clear that there is a fire in the area, and Virgil and Kaitlyn try to get out, but Kaitlyn manages to fall and hurt her ankle badly. Virgil hopes to repair the van, and has some luck, but eventually he and Kaitlyn get separated. Luckily, she gets picked up by the firefighters that found Joshua. Virgil manages to find a local man who runs a small store, and gets a few supplies before heading off to the lake, which he feels will be a safer place to weather the fire, and he can also scatter his mother's ashes. He has a lot of close calls, but always manages to hold onto the box. With fire raging everywhere, will he be able to survive?
Strengths: This is a good example of Why One Should Be Prepared in the Wilderness and reminded me a bit of Johnson's Falcon Wild. Do not rely on cell phones, do not take decrepit vehicles into the back woods, and for the love of all that is good and holy, BRING SUPPLIES. The Peppers, of course, do not do these things, which leads to their adventure. I think it's important for young readers to see how devastating wild fires are, and see how dangerous they can be. Virgil puts the science information from his mother to good use, and manages to survive his experiences, but this is definitely a pulse-pounding cautionary tale!
Weaknesses: The flashback scenes with the mother instructing Virgil about science really slow the book down, and I can't imagine that his mother would be happy that he risked his life to save her ashes on multiple occasions. This was a great adventure book, but the inclusion of Virgil's intense grieving did not improve the story. Frequent readers know that I am never a fan of books with people unable to move forward after deaths.
What I really think: From Cooney's 1995 Flash Fire to Henry's 2021 Playing with Fire, there are a lot of interesting books that cover conflagrations. Add this to a list that also includes Paulsen's Escape from Fire Mountain (1995), Garretson's Wildfire Run (2010)Philbrick's Wildfire (2019), Tarshis' I Survived the California Wildfires 2018 (2020), Rhodes' Paradise on Fire (2021), and Davis' Partly Cloudy (2021), and Lorentz's Wayward Creatures (2022).
June 5, 2022
Fire on Headless Mountain
Headless Mountain is located in the wilderness, deep in Bigfoot country. In this wilderness is a favorite lake where siblings Virgil, Josh, and Kaitlyn used to go camping with their mother and father. Their mother recently passed away and the siblings are on the way to the lake to spread her ashes. Their trusty camping van, named Rusty, breaks down though, and they are stuck many miles into the wilderness. Unknown to them, a fire breaks out on the other side of the mountain and it's heading their way.
The siblings have to rely on each other, and on their own survival skills, to make it out of the forest before the fire catches up to them. Along the way, they will recall lessons learned from their science teacher mother. These lessons will help them figure out what to do.
I enjoyed the pacing of the story. The events unfolded at about the right pace. The fire seemed to move more slowly than I expected, but then again, the events took place in Oregon, where the climate is a bit more humid, which would likely slow fire spread (as compared to more dry climates).
I didn't like that there were some unresolved things, such as the animal that screamed and the animal they saw. These were left unexplained. As a reader, I was a bit confused by this. I am not sure if the author meant for the reader to think it was Bigfoot or a cougar or what it was. I am probably reading too much into it since my background is in wildlife biology, but I wanted to know what the animal was. It may be that the author was using it as an element of mystery.
The danger Virgil faced at the museum was scary and could trigger some kids who have had similar experiences. Although he got away without any harm, it was a scary scene in its own way. I would have liked to see that incident having some resolution at the end of the story, instead of the perpetrator essentially getting away with it.
The ending was OK, but I did think there were some elements that could have been resolved that were not addressed. I did like how the end brought the story back to the original purpose for the siblings visiting the lake and resolved that in a way that made sense.
Overall, it's a good read and will be of interest to young adult readers who like adventure, nature, science, or firefighting.
Headless Mountain is located in the wilderness, deep in Bigfoot country. In this wilderness is a favorite lake where siblings Virgil, Josh, and Kaitlyn used to go camping with their mother and father. Their mother recently passed away and the siblings are on the way to the lake to spread her ashes. Their trusty camping van, named Rusty, breaks down though, and they are stuck many miles into the wilderness. Unknown to them, a fire breaks out on the other side of the mountain and it's heading their way.
The siblings have to rely on each other, and on their own survival skills, to make it out of the forest before the fire catches up to them. Along the way, they will recall lessons learned from their science teacher mother. These lessons will help them figure out what to do.
