The Big Burn

by Jeanette Ingold

Based on the events surrounding one of the biggest fires of the twentieth century, The Big Burn is a portrait of a time and a place and an event that altered the face of Montana and Idaho, changed the way we fight wildfires, and dramatically transformed the people on the front lines forever.


Readers of this novel might also want to read the more documentary account in Timothy Egan's The Big Burn

The classic novel based on a real fire is that by George R. Stewart -- Fire

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical, Teen

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2002

About the author

I love road trips and museums, mountains and woods, libraries and old houses, mysterious photographs, and people with stories to tell. I’m a Montanan who grew up in New York in a family of Texans. I’ve a husband, two kids, a pair of grandkids, and a dog named Mica. Most of my best friends are other writers, and my days don’t feel right when I don’t begin them by putting words on the page. And that all leads to books.

Many of those road trips have been to national parks where I’ve seen countless small signs saying that CCC youth build this turnout or that lodge. They made me curious about who those young people were and why they worked so hard.

The result was HITCH, a novel that brings one of my most-beloved Texas characters, Moss Trawnley, to a Civilian Conservation Corps camp in central Montana. I’m pleased to report that the newest edition of HITCH is a great audiobook recording from Audible.

Young people tackling hard jobs is a theme that runs through all of my novels. THE BIG BURN first brought my writing home to the Northwest. This is a place where forest fires shape land and lives and where young people like my son in his college days sometimes spend their summers on fire crews.

I was delighted when VOYA called this fictional account of the terrible 1910 wildfires “a must-read for adrenalin junkies,” but I hope it will also provoke thought about some of the factors that lie behind the forest fires of today.

PAPER DAUGHTER, my newest novel, tells two stories of teens making their way in the adult world. One is a Chinese immigrant living under a false identity in Exclusion Era days. The other is Maggie Chen, an intern at a Seattle newspaper. I had fun writing her experiences there. My own first writing job was in a newsroom, and looking back, I have to think I couldn’t have asked for a better place to hone my craft.

I don’t put my life into my books, exactly, but bits and pieces do, of course, make their way in, reshaped and sometimes carried far beyond where I might have gone.

MOUNTAIN SOLO is about a passion for music—for a violin, especially—and about the hard choices that can come with great talent. I’ve played mine only enough—in high school and now picked up again--to have a huge respect for anyone who works hard at learning an instrument.

THE WINDOW is about a different kind of courage—the kind needed by a teenage girl facing blindness. It was my first book and, along with two others, is set in Texas. The heroine, Mandy, finds support in family and family stories, and that’s another theme that I like to explore.

Mine was an airline family, and the tales my mom and dad told led me to write AIRFIELD. It’s about two teens who talk themselves into jobs at a small airport in the sometimes romantic, sometimes terrifying early days of commercial aviation.

And finally there’s PICTURES, 1918, to be released as an eBook later this year. I wrote it wanting to put my grandmother’s voice on paper, as well to capture the magic of photography, whether it’s done with an old-fashioned film camera or on the newest phone. I hope you’ll look for it and let me know what you think!

Reviews

[Donnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easy read and a very interesting one if you are at all curious about what forest fires are really like--how they get started, what kind of conditions forest fighters face, … This story details the events during a major forest fire in Idaho in 1910 where at least 90 people died and 2.5 million acres of forest land burned. Modern firefighting has changed but many of the conditions they face are still present, and the large number of acres destroyed by fire each year demonstrate that these fires continue to challenge us. If you want a front row seat to a forest fire, you'll like this book.

[Tommy Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick little historical fiction book.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another fantastic book by Jeanette Ingold about local history. The story is set in Wallace, ID in 1910 and is about a forest fire. The forest service is a young department of the US government and the science of fire fighting hasn't been understood yet. Things get tragic when untrained men and teenagers experience the perfect storm of conditions that result in a blow up.
Although it is set in Idaho this fire went on to impact Montana as it burned thousands of acres. Highly recommended for an older crowd. I'd say 13 and up as there are some pretty terrifying descriptions of forest fires, burned men and animals. There is one chaste kiss/hug between the main characters. No swearing. There are also several passages mixed in throughout the chapters that are a "field guide" and they share more technical details about wildlife, how forest fires work, and the times in which people lived. The author writes with deep understanding as her teenage son was a firefighter in the early 00's when it was published. I learned a lot and will be assigning this book to my older kiddos soon.

[Jack P · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book was extremly boring and had no exciting parts. it was dull and i wanted to stop reading it the whole time. the "climax" was people runniong through a forest, laying in a creek and then digging holes. seth was barely in the book even though he was supposed to be a main character. all lizbeth did was argue with her aunt.

[Sara Schoen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I worked for a burn crew for a while and I really enjoyed the book. Yes, it has a slow start, but you can't just jump into the fire. We need background. I thought this explained a lot of stuff well. I liked the relationship between the brothers and even the seemingly improved relationship of the father and Jarrett. It was a slow build, but an enjoyable read.

[Delaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Big Burn follows the lives of three complete strangers. Jarrett Logan is a sixteen-year-old who refuses to work on the railroad and fulfill his father's wishes. Lizbeth Whitcomb is a sixteen-year-old homesteader who desperately wants to stay on the land with her aunt Celia. Finally, Seth Brown, a young black soldier with plans to soon leave the Army. The story follows these strangers' lives as they all suffer from the raging wildfires in Idaho and Montana in 1910. Jarrett and Lizbeth's love story grows after a fateful meeting on Celia's land after there was word of fires being started near the area. But as their love grows, so do the fires, and they are met with Seth's company when he comes to town to help with the blazing forests. The story, as well as the field notes, follow one of the biggest wildfires of the century as the three teens find comfort in each other through all of the chaos and injustices that ensue.

I really enjoyed this book as it was both a great read and a good history lesson. I think that Jeanette Ingold did a great job encapsulating the fear and uncertainty that came with the wildfires of 1910. This book also highlights the vast improvements that have been made to the wildfire fighting industry and to fire science itself. I think that this book keeps the reader interested by toggling between all of the character's points of view and eventually exposing what each character was thinking at the time that they all had come into contact with each other. I think that this book would serve a classroom very well. I think its historical elements as well as its young-adult characters would allow students to find relatability in the book. Maybe not pertaining to wildfires, but they could relate this chaos to that of COVID-19, something they were all a part of as children. This book was a great read and I highly recommend it!

[K Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading, but a bit stilted and hard to follow at times, jumping between at least 4 points of view. The digital copy was not edited, probably at all. For example; periods in the middle of sentences, spaces in the middle of words. If you can get past all that the story follows 4 different points of view experiencing the hugh forest fires of 1910 in northern Idaho & western Montana. A young man trying to prove himself, his brother a Forest Ranger, an aunt & her niece homesteading and soldiers brought in to help fight the fires.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy reading as it is juvenile literature but the story is interwoven with historical details and facts which makes it very interesting. With the difficulty forest fire fighters face today with access to air support, it is easy to imagine the struggles the rangers and fire crews had in 1910.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alternating perspectives of landowners, forest rangers and townspeople as well as field notes about fires and weather and the historical perspective of what resources were available to deal with this fire really helps one understand the scenario and how it impacted the people then.

[Mayana Kantor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty boring. The characters and their relationships were not very interesting and I didn't feel a connection to any of them or feel invested in the story at all. But it was informative and I did like the field notes throughout the book.

[Cricket Muse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fire. A terrible force of nature that is one of the threats of forested Idaho. The author highlights the 1910 fire through the perspectives of several individuals creating a fascinating historical fiction.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew nothing about the big burn of 1910 that burned 2 1/2 million acres of public land across Montana and Idaho. Great read.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it

[Steph Calvert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as part of my library's Smokey Bear reading challenge, and it was really good! Historical fiction about the big burn that happened in 1910 in Idaho. Give it a read!

[Nanci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Booklist says: "Gr. 6-9. According to the afterword, the fire that engulfed the Northwest in 1910 is still known as the Big Burn. This historical novel, set in northern Idaho, introduces several characters whose lives intersect at various points as the mountains burn. Seth Brown is an African American private in the Twenty-fifth Infantry, sent in from Washington State to help fight fires. Sixteen-year-old Jarrett Logan, just laid off from working on the railroad, leaves home to join the Forest Service and finds not only a job but his estranged older brother, Samuel, an experienced ranger. Celia and her Aunt Lizbeth struggle to make a go of their timberland homestead. Ingold's shifting between sets of characters broadens the scope of the novel but sometimes slows down the action. Still, the momentum gradually builds, and tension heightens as the characters' realizations about a major fire slowly change from a dreaded possibility to a real threat to an unavoidable horror. A solid adventure story with a well-realized setting."

[Tarl · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book that we had to read in class this is prettey good. When we were in class I was often confused though because people around me would be talking about how exciting and awesome this book is at page 216 and I would think to myself, "I'm on page 278 and nothing I would classify as exciting has happended. Did I skip some pages?" So I read part 3 twice, but I hadn't skipped anything, it's just that this book is rather uneventful. I mean the pinnacle of excitment was either when Jarrett and his crew were being chased by a fire which sounds exciting until you hear that they ran about 1/2 a mile than sat in a creek, or when Wallace catches fire, but there is the fact the fire only burnt like four buildings and was put out the day after it started. But this book did get three stars because the characters were wholesome, it was well written, and it had a pretty good plot. But it would have been SOOOO much better if it had a speck of genuine excitment and action because really, its about a forest fire. But I might read it again, maybe.

[Libby Ames · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is the summer of 1910 and wildfires are raging through northern Idaho and Montana. Sixteen-year-old Jarrett Logan signs on to fight the fires and is forced to quickly grow up in ways he never imagined. Private Seth Brown learns the army is much more frightening work and less glory when his division is assigned to fight the fires. Lizbeth Whitcomb realizes the true beauty of the wilderness as she sees it burning before her eyes. Through these perspectives, Ingold shows the bravery and the horror that characterized what is now known as ‘the Big Burn.’

