I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018

by Lauren Tarshis

California continues to be ravaged by devastating wildfires. Lauren Tarshis's heart-pounding story tells of two children who battle the terrifying flames and -- despite the destruction -- find hope in the ashes.

The people of Northern California were used to living with the threat of wildfires. But nothing could have prepared them for the devastating 2018 fire season, the deadliest in 100 years and the most destructive in history. In the 20th I Survived book, readers join eleven-year-old Josh as he leaves his New Jersey home for the rural northern California town where his cousins live. Still reeling from the life-changing challenges that propelled him and his mother across the country, Josh struggles to adapt to a more rustic, down-to-earth lifestyle that couldn't be more different from the one he is used to. Josh and his cousin bond over tacos and reptiles and jokes, but on a trip into the nearby forest, they suddenly find themselves in the path of a fast-moving firestorm, a super-heated monster that will soon lay waste to millions of acres of wilderness and -- possibly -- their town. Josh needs to confront the family issues burning him up inside, but first he'll have to survive the flames blazing all around him.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Adventure, Juvenile, Middle Grade, Survival

111 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2020

About the author

Lauren Tarshis often wonders how she came to spend most of her waking moments thinking about disasters, as the author of the children's historical fiction series "I Survived." Each book takes readers into the heart of history's most thrilling and terrifying events, including the sinking of the Titanic, the Shark Attacks of 1916, Hurricane Katrina, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the San Francisco earthquake, 9/11, and the Battle of Gettysburg. Writing these books often makes her feel very nervous, as though at any moment a volcano could erupt right outside her window. Then again, she has learned a thing or two about avoiding being eaten by a shark.
Lauren is also the author of the the award-winning Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree and its sequel, Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love.

For more information, go to her website: www.LaurenTarshis.com

And check out the I Survived Website: www.Scholastic.com/ISurvived

Reviews

[Darla]

Josh and Holly are enjoying summer in California when a wildfire sweeps in too close for them to return to home base. In addition to the information about wildfires, Tarshis takes time to give us believable characters with lives that will be relatable to other kids. Sure, not every kids has a dad who gets arrested for bank fraud but I'll bet they have seen stories on the news or may even have a friend who's dad or mom has had legal troubles at least. My point is that this book could have been a very simple fire rescue story (and that piece is very well done), but we get a whole lot more which grounds us in the time and place more fully. Also included are facts about the need for deforestation, fire fighter equipment and ways kids can personally help prevent runaway wildfires. Outstanding!

[Daniel Ray]

Part of the I Survived series but too much about the fictional families troubles and not really about 2018 being a year of CA forest fires. However, these books are written for youngsters and the fictional family draws them in. And they learn what it’s like to be caught on your own in a wild forest fire being fueled by winds you can’t outrun. And they’ll remember the story.

[David]

I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018 (I Survived #20) by Lauren Tarshis looks at the conditions in California forestry that increased chances of and intensity of the threat of wildfires. But nothing could have prepared them for the devastating 2018 fire season, the deadliest in 100 years and the most destructive in history.

In the 20th I Survived book, readers join eleven-year-old Josh as he leaves his affluent New Jersey home for the rural northern California town where his mother was born and raised. Still reeling from the life-changing challenges that propelled him and his mother across the country, Josh struggles to adapt to a more rustic, down-to-earth lifestyle that couldn't be more different from the one he is used to.

Josh and his cousin Eleanor bond during an overnight camping trip. But they suddenly find themselves in the path of a fast-moving firestorm, a super-heated monster that will soon lay waste to millions of acres of wilderness and -- possibly -- their town. Josh needs to confront the family issues burning him up inside, but first he'll have to survive the flames blazing all around him.

[Tom Tom]

It was good book because it gave you a good story before you got to the good part, and I always wanted to know how to survive a Wildfire, so I learned how to survive it but one but one thing they did for too long was taking too long before getting to the good part.

But I still think they did good but did not try there hardest like when I read, I survived 9/11 and that book was really good, and I know for a fact people read it at my school. But I still think I survived the California Wildfires was good.

[Ursula S]

I was excited to see a book about recent current events in a series that my kids enjoy. I was concerned that this book might not be factual, what with all the political dialog about fires in California. However, the author surprised me by bringing in information about forest management as well as mentioning changes in temperature trends. The story was a quick read, with lots of relatable bits for kids. Most gripping was the MC's escape from a pretty bad wildfire. Truth is, these fires have been devastating to California communities, and this book gives a voice to the fear and danger that come with them. The end of the book includes more information about firefighting tools and about real life families who live in Paradise, California. This is not just a book for kids. I recommend it for grownups too.

