Customer Reviews

The Boy in the Burning House

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is already published in Canada. Both my 11 year old son and I read this book. It kept my son on the edge of his seat and I enjoyed it as well.

The story revolves around a 14 year old loner named Jim, whose father disappears under mysterious circumstances, and is presumed to have committed suicide. While the boy and his mother struggle with the day to day challenges that inevitably result, the boy meets up with Ruth Rose, a very unusual and erratic teen, who believes her stepfather is a murderer. Jim doesn't want to get involved in Ruth Rose's rantings, but he can't help but get drawn into the mystery.

Although the subject matter deals with some very heavy topics, the author manages to inject some humorous moments and plenty of suspense, which keep the story from becoming too intense for youthful readers. I thought the author did a commendable job exploring the topics of mental health and social acceptance.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone 11 and over.

Everyone in the tiny Canadian farming community knows that Ruth Rose, despite being the preacher's step-daughter, is a crazy-bad girl. So who is Jim Hawkins to say otherwise?

When Ruth Rose surprises Jim while he's taking down a beaver dam on his farm one day he thinks she's playing some sort of elaborate game on him. She has been spying on Jim and his mother for long enough to know both of their schedules. Freaky. Even freakier, Ruth-Rose insists that Jim's father, Hub, who's been missing for a year, is dead. And not just dead, murdered --- by Ruth Rose's step-father, Father Fisher, to be exact.

Jim doesn't want to believe Ruth Rose, but when the crazy-bad girl tells him about a fire that links Father and Hub, he begins to think that maybe Ruth Rose isn't completely insane in this case and that there may be a connection between the long-ago fire and his father's disappearance.

THE BOY IN THE BURNING HOUSE is a fast paced, thrilling ride that begins
quietly and builds intensity as the pages fly by. At its center, is Jim Hawkins, a completely average young guy who finds he can no longer place his faith in his knowledge of the world. And with only Ruth Rose to help him piece together all the mysteries, Jim feels as if he's gotten into something he can't control. He knows he must find the truth or he won't have a future.

Tim Wynne-Jones sets his tale in the most unlikely of places --- a quiet, isolated town in rural Ontario --- and plops the reader into boiling emotions and the swift moving currents of events both past and present. The result is a wild plot filled with suspense. The reader will be panting for breath as Jim gets caught up in a series of events he cannot fathom or control until the story ends!

--- Reviewed by Cassia Van Arsdale

The Boy in the Burning House
By Tim Wynne-Jones

Summary:
Two years after his father mysteriously disappeared, Jim Hawkins' life is leading toward uncertainty and grief. He then meats this moody, punky stepdaughter of Father Fisher. She was known as Ruth Rose. She shocks him by telling him that his stepfather is a murderer. Jim of course was in denial, but Ruth Rose asks him this question, and that was all to arouse Jim's suspicion. In spite of his fear, he wants Rose to tell him the truth. As Jim gets closer to the truth everyday, danger is also closing in. Jim then must decide if this is worth it. Should he risk his life and find out what happened to his father or should he keep a sacred memory?

Why I liked this book:
I'm not very used to reading books about killing. I never would have thought it would be crime. It has been a long time for me when I have read a crime book, and it just sounded good to me. The books I'm used to are all science fiction, and it really has good suspense like "Don't you want to know who he murdered?" or when somebody sprayed these words "Father killed Hub" in anger red. It's just like an entire new taste to me when I was reading that crazy scaring book.

My favorite part of the book:
It was really at the end when Jim was captured, and had to escape out a mysterious, maze-like cave. I had predicted that Jim would get out of course, and would be like those good ending books. One thing that aroused my attention though was the action in the air. It had so many turns I was confused, but I really liked it even though I had to read it twice. This book took the breath out of me!

I'm so impressed by the quality of the book I purchased. It is like new condition. What a great deal. Quick shipment too!

The Boy in the Burning House is a compelling novel written by Tim Wynne-Jones. The setting is Ladybank, a small town where everybody knows everyone else's business. Young Jim Hawkins and his mother lived on a farm. Just 3 years ago Jims Father, Hub Hawkins disappeared. Jim and his mother try to forget the pain they went through losing him. They are reminded of him when the pastors daughter Ruth Rose shows up and tries to convince Jim that Father (Eldon) Fisher killed his father. Jim is caught between believing Ruth Rose who they say is crazy and has two personalities. Jim late decides to trust Ruth Rose and the two of them do a little detective work to see if they can solve Hubs disappearance.

The Boy in the Burning House is a compelling novel written by Tim Wynne-Jones. The setting is Ladybank, a small town where everybody knows everyone elses buissness. Young Jim Hawkins and his mother lived on a farm. Just 3 years ago Jims Father,Hub Hawkins disappered. Jim and his mother try to forget the pain they went through losing him. They are reminded of him when the pastors daughter Ruth Rose shows up and tries to convince Jim that Father (Eldon) Fisher killed his father. Jim is caught between believing Ruth Rose who they say is crazy and has two personalities. Jim trusts Ruth Rose and the two of them do a little detective work to see if they can solve Hubs disapperance.

This awesome book is almost un-stoppable to put down. It has a bunch of details that make a perfect picture in your mind, as you are reading.

Just through reading this with my 12 year old son. Really enjoyed it -- it was all I could do to stop myself from reading ahead after he had hit the sack.

I thought the author did a very nice job of painting both adults and kids as both heroic and flawed at the same time. The interactions between the hero and heroine are very realisticly written.

The title of the book is The Boy in the Burning House, the author is Tim Wynne-Jones. Jim Hawnkins lost his father two years ago and Jim doesn't know how. One day Jim meets a girl named Ruth Rose who tells Jim that the minister of their church Father Fisher murdered his father, but needless to say Ruth Rose is Fishers stepdaughter. As Ruth and Jim try to find out who murdered Jim's father they find out that another one of Jim's father's friends died around the time of his father's death. As this happens Ruth and Jim are having problems because some one is coming to Jim's house and some things are happening that are just real creepy.
I really liked this book; I liked this book because it kept me reading and it all ways had something exciting going on. I would recommend this to a friend who likes a mystery book and likes a book that keeps them on the end of their chair.

Sincerely,
Kid Reader

The Boy in the Burning House is what you would call a "junior mystery". A small murder that grabs your attention, but doesn't "scare you silly". This 215-page book is a great young readers novel. Good ages to read this book are from ages 11 to 14. Teenagers and adults, I don't recommend this book to you. The Boy in the Burning House really grabs your attention and keeps you asking "What is going to happen next?". I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery, and is in between ages 11 and 14. I give this book four-stars because it was a good well-written book. Tim Wynne-Jones is a talented author who knows how to get young people reading. I would recommend his other books, including, The Maestro, Stephen Fair, Lord of the Fries and Other Stories.