What do you think?
Rate this book
Evacuation Order
If you only had a few minutes to evacuate your house in the face of a wildfire, what would you take? And if you were separated from your mom and thought she was in danger, would you still leave - or would you head back in to rescue her? Twelve-year-old Sam lives alone with his mom and their dog in the idyllic seaside town of Santa Bonita. His father died when Sam was young, but his best friend Marco has been helping recreate his dad's old photos as part of a memorial project. One particularly warm October day, however, Sam smells something faint from far away. It's the scent of smoke. An unexpected southern California wildfire is whipping ferociously toward town. Sam, Marco, and the whole neighborhood must urgently evacuate with little warning. Sam is distraught. If his house burns, all his memories of his father will go with it. Even worse, Sam’s dog disappears during the emergency, sending the boy into a panic. When he should be leaving the city with Marco and his family, Sam instead turns back, a decision that will plunge him right into the path of a deadly fire.
176 pages, Paperback
Published November 7, 2023
5 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Jane B. Mason
125 books102 followers Jane B. Mason grew up in a large family in northern Minnesota. She has written books for kids of all ages under many names and on many subjects, among them ghosts, Jedi, detective duos, princesses, twins, mean girls, and slam books.
Jane has lived in the midwest and on both coasts, but appears to have settled in Oakland, California, and writes almost every day at either a friend's dining room table or a little studio in her back yard, where she has a purple loveseat, a whole lotta books, and an odd selection of trinkets she has unwittingly been collecting since she was a child.
Jane has lived in the midwest and on both coasts, but appears to have settled in Oakland, California, and writes almost every day at either a friend's dining room table or a little studio in her back yard, where she has a purple loveseat, a whole lotta books, and an odd selection of trinkets she has unwittingly been collecting since she was a child.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 27, 2024
Sam is still reeling after the death of his photographer father from cancer. He and his mom make do the best they can, and his new puppy Goodboy (aka GB) has been a great help. Sam has given himself a mission to recreate as many of his dad's best photographs as he can, and has recruited his best friend Marco to help as the model. Marco is trying to be a good friend, but Sam's mood swings and perfectionism about the photos sometimes bothers him. When a huge wildfire comes closer and closer to their homes, Sam's grief starts making him obsessive and anxious, and when the actual evacuation order comes while his mom is working the night shift at the hospital and his dog escapes right as they are about to drive out with Marco's family, Sam starts making rash decisions in the heat of the moment that could have devastating results for him and Marco.
This was not an easy read. Sam refuses to listen to anyone who tells him he might not be acting in healthy ways. He desperately needs therapy but obviously isn't getting it (though, he doesn't seem willing to accept help at first). He makes epically stupid decisions in the midst of the evacuation order that made me not really want to read on. I get that he was panicked and not thinking clearly, but he seems so risk-adverse before the evacuation I would have thought he'd know exactly what to do. But emotions aren't logical, and he was definitely being guided by emotions. I did persevere through, and Marco eventually calls Sam on his unhealthy, selfish behavior. That doesn't happen until almost the end of the book, though, so it was a hard slog until then. I feel like survival stories either feature the super prepared or the woefully ignorant and stubborn. It would be nice to have an average kid now and then. Oh well. Kids who want an exciting survival tale will definitely get that in reading this.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: Some people receive burns, suffer from smoke inhalation, and lose property. Two animals suffer mild burns. No one is seriously injured on page.
Ethnic diversity: Sam is white American. Marco is Hispanic American.
LGBTQ+ content: None that I remember
Other: The kids have to break in and steal a vehicle for survival (the owners are ok with it afterwards). Sam has severe mental health issues not being cared for.
This was not an easy read. Sam refuses to listen to anyone who tells him he might not be acting in healthy ways. He desperately needs therapy but obviously isn't getting it (though, he doesn't seem willing to accept help at first). He makes epically stupid decisions in the midst of the evacuation order that made me not really want to read on. I get that he was panicked and not thinking clearly, but he seems so risk-adverse before the evacuation I would have thought he'd know exactly what to do. But emotions aren't logical, and he was definitely being guided by emotions. I did persevere through, and Marco eventually calls Sam on his unhealthy, selfish behavior. That doesn't happen until almost the end of the book, though, so it was a hard slog until then. I feel like survival stories either feature the super prepared or the woefully ignorant and stubborn. It would be nice to have an average kid now and then. Oh well. Kids who want an exciting survival tale will definitely get that in reading this.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: Some people receive burns, suffer from smoke inhalation, and lose property. Two animals suffer mild burns. No one is seriously injured on page.
