Firestorm: The Caretaker Trilogy: Book 1 [Hardcover]

David Klass (Author)

Book Description

Series: Caretaker Trilogy | Publication Date: September 5, 2006

His mother is not his mother. His father is not his father. But if Jack hadn't broken the high school rushing record that night, he never would have known and nothing would have changed. He'd just be going out for pizza, playing football, trying yet again to score with his girlfriend, P.J. But he did break the record. He appeared on the news. And now they've found him. Jack plunges into a space-time-bending game of survival with no way out. The rules are shrouded in secrets. But one thing he learns fast: Trust no one. After centuries of abuse, the earth is dying, and it's up to Jack to reverse the decline before the Turning Point, when nothing will ever be the same again. Beaten into shape by a ninja babe and a huge telepathic man's best friend, Jack hurtles across the ocean to save the future from the present and to solve the mystery of his purpose. Exactly who, or what, is Firestorm, and what does it have to do with Jack? And what comes next when everything you have ever known turns out to be wrong?
 
In the first book of the Caretaker Trilogy, readers are taken on an electrifying, fast-paced adventure of hunting truth, all in the name of staying alive.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 8 Up–Klass enters exciting and provocative new territory with this sci-fi thriller. Seventeen-year-old Jack Danielsons life has always been normal–except that his parents have encouraged him to blend in and not try too hard. But then he learns that he is different, that he has special powers and abilities, and that he is from the future and has been sent back to save the planet. Strangers kill his adoptive parents and come after him, and the teens only hope to survive is to trust in Gisco, a huge dog who speaks to him telepathically, and Eko, a ninja babe whose loyalties are ambiguous. The writing is fluid and graceful in places. The sobering events and tone are leavened with engaging humor, and the characters are multidimensional. The relentless pace, coupled with issues of ecology, time travel, self-identity, and sexual awakening, makes for a thrilling and memorable read. The cliff-hanger ending will make readers hope that Klasss work on book two of the trilogy is well under way.–Melissa Moore, Union University Library, Jackson, TN
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Jack's parents have taught him to blend in, and he resents it. He knows he can be a star--which he becomes when he shatters his school's rushing record and appears on the news. Then his parents tell him they aren't really his parents, and Jack suddenly finds himself catapulted from being on top of the world to running for his life and being the only one equipped to avert ecological disaster. In the first volume in this eco-fantasy series, Klass avoids preaching while still conveying how easily ignorance can cause environmental atrocities; a scene in which Jack helps trawl for orange roughy is downright chilling. The nonstop run of fragmentary sentences is effective in action scenes; it's distracting everywhere else, however, so it's fortunate that the book is packed with high-intensity thrills. Style matters aside, Klass' protagonist comes off as a regular guy, right down to his awkward sexual impulses, and Jack's surprising fate will leave readers waiting eagerly for the second installment in the Caretaker Trilogy^B. Krista Hutley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (September 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374323070
• ISBN-13: 978-0374323073
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,273,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Firestorm may not be appropriate for middle school., March 28, 2007

By 

A. Roth "Middle School media specialist" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Firestorm: The Caretaker Trilogy: Book 1 (Hardcover)

Just a "heads-up" for middle school folks who select books. The main character is in a car with his girlfriend & tries to convince her that "this is the night." The girlfriend says "you want me to spread my legs like football goalposts? Is that it?" "Put it away. Back in your pants." "Put that sucker away and let's go home. There'll be lots of better times. I promise. Soon." "Have you every heard of blue balls? It's a medical condition. Can be terminal."
This is a great story! Consider it for high school kids. But if you live in a community that is a bit conservative, Firestorm is best selected for the high school level.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, September 5, 2006

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Firestorm: The Caretaker Trilogy: Book 1 (Hardcover)

It's always interesting to read the blurbs on the front of a book. You know the ones I mean; the recommendations from fellow authors about why you should pick up a copy of the book in question. What's even more interesting is when the blurb comes from someone other than an author. In the case of FIRESTORM, the first in The Caretaker Trilogy by author David Klass, the recommendation comes from Greenpeace. Yes, the same Greenpeace International that is dedicated to protecting and saving the Earth from the harmful practices that threaten to destroy it. If that isn't enough to get your attention, then maybe you should turn your ear towards Jack Danielson, the hero of FIRESTORM:

"Name's Jack Danielson. Eighteen. As of right now, not quite sure I'll live to see nineteen. Always been a pretty good guy, easy-going, laid back, friend to all and enemy to none. Smart, but not too smart. Athletically inclined, but never enough to be the best. Now my whole world is falling apart. Seems my father isn't my father. My mother isn't my mother. The fact that my dad who isn't my dad shot off his own foot to prove his point should be strange enough. It isn't. There are weird bat-like creatures chasing me, and things called Gorms. I've somehow ended up on a motorcycle with a humongous mongrel dog named Gisco, who happens to be telepathic, riding in a sidecar. Now there's a woman named Eko kicking my a** on a daily basis to make me stronger. Why? Because I have to find Firestorm so that I can save the Earth. And no, I have no idea what that is. And yes, I'm a fan of sentence fragments. Look it up, my friend, but not right now. Right now I have to
save the world, before there's no future on Earth for me to come back from."

FIRESTORM is Jack's story, but it's also the story of what could very well happen. It's a fantasy that could be truth, if the destruction of Earth by mankind continues on its current course. After reading this wonderful book, I clearly understand why it's endorsed by Greenpeace. One of the best things of the book, besides its underlying message of taking care of the planet, is Gisco, the telepathic dog. He adds an element of humor, such as his devotion to the O Great Dog God, that lightens up a story that could come across as preachy, but never does. It's very hard to categorize FIRESTORM into one category, but if I had to I would call it a coming-of-age, contemporary fantasy, science-fiction, paranormal adventure story.

If that doesn't catch your attention, I don't know what will. Let me just say that once you start reading, you won't be able to stop. And when you're finished, you'll want to read more. FIRESTORM is, luckily, the first book in The Caretaker Trilogy, so maybe if we hound Mr. Klass night and day he'll give us what we want--and sooner rather than later.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kids Love It, April 9, 2007

By 

LFC (Lake Michigan Shores, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Firestorm: The Caretaker Trilogy: Book 1 (Hardcover)

I bought this for a girl who doesn't read as often as she should and she couldn't put it down. She has already asked me about the next book in the trilogy.