I enjoyed the pacing of the story. The events unfolded at about the right pace. The fire seemed to move more slowly than I expected, but then again, the events took place in Oregon, where the climate is a bit more humid, which would likely slow fire spread (as compared to more dry climates).
I didn't like that there were some unresolved things, such as the animal that screamed and the animal they saw. These were left unexplained. As a reader, I was a bit confused by this. I am not sure if the author meant for the reader to think it was Bigfoot or a cougar or what it was. I am probably reading too much into it since my background is in wildlife biology, but I wanted to know what the animal was. It may be that the author was using it as an element of mystery.
The danger Virgil faced at the museum was scary and could trigger some kids who have had similar experiences. Although he got away without any harm, it was a scary scene in its own way. I would have liked to see that incident having some resolution at the end of the story, instead of the perpetrator essentially getting away with it.
The ending was OK, but I did think there were some elements that could have been resolved that were not addressed. I did like how the end brought the story back to the original purpose for the siblings visiting the lake and resolved that in a way that made sense.
Overall, it's a good read and will be of interest to young adult readers who like adventure, nature, science, or firefighting.
October 6, 2022
This is a vivid and memorable survival adventure middle-grade story. Quite the page-turner as it seems everything possible that could go wrong does! I read this so fast because I just wanted to know that Virgil and his siblings were okay. The impending danger of the fire, the fear of the unknown (mysterious sounds in the woods), injuries and obstacles and dangerous wild animals ... it's all incredible what our protagonist endures by the end.
In addition to the survival narrative, Virgil is dealing with his grief as he processes his mother's recent death. The initial trip to the woods Virgil and his sibling make is to honor his mother's wish and spread her ashes in a favorite natural spot. A forest fire and other blunders impede the children's quest and make their day(s) simply about: survival. But in the midst of survival Virgil finds a deep connection to his mother's spirit and it's beautiful to see him have such vivid memories of her (which are detailed as asides in the narrative).
Virgil may have lost his mother in a way but he will never truly lose her. Her love of nature and scientific mind actually aid Virgil in such a way that gets him safely rescued by the end. I appreciate the juxtaposition in the narrative of this harried frantic scary scenes and then tender memories of a boy and his mother.
I do wish the ending would have come with a bit more explanation and resolution of some things that happened in the story. I also think there are some pretty scary elements in this book that some children in the middle-grade range may find to be too much.
My last hesitation comes with the man at the Sasquatch museum that Virgil encounters: (1) I wish we could have had some more explanation about him at the end -- was he really trying to help? My gut says yes but I'm not totally sure. I think maybe he seemed scary to an 11 year old boy facing death-by-forest-fire but maybe was just quirky? And, (2) Did he need to be "fat" and also described in a gross and scary way? It felt a bit too anti-fatness.
Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Holiday House. Opinions are my own.
In addition to the survival narrative, Virgil is dealing with his grief as he processes his mother's recent death. The initial trip to the woods Virgil and his sibling make is to honor his mother's wish and spread her ashes in a favorite natural spot. A forest fire and other blunders impede the children's quest and make their day(s) simply about: survival. But in the midst of survival Virgil finds a deep connection to his mother's spirit and it's beautiful to see him have such vivid memories of her (which are detailed as asides in the narrative).
Virgil may have lost his mother in a way but he will never truly lose her. Her love of nature and scientific mind actually aid Virgil in such a way that gets him safely rescued by the end. I appreciate the juxtaposition in the narrative of this harried frantic scary scenes and then tender memories of a boy and his mother.
I do wish the ending would have come with a bit more explanation and resolution of some things that happened in the story. I also think there are some pretty scary elements in this book that some children in the middle-grade range may find to be too much.
My last hesitation comes with the man at the Sasquatch museum that Virgil encounters: (1) I wish we could have had some more explanation about him at the end -- was he really trying to help? My gut says yes but I'm not totally sure. I think maybe he seemed scary to an 11 year old boy facing death-by-forest-fire but maybe was just quirky? And, (2) Did he need to be "fat" and also described in a gross and scary way? It felt a bit too anti-fatness.
Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Holiday House. Opinions are my own.
August 15, 2022
Mixed emotions on this one, but in the final analysis, I think it's a hard sell. First, the cover is a nonstarter. It looks like a cover from the 1950s. Right off the bat kids are going to think this is an old book. Second, the story has a slow start. There's too much science talk and reminiscing about things of the past. Even if a reader gets past the cover, they'll read a few pages and give up. That's a shame because, all in all, this is a great survival story.