[Jessica Boudreau]

This may end up being one of my favorite I survived books

[Kim Hampton]

Perfect series for teaching kids about historical events.

[Mr Grande]

I like the I survived series because they put in IRL events and make it fiction. That what make the I survived series inst resting.

[Tegan]

I might be the only one, but I have a few gripes with this. One, it's not historical fiction. To be considered historical something has to be 20+ years old. While this is an important event to know about and for kids to learn, we shouldn't be calling it historical fiction. Two, I felt like the family issues took away from the main idea of the story, which was the wildfires. I understand that the event itself didn't last very long, so there needed to be filler, but it felt cobbled together, if that makes sense. And it was a pretty easy brush off of his father committing pretty major bank fraud.

[Rebecca Lloyd]

Great historical fiction book for students. Well written, good pacing, interesting characters (and creatures).

[Pumkin pie]

I'm so happy she wrote another book! Just like all her other ones, this one is great!!

[Lyndie W]

Another childhood goated book

[M. J. Pereira]

★★★★☆
(Listened to the audio while doing chores.)

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can*]

*Overdrive app *


When I'm in a reading slump, sometimes I turn to this series and read a 2 or 3 in a row.. I space em out so I don't get series fatigue but I really enjoy listening to these and would recommend them for adults and the young and/or readers in your family.

Small complaint I wish they would just jump right into the first chapter instead of the prologue/preview.. it'd be make more sense in my opinion *shrugs *
----

Second pic: 3 stars
Narration: 3 stars 🌟.. his female voices weren't great and sometimes his voices sounded the same but overall a decent job with the story.

[Katie Morad]

I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018 by Lauren Tarshis is another gripping entry in the I Survived series that brings a recent disaster to life in a way young readers can truly connect with. The story moves quickly, but still captures the fear, uncertainty, and courage that come with living through a wildfire, while showing how ordinary people can act bravely in extraordinary moments. Lauren Tarshis does a strong job blending real historical detail with an emotional storyline, making this both educational and hard to put down.

[Kathleen Elizabeth]

I am not done with it yet, But I Absolutely love it! It is the best I survive book actually I don't even know which 1 is because I like every single one of the I survived books it is so awesome so far you know I'm just beginning It! It is so cool! Another reason I really like it because when I grow up I really want to be a park ranger because they are so awesome!

[Brooke]

These are excellent historical fiction books for kids. I read this to my 2nd grader and they kept both of our interest. They were easy to read a chapter and pick it up again later without much review. This would be a great read aloud in a classroom.

[Catherine]

Had to read a book related to fire

This is a children's series. Learned a great deal of wildfires. The author ficitionalized real life experiences and provided great supplementary material about wildfires.

3.5/5

[Anbae Dragon]

I love this series, and this is definitely one of my favorites!

[Anna Sweeney]

Great book that kept my students interested, while also teaching them some awesome comprehension skills!! We LOVED the “keep reading” sedition in the back of the book ! 😍

[Emily]

3.5⭐️

[Brooke]

Great books for kids!

[DaNae]

Popsugar #32: A book featuring a man-made disaster

[Sabrina MacKerell]

I Survived the California Wildfires centers around an 11-year old boy named Josh who moves from New Jersey to California after learning that his father was arrested for bank fraud. Josh and his mom move in with her cousin's family and Josh learns to adjust to a new way of living that is quite different from his East Coast life. One day, his cousin, Holly, and him are caught in the forest when a wildfire begins to rage through its path.
This book incorporates themes of climate change, fire safety, adapting to change, and different family structures. The protagonist is relatable and goes through a personal journey throughout the story. In the classroom, this would be a great novel for character development and character feelings. It would also be a great companion book to teach about Climate Change to younger learners, as it presents it in a kid-friendly way that students will be able to engage with, but not lose hope. The end of the book includes more information about firefighting tools and about real life families who live in California. Students could research more about Climate Change and fire safety. The plot is thrilling and would engage readers. Students could use this as a mentor text for their own writing in order to build suspense and to work on plot structure. Overall, this would be a book that would be good for 4th or 5th grade students.
This novel did not include diversity and all the characters are White, middle-class, and straight. However, the purpose of this book was more focused on the worst wildfires in 100 years, initiated by Climate Change, rather than focusing on diverse characters. It would be interesting to see how the story would have changed if the characters were a different race and how this would have impacted the plot and character development.
I found this book from the Wakelet’s article from Imagination Soup. I listened to an audiobook version on Libby. The beginning and ending of the book have very loud music playing over the narrator and while it was aimed to add dramatic effect, it made it hard to hear the narrator and distracted from the story.

