Fire Storm

by Jean Craighead George, Wendell Minor (Illustrator)

When Axel and his family take a rafting trip down the swift Salmon River, they sense little risk when smoke appears in the quiet, dry wilderness. Suddenly, orange flames flash dangerously near, and Axel isn't so sure of their safety anymore. Before long, they are caught in a blazing forest and must search for a safe hideout. Will Axel and his family make the right call before the roaring fire gets too close? In this second story about the adventures of Axel, acclaimed nature writer Jean Craighead George and award-winning artist Wendell Minor recount the riveting tale of a fearsome fire storm and the cycle of regeneration that follows.

Genres: Picture Books, Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Childrens

26 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Jean Craighead George wrote over eighty popular books for young adults, including the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves and the Newbery Honor book My Side of the Mountain. Most of her books deal with topics related to the environment and the natural world. While she mostly wrote children's fiction, she also wrote at least two guides to cooking with wild foods, and an autobiography, Journey Inward.

The mother of three children, (Twig C. George, Craig, and T. Luke George) Jean George was a grandmother who joyfully read to her grandchildren since the time they were born. Over the years Jean George kept one hundred and seventy-three pets, not including dogs and cats, in her home in Chappaqua, New York. "Most of these wild animals depart in autumn when the sun changes their behaviour and they feel the urge to migrate or go off alone. While they are with us, however, they become characters in my books, articles, and stories."

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This adventure story is based on real events from the Summer of 2000, when Axel and his family were on a rafting trip down the Middle Fork of Idaho's Salmon River, and find themselves in the middle of a forest fire with no other option but to stay in river while the forest burned around them.

[Kelle Treadwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Idaho

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

i don't know anything about kayaking, but it seems like w/the boy wearing a life jacket and having been in the water twice the dog should have been wearing a life jacket going down the rapids.

about the ending - a picture of the forest returning the next year would have been comforting.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good adventure book.