Flash Point

by Sneed B. Collard III

As wildfires threaten his home, his stepfather's livelihood, and the raptors he has come to love, Luther struggles to resolve the conflicts in his community and the ones inside himself. The town of Heartwood, Montana, is burning out of control. Stoked by nearby wildfires, long-standing disputes over forestry policies have been reignited, pitting out-of-work local residents against environmentalists and state wildlife managers. At the center of the heated dispute is high school sophomore Luther Wright. Luther used to be just like all his friends, playing football and partying every chance he got. But now he spends his time helping the local veterinarian Kay rehabilitate injured raptors.Against the backdrop of Montana's worst wildfire season in years, Luther begins questioning many of the community's basic precepts, and in doing so faces alienation. But when someone starts shooting Kay's birds and suspicious fires start breaking out, Luther is drawn into a situation far more dangerous than he could have ever imagined. Award-winning author Sneed B. Collard III offers readers an affecting, realistic portrait of a teenage boy who learns to navigate a difficult course between standing up for what he believes and maintaining loyalty to his family and friends. Collard also provides a balanced look at the difficulties of balancing competing environmental and economic interests.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

223 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2006

About the author

Sneed B. Collard III (see also "Sneed B. Collard") is a biologist, world traveler, speaker, and author of almost one hundred books for young people, including the 2024 Orbis Pictus Award winner, Border Crossings (Charlesbridge Publishing). His other recent science titles include Fire Birds; Hopping Ahead of Climate Change; Little Killers; Waiting for a Warbler; Beaver & Otter Get Along . . . Sort of; and the upcoming picture book, Like No Other. Collard holds science degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and U.C. Santa Barbara. He lives in Montana.

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a little pedantic and possibly too carefully spelled out, but it's still a powerful book. Collard really focuses in on the need to be critical of the information we're being fed, which as a librarian I have to support. And though the action's a little stilted at first and there are some implausible characters, I have to say it won me over; the pace really picks up at the end, and it gets a lot more complicated than I'd expected. The tone could definitely be off-putting for youth, and the book focuses on rural environmental issues that could be harder to relate to for suburban or urban youth. But there are some universal themes related to conservation and to being a critical consumer of information that are very powerful.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Holly for TeensReadToo.com

Luther used to be a football-playing party animal, making bad choices and stealing just to impress his snobby friends from Heartland, Montana. Not anymore, though.

Luther now spends all of his time at the bird vet's house, where he cleans poop, feeds the birds, and flies them -- all under the supervision of the owner, Kay.

When school bully, Warren Juddson, finds out Luther quit the football team to work with the crazy bird lady, temperatures rise and words fly. When the whole team turns against him and maybe even his step-father, as well, Luther has no other place to turn but to the new girl, Alex.

Alex teaches Luther all about the forest fires nearby and how to ride a horse, but when the out-of-control fires get the best of him and his town, he has to choose what to save first: Alex and her belongings, Kay and her bird, his house, or himself. Luther makes a heroic attempt that could change his life forever.

This amazing book by Sneed B. Collard III will grab readers with its stunning real-life topic. A great read!

[Kelly Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA novels with environmental themes can be hit or miss for me, but I enjoyed this one. Even though the environmental issues were central to the story, it didn't feel preachy at all. The details about birds of prey were so vivid. I'm too much of a chicken to watch nature TV shows about predators, but this book had me riveted and I didn't mind (too much) reading about the birds eating mice and rabbits. And the scenes with the wildfire had me reading at lightning speed to find out what happens at the end!

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conservationist theme. Deals with a boy’s struggles to follow his conscience and what he thinks is right despite going against the grain of the logging community where he lives and his stepfather who is struggling to provide for the family. Has many informative details about wildlife—especially birds of prey—forest fires, logging practices and government protection programs.

[Zbehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book on friendship and the environment, you can always find a good friend on a subject, just have to look

[ChaoticallyNatasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say that I was rather disappointed after reading his other books. I just couldn't get that into it.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a pretty good book i highly recommend