The characters are ordinary teenagers living in an extraordinary time of history. Their relationships and their struggles against nature are both compelling and inspiring. The Big Burn is an interesting retelling of history as well as a very captivating story. It is a good read for teenagers, especially those interested in fire fighting.

[Aline Dufflocq · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Big Burn" was a mediocre read in my opinion. I mean it was okay, I just felt that through 3/4 of the book I was thinking: "Now is it going to become exciting?" And in my opinion a book should get exciting either the whole way through or around 20 pages in, not on like page 167. I also felt that the characters where kinda bland and I got frustrated with them a lot. Lizabeth was okay though I like her ferocity and determination, Seth drove me crazy because of his lack of independence throughout practically the whole book and Jarrett was just there I felt that he wasn't fully explored even though he was the main character. Overall this was a decent read but I need more from a book then this offered me, so I would not recommend this book to readers, maybe you would like it, but I just didn't.

[Ryan R]

The Big Burn by Jeanette Ingold is a must-read! This book is about three main characters Jarret, a young man involved in the fire crew. A black man who joined the army who’s name is Seth. And another character who loves the forest and her home, her name is Lizbeth. These teens find themselves each having to deal with a fire in their own way and also find that there is more to fighting fires than ditch digging and a little bit of water. I suggest reading this book because though out the book the author provides valuable information about fires. Also the plot is easy to understand. This book is a wonderful historical fiction novel for young adults.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeanette Ingold did her homework. This YA fiction The Big Burn is also about the huge forest fire in Idaho/Montana in 1910. The Big Burn NF book by Timothy Egan gave many more details not only about the fire but also about the politics and in general I found it to be more interesting. However Ingold spilled an engaging story and got her facts right. The nice thing about reading fiction is the characters you like don't have to die unless the author decides it's their time. A lot of the gross descriptions of the fire were also in the fiction book but it contained a nice romantic twist or two. It was a light engaging read after the intense NF read.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Driving over Lolo Pass in August 2012, I stopped at the Visitor Center at the top of the pass. There were forest fires around. While I was there, a bus dropped off firefighters, a helicopter swooped in, dropped off tired firefighters, picked up the fresh fire fighters, and headed back toward the smoke. In the VC bookshop, I discovered The Big Burn by Timothy Egan, about an historic fire in the region that occurred just after Theodore Roosevelt's presidency - an excellent book about the history of the US Forest Service. I also found this book of historical fiction about the same fire. I am sending it to my eastern Oregon niece and nephew, so they can learn about some regional history.

[Ceh131973 · Rating 5 out of 5]

[The Big Burn] by [Jeanette Ingold] is an excellently written historical fiction that deals with an interesting topic. The plot is focused around three young people: Elizabeth, a homesteader with her sister, Jarret, a fire fighter, and Seth, and African American soldier. The even that brings them all together is the forest fires of 1910 in Idaho and Montana know as the Big Burn.

[Ingold] tells a fast moving tale through the various perspectives of those involved. The fact that she chose very different characters but remained historically accurate says a lot about the skill of the author. This book is a welcome addition to any classroom library, especially for those reluctant readers.

[Arryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this book, but once the separate stories began to come together, I was able to keep the characters straight and follow the plot better. I enjoyed learning about a major catastrophic event from the early 1900s that I had never previously heard of. The characters were sympathetic; the description of the landscape was vivid; and the plot moved at an ample pace. Overall, I liked the book, but it wasn't a page-turner for me.

[Dana Carmichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a historical fiction junkie. Even so, I thought this book was extremely realistic as the characters ignore or contemplate the advancing forest fires that consumed most of Idaho and western Montana in 1910. The book is told in alternating chapters from the point of views of a homesteader, miners, Forest Service, railroad, countless men that drifted toward the work this monster catastrophe provided.

[Theresa Vencill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about three teenagers that were trapped in fires in the west. One of them was a girl on a homestead, one a boy in the army and one a firefighter. This book tells their story during the biggest inferno that burned. I liked this book because I had never heard of the big burn and i liked the detail the author gave of the characters, fires and towns.

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been learning about "the big burn" and was very interested when I found this book. Not only does it give insight into what it must have been like for the people who lived through the fires, but it draws you into the characters and their feeling. I am sure I will read this book over and over again in the years to come.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this in my 7th grade humanities class and it was honestly the most boring book I’ve ever read, even today. The characters were boring, the story line was entirely predictable, and there was nothing interesting. I do not recommend this book. If you want to learn about the giant wildfire in Idaho go find a different book that is more gripping.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books would never have read or possibly even heard of if not for book club. I liked it fine; I learned some interesting facts about firefighting and the real-life wildfire that ravaged northern Idaho in 1910. A pleasant enough read, nothing to shout about:)

[Lance Hansard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great historical fiction. Easy to read with a great plot centered around actual history of forest fires in U.S. at the turn of the century, 1900's not 2000's. I guess someone needs to formulate a new saying to differentiate the two.

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book has a really complex structure to it. It has many characters in many places where they always switch topics but it all ties together into one big ending. It has alot of intense moments but overall this has many good suprises instore!