Burning Up [Paperback]

Caroline B Cooney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2000

Fifteen year old Macey has been living in the same wealthy neighbourhood all her life - just down the road from her grandparents. Life is easy. But she doesn't know how lucky she is...Macey's eyes are about to be opened to the reality of race and conflict in modern America - when a secret from the past explodes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is a story rife with fire. In Shell Beach, where teenaged Macey Clare divides her life between her busy parents and her sweet-natured grandparents, neighbors gather around driftwood bonfires. Arson in the inner-city church where Macey volunteers leaves her asking why life should be so hard for some people--a question that becomes more urgent when her new friend Venita is killed in the crossfire of a gang shootout. And primary to the story is the mysterious fire of 1959 that burned down a barn across the street from Macey's grandparents' house. When Macey and her new love Austin begin to explore the barn's history for a school project, their families and neighbors become strangely evasive. But the pieces begin to fit together when Macey and Austin discover that long ago the barn had been turned into an apartment, the inhabitant of which was the first--and last--black high school teacher in Shell Beach. Why was the building burned down? And, more importantly, whose hand lit the match? As they dig deeper, Macey and Austin become more frightened of the truth--of answers that will rekindle fires of bigotry much too close to their own lives.

Caroline Cooney, the popular and prolific author of The Face on the Milk Carton and many other young adult novels, has risen to new heights of suspenseful storytelling with this wise and compassionate story. Teens will be riveted by the gradual revelation of the mystery, and inspired by Cooney's clear message that young people--as well as their elders--can be caught up in the apathy of "doing nothing" about evil. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

What does a 1959 barn fire in Macey's affluent Connecticut town have to do with an arsonist's attack on an inner-city church where she and classmates volunteer one day? Nothing, as far as the 15-year-old's friends and family are concerned. But Macey, who narrowly escaped the church fire, senses that there is a connection between the two when she researches local history for a school project. Cooney (The Face on the Milk Carton) has produced another tantalizingly dark secret for her protagonist and readers to unravel together. Macey's rising awareness of hate crimes sharply escalates after Venita, whom Macey met at the church, is murdered when she tries to interrupt a gang fight. Macey is appalled by her parents' and grandparents' apparent callousness and their refusal to let her attend the girl's funeral ("Try not to think about Venita," her mother says. "It's so sad, darling, but there is nothing you can do"). Were her grandparents' hearts as cold 40 years ago when the barn apartment of the town's only black resident went up in smoke? Were they responsible for his near death? By interviewing community members and tracking down Mr. Sibley, the tenant of the barn apartment, Macey finds the ugly answers to her questions. Even though Macey's introduction to prejudice and her unshakable nobility are slightly overdrawn, she remains a sympathetic figure, just stubborn and vulnerable enough to be real. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Pan Childrens (September 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330391046
• ISBN-13: 978-0330391047
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,801,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Touching., June 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Burning Up (Hardcover)

I had only read one of Caroline Cooney's books(the face on the milk carton)but I loved this one. I thought it was a GREAT mystery and a terrific plot, though the ending was a bit shaking. If you read this book and enjoyed it you would also like Sharon Creeches writing.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Burning Up with curiosity, December 15, 1999

By 

Inness (Washington, USA, North America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burning Up (Hardcover)

I loved this book! Like most books I couldn't put it down until finished. I think people who don't mind being curious and shaken at the end, who can put up with the 'boring parts' of this book should go for it. It's about a girl who is trying to find facts about an old barn that burned down once long ago with her new love, Austin. I give this book a thumbs up!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Burning Up Is On Fire!!!, April 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Burning Up (Mass Market Paperback)

Caroline B. Cooney's Burning Up is an awesome mystery/realistic fiction novel for teens! The imaginative plot and theme of this story is one that catches eyes wherever it is read. 15-year old Macey Clare investigates a fire that destroyed an apartment and barn in 1959, for a school history paper. Her family's lived in that same town forever, so she turns to them for information. But everyone she talks to is hiding secrets and telling Macey to choose another topic. This part of the book is an awesome attention-getter that makes you want to read on and solve the mystery. At some times the book can be a tad boring, but later on in the story, you recall valuable clues that were woven in those pages. Ms. Cooney did a terrific job of guiding the reader through the mystery-solving, without giving away the resolution until the end. Suspensful parts of the story keep you turning the pages. I thought that this book was different, and that's why I enjoyed reading it so much. Some of the events in this story leave you shocked and somewhat curious as to find out the cause of them. I reccommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense, mystery, and history. In fact, I gave it to a girl in my class to read, and so far, she finds it very interesting and suspenseful. Way2go, Cooney!