[Jace B]

In the Book I survived the California wildfires Josh goes to meet his cousin Holly in California. Before this Josh was all about sports and video games. So he wasn’t very excited about it. Josh’s dad get served jail time and once Josh finds out he runs out of Holly’s house into the woods deeper than Holly had ever even gone. They end up watching as animals run past them, not even looking back. Holly knows exactly what this is, a wild fire. They end up getting to a river surrounded by flames and a fire helicopter picks them up, the firefighters end up being family friends of Holly’s so it worked out. They all went home after a recovery in the hospital and Josh had a story to tell when he got back home.

My Analysis, the book could be better. If they included more cliffhangers and suspenseful foreshadowing moments. The real story really carried this book. I kind of read it with the same mood/feeling the whole way through. So it could’ve been better.

The book wasn’t hard to read at all and I really recommend it to anyone since it is a good book. I liked the book because the story was really interesting. Overall I think this book was good. Especially since it’s based off a true story.

[Zibby Owens]

The California wildfires book helps kids understand what it was like for a firefighter to be in a wildfire. What are the sensory experiences that you would have if you had to deploy your fire shelter? One character is a female firefighter who is a badass and the best helicopter pilot in their Cal Fire district. The amount of research and information and how the author creates the characters, environments, and situations in these books almost make us feel like we're living through the stories. They are so sensory.

The book alternates between offering facts and exciting stories to go with it. I almost think the author should do this for grown-ups because it's an exercise in empathy. She literally puts kids in other people's shoes and giving them historical context. These books are for those kids who do not overidentify with characters, so I don't recommend them for very young kids.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/lau...

[Jamie ✝️ Marie]

Solid 3.5!

[Carmen M]

I Survived The California Wildfires by Lauren Tarshis is about a boy named Josh who lives in New Jersey and plays Basketball. At the end of one of his basketball games nobody was there to pick him up so he decided to walk home. When he got home the first thing he saw was two police officers handcuffing a man. The man was his dad. Josh ran inside the house and asked his mother what was going on. She said his dad was being arrested because the bank thinks he stole money but it is all just a misunderstanding. Josh's dad is a well known man so the whole town was practically talking about the incident, and when Josh would get on his phone or computer the first thing that would pop up is some false information about his dad being arrested. Since this was happening Josh's mom decided to go where there is no internet, the woods. His mom booked a flight to California and soon enough they were there. Josh and his mom were staying at Holly's house. Holly was his cousin he had never met and right away Josh could tell they were not the same. She didn't even know what video games were and she had a snake and a lizard as a pet. Even though this seemed a little weird Holly was super nice along with her mom. When Josh and his family were eating dinner some of Holly's friends had come to their house and gave Holly a live mouse. Josh had asked Holly why she was so excited about this and she explained that snakes eat live mice and her snake has not had dinner. She also explained that those were her friends Eleanor and Lucas. Since Holly's friends were nice and gave her a mouse she invited Eleanor and Lucas to eat dinner with them. Eleanor started to eat tacos while Lucas told a story of how he and Eleanor had to fight a wildfire. After his story it got pretty dark and Josh and his cousin went to bed while Eleanor and Lucas left their house. When Josh woke up no one else was awake and Josh went downstairs. He saw his aunt's computer was open so he decided to take a look at what was happening to his dad. When he looked it up he saw it said his dad was going to jail for eight months. When he saw this he knew it was all a lie, but then his mom came down stairs so he slammed the computer so he did not get caught. Then soon his cousin and his aunt came down stairs and Josh asked his mom if his dad was going to jail. She took a second to look at his aunt and his aunt told her to tell the truth. What is the truth? He thought but then his mom said yes he is going to jail for eight months. His mom kept talking but he just ran into the woods crying, running as fast as he could. Holly came running with him. When Josh had to slow down to catch his breath Holly asked him what was wrong. When Josh explained that his dad was going to jail, Holly didn't know what to say. When Josh got up he asked Holly if she smelled something. It took a second for her to answer but she said yes. They decided to walk home but then Josh felt something burning on his back. It was a little hot ash. Then a tree fell down and blocked their only exit and animals started to run. Holly and Josh followed them because they might know another exit but instead they found a river. They didn't hesitate and jumped in but when Josh was looking for Holly he couldn't find her. He screamed her name then saw her head bob up and down. He pulled her up but her leg was stuck. After pulling multiple times he finally got her above water. When they started to run Holly couldn't run her leg was broken, so Josh had to carry her on his back. They didn't know where to go but then they saw a helicopter and in it was Eleanor and Lucas. They were saved! Josh and Holly both got in the helicopter and went to the hospital. Two weeks later. Holly was on crutches and Josh had burns everywhere. Josh had to leave and he got in the car. Before he left Holly gave him a gift. In it was snake skin that Holly's snake had shed. This meant a lot to him. Maybe they weren't that different. I rate this book a 4 out of 5. I gave this rating because this book was adventurous there was a wildfire and the main characters faced lots of hard problems such as swimming in a river and trying to run with a broken leg. I recommend this book to people who like adventures because this book has lots of them including surviving a wildfire and going in the woods.