Main character Virgil, who's about 12-years-old, is on a trip into a remote forest with his 19-year-old brother, Joshua, and 15-year-old sister, Kaitlyn. They are on a mission to spread the ashes of their deceased and beloved mother. Their father has decided not to go. They are driving an old Westfalia van/camper they call Rusty. In short order the radiator hose splits, the van overheats and they are stranded. Unbeknownst to them, lightning has struck a tree far away in the distance and ignited a forest fire.
They have no cell phone coverage or way to get help. They simply must use their wits to overcome each challenge. At ever turn there is disappointment. Each decision affects every outcome after. Water. Food. Approaching fire. Injuries. Separation. The inevitable decision to go or stay. Fix the van or get the hell out of dodge before it's too late. At times the pace is fast, edge of your seat even, a nail biter of anticipation. At other times it drags, especially when Virgil's memory flashes back to earlier times. I would rather those thoughts have been incorporated into the present narration.
There are moments when I question the plausibility. Could a kid with no driving experience handle a van going 50 mph with no brakes? Could you survive a forest fire by getting in a pizza oven? How about digging in the mud? If you're not an over-thinker, those details will sail right over your head. A great plot. Very relevant. Just not sure this book will get out of the gate.
Main character Virgil, who's about 12-years-old, is on a trip into a remote forest with his 19-year-old brother, Joshua, and 15-year-old sister, Kaitlyn. They are on a mission to spread the ashes of their deceased and beloved mother. Their father has decided not to go. They are driving an old Westfalia van/camper they call Rusty. In short order the radiator hose splits, the van overheats and they are stranded. Unbeknownst to them, lightning has struck a tree far away in the distance and ignited a forest fire.
They have no cell phone coverage or way to get help. They simply must use their wits to overcome each challenge. At ever turn there is disappointment. Each decision affects every outcome after. Water. Food. Approaching fire. Injuries. Separation. The inevitable decision to go or stay. Fix the van or get the hell out of dodge before it's too late. At times the pace is fast, edge of your seat even, a nail biter of anticipation. At other times it drags, especially when Virgil's memory flashes back to earlier times. I would rather those thoughts have been incorporated into the present narration.
There are moments when I question the plausibility. Could a kid with no driving experience handle a van going 50 mph with no brakes? Could you survive a forest fire by getting in a pizza oven? How about digging in the mud? If you're not an over-thinker, those details will sail right over your head. A great plot. Very relevant. Just not sure this book will get out of the gate.
October 17, 2022
Holy moly! As intense middle-grade readers go this one kicks it up a notch and then some!
The Premise: Virgil (11), Kaitlyn (15), and Joshua (19) are driving the family's old camper van to the lake they spent much of their childhood visiting to scatter their dead mother's ashes. Dad's too broken up by the loss to go along. The van breaks down, the kids discover the trip supplies (food, drinks, etc.) never made it into the van, Joshua goes for help, and things happen, including the kids figuring out a not-insignificant fire is headed their way.
The pacing is perfect, Lawrence is skilled at moving the story along and keeping the reader engaged. He uses flashbacks interspersed throughout the text to slow things down, which serves as a good release of tension when the excitement and danger reach those higher levels. (Great for the more sensitive readers, amirite?)
I'd recommend this book for any kid who enjoys adventures and realistic fiction with a sprinkling of ghost stories and mythology.
The Premise: Virgil (11), Kaitlyn (15), and Joshua (19) are driving the family's old camper van to the lake they spent much of their childhood visiting to scatter their dead mother's ashes. Dad's too broken up by the loss to go along. The van breaks down, the kids discover the trip supplies (food, drinks, etc.) never made it into the van, Joshua goes for help, and things happen, including the kids figuring out a not-insignificant fire is headed their way.
The pacing is perfect, Lawrence is skilled at moving the story along and keeping the reader engaged. He uses flashbacks interspersed throughout the text to slow things down, which serves as a good release of tension when the excitement and danger reach those higher levels. (Great for the more sensitive readers, amirite?)
I'd recommend this book for any kid who enjoys adventures and realistic fiction with a sprinkling of ghost stories and mythology.
October 16, 2023
This is a nail-biter from about page 10. Three teens (19-year old Joshua, 15 year old Kaitlyn, and 11 year old Virgil) are driving their Volkswagen Westphalia over a rough road to scatter their mother's ashes at her favorite lake and camping spot. Father has not gone with them. The van breaks down, and having forgotten the food and supplies, they must survive by their wits.