Ethnic diversity: Sam is white American. Marco is Hispanic American.
LGBTQ+ content: None that I remember
Other: The kids have to break in and steal a vehicle for survival (the owners are ok with it afterwards). Sam has severe mental health issues not being cared for.
July 23, 2023
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Sam lives in Santa Bonita, California, along the coast. His mother works at a local hospital, but his father, a photographer, died of cancer two years ago. He and his best friend, Marco, love video games and hanging out with Sam's dog, Goodboy. Marco Nuñez is also helping Sam recreate many of his father's photographs. Marco poses, and Sam uses his father's darkroom to develop them. Things are going along as normal, with Sam's mother working nights, when the skies start to be very smoky. There's a wildfire raging, but everyone keeps telling Sam that it will be fine. At school, the classes discuss not only the causes of wildfires but also how to be prepared for them, and one teacher stresses the fact that people need to evacuate when told, not only for their own safety, but so that rescue workers are not imperiled trying to save them. Since Marco has a cousin who is a firefighter, this hits close to home. Sam puts together an emergency bag, but his mother tells him that he can't possibly take ALL of his dad's photographs. Sam's area is evacuated when his mother is at work, and Marco's family comes to pick up Sam. He sneaks in an extra bag even though the van is already full, and goes with Goodboy to the Nuñez to get everyone else packed and ready to leave. Unfortunately, Goodboy runs away. Sam takes off on Marco's bike to go to his house to get Goodboy. Once there, he finds his dog, but the tire on the bike goes flat. Marco has ridden over on his sister's bike, and the two try to figure out the best way to get to the hospital so that Same can be with his mother. They hotwire a neighbor's ATV, load Goodboy on, and take off. When they get to the hospital, everyone has been evacuated, and the emergency worker tells them the route to safety. On their way, they see Esther, the older woman who runs the local ice cream parlor, and bring her with them. They don't get as far as they need to, but have to stop and take shelter in a rock outcropping in the forest. Luckily, the are able to stay safe as the fire rages around them. After the fire, Sam comes to terms with his difficult relationship with his father, and realizes that losing his father's camera and photographs is not the worst thing. He also learns to be a better friend to Marco.
Strengths: I don't know why survival books like these are so enthralling, but my students love to read them. Is it equal parts weird excitement and learning useful skills and tips? This about the popularity of Tarshis' I Survived series. Marco and Sam make a good team, having Goodboy along adds more complications, and I was tickled when they saved Esther. The details about the fire were very helpful. There are some chapters about the start and spread of the fire, and its effects on wildlife, that will please readers who want to know all of the facts. Mason and Stephens are a great duo for writing all manner of survival books, and I'm very excited to have this standalone to hand to students.
Weaknesses: Yes, having the father gone and having Sam obsess about his photographs add a layer of tension, and I did very much enjoy the fact that by the end of the book he had figured out a way to deal with his feelings, but his musings slow down the story a bit. Just will never be a fan of the middle grade dead relative trope.
What I really think: If you are having a Scholastic book fair, make sure that you order extra copies of this, because it will be a big fan with readers of Philbrick's Wildfire, Henry's Playing With Fire, Davis' Partly Cloudy and Mason and Stephens' Rescue Dogs.
Sam lives in Santa Bonita, California, along the coast. His mother works at a local hospital, but his father, a photographer, died of cancer two years ago. He and his best friend, Marco, love video games and hanging out with Sam's dog, Goodboy. Marco Nuñez is also helping Sam recreate many of his father's photographs. Marco poses, and Sam uses his father's darkroom to develop them. Things are going along as normal, with Sam's mother working nights, when the skies start to be very smoky. There's a wildfire raging, but everyone keeps telling Sam that it will be fine. At school, the classes discuss not only the causes of wildfires but also how to be prepared for them, and one teacher stresses the fact that people need to evacuate when told, not only for their own safety, but so that rescue workers are not imperiled trying to save them. Since Marco has a cousin who is a firefighter, this hits close to home. Sam puts together an emergency bag, but his mother tells him that he can't possibly take ALL of his dad's photographs. Sam's area is evacuated when his mother is at work, and Marco's family comes to pick up Sam. He sneaks in an extra bag even though the van is already full, and goes with Goodboy to the Nuñez to get everyone else packed and ready to leave. Unfortunately, Goodboy runs away. Sam takes off on Marco's bike to go to his house to get Goodboy. Once there, he finds his dog, but the tire on the bike goes flat. Marco has ridden over on his sister's bike, and the two try to figure out the best way to get to the hospital so that Same can be with his mother. They hotwire a neighbor's ATV, load Goodboy on, and take off. When they get to the hospital, everyone has been evacuated, and the emergency worker tells them the route to safety. On their way, they see Esther, the older woman who runs the local ice cream parlor, and bring her with them. They don't get as far as they need to, but have to stop and take shelter in a rock outcropping in the forest. Luckily, the are able to stay safe as the fire rages around them. After the fire, Sam comes to terms with his difficult relationship with his father, and realizes that losing his father's camera and photographs is not the worst thing. He also learns to be a better friend to Marco.
Strengths: I don't know why survival books like these are so enthralling, but my students love to read them. Is it equal parts weird excitement and learning useful skills and tips? This about the popularity of Tarshis' I Survived series. Marco and Sam make a good team, having Goodboy along adds more complications, and I was tickled when they saved Esther. The details about the fire were very helpful. There are some chapters about the start and spread of the fire, and its effects on wildlife, that will please readers who want to know all of the facts. Mason and Stephens are a great duo for writing all manner of survival books, and I'm very excited to have this standalone to hand to students.
Weaknesses: Yes, having the father gone and having Sam obsess about his photographs add a layer of tension, and I did very much enjoy the fact that by the end of the book he had figured out a way to deal with his feelings, but his musings slow down the story a bit. Just will never be a fan of the middle grade dead relative trope.
What I really think: If you are having a Scholastic book fair, make sure that you order extra copies of this, because it will be a big fan with readers of Philbrick's Wildfire, Henry's Playing With Fire, Davis' Partly Cloudy and Mason and Stephens' Rescue Dogs.
July 22, 2025
This was not one of my fave books to read. But I kept at it and eventually finished it. Part of the problem was the grammatical errors that ran rampant through the book.
The story is about two young boys - Sam and Marco - who live in the fictional town of Santa Bonita in California. Chains from a truck driver's truck drag on the ground - which eventually starts a fire - a fire that grows until it destroys most of the town of Santa Bonita.
Sam's father had died and Sam is obsessed with taking photographs which mimic the many photographs that his father had taken when he was alive [he had been a professional photographer who traveled the world taking photos].
When the fire starts Sam's mother is at the hospital she works at and he is home alone. He wants to save all the photos his father had taken - they were the only memory he had of his father - but is unable to do so.
At his friend's house - Sam's dog runs away and Sam chooses to go back to his house to try to find his dog. His friend Marco goes to find him and the rest of the book is devoted to how they survive the flames and what the firefighters are doing to put out the fire.
The loss of houses and wildlife is astronomical.
Eventually Sam is reunited with his mother. A year later they are still living in a rental house and Sam has a new camera and can create new memories.
The story is about two young boys - Sam and Marco - who live in the fictional town of Santa Bonita in California. Chains from a truck driver's truck drag on the ground - which eventually starts a fire - a fire that grows until it destroys most of the town of Santa Bonita.
Sam's father had died and Sam is obsessed with taking photographs which mimic the many photographs that his father had taken when he was alive [he had been a professional photographer who traveled the world taking photos].
When the fire starts Sam's mother is at the hospital she works at and he is home alone. He wants to save all the photos his father had taken - they were the only memory he had of his father - but is unable to do so.
At his friend's house - Sam's dog runs away and Sam chooses to go back to his house to try to find his dog. His friend Marco goes to find him and the rest of the book is devoted to how they survive the flames and what the firefighters are doing to put out the fire.
The loss of houses and wildlife is astronomical.
Eventually Sam is reunited with his mother. A year later they are still living in a rental house and Sam has a new camera and can create new memories.
January 19, 2024
A boy, his best friend, and his dog brave a wildfire together.
This page-turner is action packed and full of heart while also illustrating what it is like to live in fear of natural disasters and highlighting what it means to be a good friend.
This page-turner is action packed and full of heart while also illustrating what it is like to live in fear of natural disasters and highlighting what it means to be a good friend.
March 24, 2025
I like the book so far I like the details I'm chapter 6 all the chapters have been good its does have intersting words in the book like workhorse but its a good book very good details no title and no pictuers tho but its still good book
January 18, 2024
This will be an easy one to sell especially with the action and length of book.
July 24, 2024
This book is age appropriate for those 8-12 years old. Readers in that age group should be able to identify with the main characters. It's a story of the importance of friendship.
October 11, 2025
My students love survival books. This is a short, fast-paced book with an easy-to-read feel. I have a lot of students who will be in line for this one.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews