Juggling Fire

by Joanne Bell

The bear stands on back legs and snuffles his snout in our direction. Such an unusual hide would be worth a fortune. No one could blame me for shooting. It's a level playing field here: The bear's been stalking us. He's injured my dog. He's kept me awake at night.

Now suddenly it's clear.

The forest about me is absolutely still.

I shoot.

Rachel's idyllic existence with her family in the remote mountains of northern Yukon was shattered by her father's depression, the family's relocation to "town" and her father's subsequent disappearance. Obsessed with the need to understand why her father never returned, Rachel hikes with her dog across mountain passes and along valleys to her childhood home. As she walks, she distracts herself from her anxiety by reinventing beloved fairy tales and reliving childhood memories. As the days pass and her quest leads her deeper into the wilderness, she must confront danger and endure loneliness and despair before she can unearth the truth about her father.

Genres: Young Adult, Adventure, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Canada

184 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com

16-year-old Rachel's father left her house years earlier and never came back. Her mother says her father died out in the wilderness, but she doesn't believe her.

After finishing high school early, she sets out to retrace the steps her father would've taken and looks for clues as to his disappearance. Taking only her dog, food, and her talent for juggling and telling stories, she'll have to survive the wild, bears, and much more if she ever wants to find out the truth.

Will she succeed? What really happened to her father all those years ago?

The main character is well-developed and believable, and although the plot is slow in some places, it does a good job of holding the reader's interest. The intricate weaving of past and present is well done and doesn't confuse the reader. JUGGLING FIRE is a quick, easy read for those who like survival stories like HATCHET by Gary Paulsen and MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN by Jean Craighead George, as well as adventure and realistic tales.

[Meghan Enga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for a colleague who has a bunch of copies they inherited and wondered what it was. Really, really liked it! It kept to its lane perfectly and was a gripping and honest feeling story of a kid's coming to terms with hard stuff, in an engaging setting that felt real, and like she really was who she was portrayed as. In particular, her relationship with her dog was strikingly practical and unsentimental and yet super loving and real, appropriate to the context, rough and ready. I super enjoyed all of the descriptions- I felt like I was there- and the action- tense but believable - and the kid's internal life and struggles. Especially how she was made into an individual with challenges but zero victim/anxiety/helpless attitude. This is me, this is what I can and can't do, this is how I'm going to live my best life. Highly recommend.

[Gemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars.

Imagine the story of a 16yo girl in the Yukon tundra, hiking with her dog and no connection to civilization two weeks before winter starts. Really imagine it - not the YA hero version where she knows what to do - but the one where she’s mostly a mess, kinda oblivious, and a bit hard to watch. This is that book.

Then in wraps up in a poignant, introspective, Lifetime movie form of introspection in an epilogue.

Meh.

I think I would have enjoyed the book more and actually invested more in the story if I hadn’t had to fixate on the chance that her poor dog might die by her stupidity.

[Michelle Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

While "Juggling Fire" can be read as a standalone novel, it is better understood after reading her other novel, "Breaking Trail". This book follows Rachel, who is now 16 and wishes to find out what happened to her father about 10 years earlier, after he trekked to their cabin deep in the yukon forest alone. He had been depressed at the time and thought the woods would help him feel better. Rachels journey is interspersed with memories of her father and the fairy tales he used to tell her from a book, as well as taking care of herself and her dog on the way. The ending left a lot to be desired, so while the story itself is adventurous, it really does not leave you satisfied at the end.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

There isn't much to say; it's a quick ready, and the author writes so much the way I do, and the way I think, that it was my experience with her, in the novel...really interesting exploration of loss, that is loss of a family member....and the subtle ways that the "journey" used in books helps the characters recount the events that led up to the disappearance of someone or death of someone, with triggors of evidence preparing readers for the loss. I could write a better summary and add my critical response but it's not fresh in my head anymore. The cover really does the book justice for how a reader will feel after reading it: like assenting a top of a mountain (facing many inner conflicts and other challenges along the way.)

[Serena · Rating 2 out of 5]

A simple coming-of-age story about a sixteen year old girl who travels through the Yukon wilderness to find her father.

I found myself getting impatient with this book. I thought the fairy-tale essences distracted from the plot and added no foreshadowing with very little symbolism. I also had to fight down the urge to skip ahead and read the last page.

I thought the traveling parts were very realistic though, and the author made you feel like you were actually in the solitude. I'm not sure how much this will appeal to people though, so I am not quite sure how much interest this book will garner.

[Novia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reading this on a holiday so I wasn't really focusing that much. Maybe if I did, the rating would go up a bit??
Anyways, the ending was cool, when Rachel finally came to an epiphany - sorta.

[Kate Hastings]

SLJ grades 7-10

[Anne Wallraff · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read but not captivating.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

very quick read--I enjoyed it in one night.

[Amy Mathers · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://amysmarathonofbooks.ca/jugglin...