Burning Mountain

City Five #4

by L.J. Adlington, Lucy Adlington

At the end of it all you have to come back. What is taken must be returned ...

FOUR CLUES: A soldier's badge, a gold coin, volcanic rock, a piece of shrapnel.

TWO WARS: Then ... and Now ...

ONE CHANCE: To do the right thing.

War only happens to other people in far off places. Right?

Craig and Denise are about to find out that life can explode when you least expect it ...

336 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2010

Reviews

[Caroline Bartels · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting that this was on a Listopia list with Helter Skelter and In Cold Blood...now I'm intrigued :-)

Oh, this is a good one! A really good YA war novel with a touch of magical realism that really works. I'm a sucker for WWII and like The Book Thief (though this isn't in the same league) this is really about the civilians in war...I had to keep reminding myself that the Germans and Italians were allies, true, but that when the Germans marched into Italy, those Italians couldn't have been all that happy with their presence. The story is told in the present as a girl and her brother befriend the old Dr. and her husband who live next door to them in England. They have a brother fighting in Afghanistan. Just really well done (though I have to say I didn't realize the modern story is told through the eyes of a girl...she just read like a boy for a good portion of the novel) and I was crying pretty hard by the end. And a learned a ton about the war in Italy!!! Really good battle scenes.

[Candy Wood]

The “burning mountain” is Vesuvius, which erupted in 79 and also in 1944, during the fighting around Monte Cassino. Adlington brings the two times together with a first-person narrative by 15-year-old Denise, whose father died in the Gulf War and whose older brother is a paratrooper in Afghanistan. From the point of view of the young men (in this book, anyway) who fight, war is about standing with one’s fellow soldiers. Visiting the old couple next door, Denise and her younger brother Craig hear the story of Vittoria and Peter in Italy in 1943, two more teens, one keeping village children alive by becoming the queen of thieves while the other tries to be good at his job as a German soldier. Vittoria’s experiences add the dimension of civilian suffering in wartime. All the stories come together well, with a moving (if too neat and tidy) resolution.

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written tale weaving the story of life during the time of the eruption of Mt Vesuvius; World War II in Naples and present day life in England.
magical, heartwarming, real
Key subjects include: war, family and friendship, ghosts, survival,

[Estra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really interesting and intriguing. I was enthralled in the book and couldn't put it down!

[Annette Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written with great characters i learned a lot about Italy in World Wad II.

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so sure about this books - didn't link the points together as well as the Glittering Eye or Cherry Heaven - it was also a bit confusing.