There is no traffic on the road. They suffer from lack of water and food, insects, animal screams in the bushes, and finally the realization that nobody else is on the road to rescue them.
A forest fire is coming their way, though they do not realize it for some time. The fire is treated as a character in the book.
The suspense is overwhelming. This is not a long book. It's an easy read over two evenings. It is written for teens, but any age would love it for the amazing writing style and character development.
There is no traffic on the road. They suffer from lack of water and food, insects, animal screams in the bushes, and finally the realization that nobody else is on the road to rescue them.
A forest fire is coming their way, though they do not realize it for some time. The fire is treated as a character in the book.
The suspense is overwhelming. This is not a long book. It's an easy read over two evenings. It is written for teens, but any age would love it for the amazing writing style and character development.
November 15, 2022
I can’t get enough of forest fire survival stories and this one is not to be missed. Virgil is traveling to a remote lake in the California mountains with his older brother and sister to spread their mother’s ashes. When their old camper van breaks down, they have to figure out whether to try to hike out or hike towards water. When they hear chainsaws, older brother Josh heads up the mountain not realizing there is a massive forest fire raging on the other side of the mountain. Leave time to read this in one sitting!
October 28, 2022
I am torn about this book. A lot of reviewers loved it so I had high expectations and maybe it was the audiobook (the narration was a little whiny) but I didn't love it. If you make it past halfway then yeah I guess you could call it a page-turner but I just didn't really like the characters too much. Stong themes of family.
June 4, 2023
I do judge a book by its cover and this one fooled me. The story is really about three siblings in a broken down RV. Their father is a jerk and their mom has just died. The theme of the book is grief, the fire is just in the background until the very end. It was a disappointing book and everyone is irritating.
May 6, 2022
This book give strong message about family/sibling love and natural environment. I enjoying the adventure part of this story and how MC try so hard to doing the best. A promising book.
Thanks Netgalley for providing me copy.
Thanks Netgalley for providing me copy.
February 2, 2023
I wasn’t so sure about this book, I initially started reading it with my 9 year old but a few parts seemed a little scary. I finished listening to it and now wish I had let him hear the whole thing. Some parts I questioned, but overall good little read.
July 22, 2023
I really enjoyed this! The cover reminded me of The Hardy Boys and the book reminded me of a survival story I read as a kid. I liked that there were 3 main characters 12-19?, but that the focus was on the 12 year old. A great middle grade adventure/survival/overcoming loss story.
September 30, 2023
If your boy reader didn't enjoy "Clockwork Sparrow," they will probably enjoy "Fire On Headless Mountain." It's a pretty amazing survival story. It is intense in some places and Virgil scares himself by thinking about getting killed by a Sasquatch.
Found in L4M OT Volume 60.
Found in L4M OT Volume 60.
September 16, 2024
MYRCA book club with students. We did this one last year, but I gave my book away and just ended up finishing it now. I thought it was an adventure, although I think it was hard to follow for some of the students when they read it independently. Which is about their reading level and not the book.
October 25, 2022
A touching tale for the young mind. Full of science, family and adventure. Perfect for young readers who dipping their feet into adventure themed fiction.
March 10, 2023
I give this book a 4.5. Well-written, action-packed and scary! The only drawback was the unresolved resident who lives in the forest (who was that??!!!).
August 18, 2023
Students (grades 3-5) looking for a survival style novel or a scary story will enjoy Fire on Headless Mountain.
Fire on Headless Mountain is a 2024 MYRCA Sundogs nominee.
Fire on Headless Mountain is a 2024 MYRCA Sundogs nominee.
October 24, 2023
Read for the KU spring book review!
July 23, 2024
The flashbacks really slowed the momentum.
November 18, 2024
Slow start with a lot of info dumping.
Read
April 29, 2025J FIC LAWRENCE, I.
May 30, 2025
carino
November 12, 2025
Gave me anxiety in the best way
May 31, 2025
This was a surprising read. I found it while searching through 'available now' feature for audiobooks on Libby. I enjoy listening to audio books during wind down time of the evening. This was a great adventure story, written for youths. The narrator was fabulous. I held back one star only because it felt a little choppy towards the end - thinking up adventurous things to add in while working hard on concluding the story. The first half the book was engaging and believable, with the exception of the reason the kids were on the adventure in the first place. Why would a dad do that?
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews