Fire in the Heart [Paperback]

Liza Ketchum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000

When a mysterious letter about her mother's death appears in Molly O'Connor's mailbox, she begins a search that turns her family upside down. Fighting her father's disapproval, Molly enlists the help of her stepmother and an older cousin known as "Crazy Sadie." As Molly gathers clues surrounding her mother's long-ago disappearance, she uncovers a family secret that explains her father's silence. Determined to know the truth, Molly's search leads her to California—and back in time to a gold rush ancestor.

Sequel to the award-winning West Against the Wind.

An ALA "Best Young Adult Novel."

On Missouri's Mark Twain List.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9 Fourteen-year-old Vermonter Molly O'Connor has suppressed her memories of her mother, who was killed in an automobile accident in California ten years ago. When she reads a letter addressed to her father which mentions her mother, it motivates her to begin asking questions, despite her father's warnings that it's best to leave the past alone. Each discovery that Molly makes about her geologist mother opens up a new secret as she probes the past through old photographs, letters, and family stories. She finally learns that at the time of her death, her mother was searching for a gold nugget buried duing the Gold Rush by an ancestor, Abigail Parker, who is the heroine of Murrow's West Against the Wind (Holiday, 1987). As Molly visits the scene of the quest, she begins to understand who her mother really was. This is an engrossing story of how the need to satisfy curiosity about the past can splinter a family. The portrayal of prickly, self-absorbed Molly and her friction-laden relationships is a faithful rendering of the turmoil of adolescence. Murrow's fine treatment of Molly's struggle with her frozen emotions about her mother rivals Oneal's A Formal Feeling (Viking, 1982). Merilyn S. Burrington, Vergennes Union H.S., Vt.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"An engrossing story of how the need to satisfy curiosity about the past can splinter a family." -- School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: Backinprint.Com (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595091997
• ISBN-13: 978-0595091997
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,284,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fire In the Heart, April 4, 2000

By 

Alli (Toccoa Ga.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire in the Heart (Library Binding)

I really liked this book, it was an exciting book. It kept me interested in it. It's about a girl that tries to find out why her mother died. She goes all the way to Califonia to find out what happened to her. While she is there she finnaly meets the guy she had been writing letters to and talking to on the phone. Read the story to find out what else happens.

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific read at any age!, February 15, 2009

By 

Wisconsonite (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire in the Heart (Paperback)

I purchased this young adult book after seeing excerpts in the local paper. I am in my twenties and loved it. Even my grandfather thought it was great. Fun fiction set with a historical setting!

4.0 out of 5 stars Allison's Book Review, February 11, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Fire in the Heart (Library Binding)

Molly finds a letter from Ramon. Molly's family never talks about her deceased mother, Ashley, who died in a car wreck when Molly was just four years old. Kai, Molly's best friend, comes back to Vermont for the summer. Molly visits Grand Nan to ask about her mom. Her grandma, who suffers from Memory loss, cant tell her alot so she sends her to Sadie, Grand Nan's cousin. Kai called Todd, Molly's brother, which made her really jealous. Molly's dad gets angry when she asked him about her mother again. After Molly reads the letter from Ramon who is in California, she tells Kai about the fatal crash in which her mom died also in California. She continues to write back and forth with Ramon. Her father tells her that she was obsessed with archeology. Molly finally gets the nerve to go to California to find more facts about why her mom was in California or why she was with another man at the time. Her father finally softens up and lets her go to California with her step mother, Blair. When they arrive Molly finally gets to meet her pen-pal / crush, Ramon. They stay with Ramon and his family. Molly eventually finds all of the answers she wanted and in the end gets a little romance too. "This book is great its about a fourteen year old girl who wants to know more about her mom." four stars!! maybe five!! -lovely