[Brianna]

I was disappointed to see that the actual "surviving" portion of the book was basically one big adrenaline/cortisol jolt after another, with more and more ridiculous twists and turns. I thought nowadays we were trying to be kind to our bodies by not *intentionally* triggering flight-or-fight state?? No? I dunno, this intentional cortisol-spiking doesn't feel like a healthy thing to encourage our elementary-aged kids to do to themselves.

By way of comparison, the I Survived 9/11 book from eight years earlier (2012) has much fewer high adrenaline moments because the MC is witnessing the attacks, partially firsthand and partially on TV, but *mostly* not needing to *survive* them (minus one scene near the end where he's exposed to substances that are definitely cancer-causing — makes the "I Survived" title a lot more dubious). The kids in the California Wildfires book are definitely in imminent danger of death, to a level that feels very unnecessary, especially for a child audience. If the MC in the 9/11 book were escaping from inside one of the Towers, that would be more akin to the kids in the California book.

After the unnecessary wildlife (non!)encounter, suspension of disbelief was kind of not working by the time he burns his arm/fingers...nevermind the ancient zipline miraculously still working and not sending them flying into the burning bushes; one Heimlich in the middle of the river magically resuscitating her completely; and him being able to swim/walk them both out of a strong river, despite him not being a trained lifeguard-type swimmer.

I get that this is a kids' book, but the idea that the very-nearby house magically survives, totally unscathed — not even smoke damaged, because it's obviously still habitable in the flash-forward 3 weeks later — feels extremely unrealistic. Just how far did an 11-year-old kid run in 5-10 minutes' time, that there was still space for the (apparently very fast) fire to "turn away" from the house, thanks to a "last-minute" change in the Santa Ana winds after 5 min?? The fire existing there at all is one big "last minute"! Yes, it is POSSIBLE, but it is highly IMPROBABLE, especially without a proper fire break, and especially without resulting smoke/utilities damage to the home! What, is the house built out of plot-armorinium??

There are ways to write this where the house survives, realistically, and the kids are still needing to "survive" (as per the title) without giving them insane levels of physical injury and psychological trauma, just for the "drama" of it. This just isn't it.

[Jase M]

The book that I read was California wildfires by Laurn Tarshis. The characters in the book were Josh, his mom and dad, his cousin Holly, aunt Nicole, his friend Greg, and two firefighters Elenor and Lucus. Josh lived in New Jersey and his dad was a big city banker. One day after making the game wining shot at a basketball game he came home and saw two police cars and a guy in handcuffs which was his dad. A few days later Josh got the newspaper and read it. It talked about his dad getting arrested and his mom said don’t believe those newspapers there full of lies. Then him and his mom flew to Sacramento to go see his cousin Holly and Aunt Nicole. On the way there Josh noticed that all of the trees where black and had no leaves and they were in the middle of nowhere. When he got there he tried to text Greg and he had no internet. He thought it was going to be boring there. He met his cousin Holly and could see she was different then him. But then he found out that she had a pet lizard named Bubbles and a huge snake named King Kong. After a few days he has spent time in the forest with his cousin Holly and had fun and found out it was not so boring being in the middle of nowhere. One night they even had dinner with two firefighters who told them about there adventures and how they survived in a wildfire.

The morning that Josh and his mom where going to leave to go back to New Jersey, Josh checked the computer to see the Yankees score and then he wanted to see if there was anything about his dad and it said his dad going to jail for 8 months. Josh was mad so he ran out into the woods and Holly came chasing after him. They smelt smoke and realized there was a fire. They followed the animals and went running for the creek. As they were running the embers burnt Joshes arm. They had to get in to the creek using a zip line and when they jumped in to the creek Holly broke her leg. There was fire surrounding them on both sides of the creek. A helicopter came and the firefighters that they had diner with rescued Josh and holly from the wildfire.

I rated this book a 5 because it was crazy and exciting and there was a lot of adventure. I like books with adventure.

This book connects to the theme because Josh and Holly survived the California wildfires.