Flash Fire [Hardcover]

Caroline B. Cooney (Author), Angelou (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1995

An action-packed, minute-by-minute account of a roaring California wild fire follows the adventures of a pair of young people who are living in an isolated canyon and must save themselves from the approaching inferno.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8?Danna Press, 15, is bored with her life and wishes the excitement of the fires around L.A. would reach Pinch Canyon, the prestigious, isolated development where she lives with her brother and her parents. While the adults are at work, the brushfires do reach the canyon. At first, the neighborhood children want to stay and protect their homes, but they soon realize the fires are life threatening. Told in diary-style entries giving exact times and locations, all the action takes place between 3:15 and 4:55 P.M., creating a tightly knit story. Although the many characters may prove a bit confusing at first, Cooney eventually succeeds in weaving their lives together into a life-and-death rescue. Realistic descriptions of how fires jump and spread, techniques used to fight them, and the thrill seekers and looters who prevent firefighters from doing their job are all skillfully integrated. Similar to Cooney's Flight #116 Is Down (Scholastic, 1992), this exciting natural-disaster tale will surely be popular.?Bonnie L. Raasch, C.B. Vernon Middle School, Marion, IA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 7^-10. Danna's wish for a more exciting life comes true as a fire sweeps through her luxurious L.A. neighborhood. Among other residents struggling to escape are Elony, a recent immigrant who provides the scathing impressions of an outsider; adored son Beau Severyn and his belittled younger sister; and Danna's brother, Hall, who is forced to choose between life and death for one of the group. In quickly sketched passages, Cooney introduces a number of other characters, including several parents, creating an impression of the riches linked to parental love and the damage inflicted by parental neglect. Add to that thorough research, a humorously ironic tone, and page-turning action, and you have a high-quality offering that will appeal to reluctant readers as well as to teens who relish adventure stories. Try this on YAs who liked Cooney's Flight #116 Is Down (1992). Susan Dove Lempke

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 198 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (November 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590252534
• ISBN-13: 978-0590252539
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,364,583 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A page-turner, June 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Flash Fire (Paperback)

Caroline Cooney's "Flash Fire" is a real page turner. I think that anyone who reads this book will be almost guarenteed to enjoy it. Although I think "Emergency Room" is better for the writing style, teachers will find this book easy to use for novel studies. I just had to read this book for a novel study and so many kids read ahead. They were unable to stop reading ahead. Here is a part from the book that I remember: As Hall Press laid in his swimming pool staring up at the orange sky, resembling a basketball, a group of bikers jumped over the hill, the fire right on their heels and disapeared into the canyon. Now, this may not be the exact words but that was the way I enterpreted it. The only thing that you have to keep in mind is to pay close attention to what happens so you don't wind up like a classmate of mine. As we were in reading group, discussing the ending of the book he asked "Did he die??"

If you are pondering the answer to this question, read "Flash Fire". You won't be disapointed! :)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A suspenseful cliff hanger, May 27, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Flash Fire (Paperback)

Flash Fire is definately a 5 star rating! Caroline B. Cooney is an excellent suspenseful author. If you like to read and I mean not stop, this is a book for you. At the end of every section there is a cliff hanger which makes you want to go on! We read this for our natural disaster unit in school. We had to read a section a day, but kids couldn't stop at the end of each section and kept reading. (Each section was about 20-30 pages.) I recomend this to teachers who are looking for a great book for novel studies, and kids who love adventures. This a sad and happy book. You see conflicts from two points of view. You meet a whole bunch of characters, each different in their own way! You learn a lot about California and natural disasters. Read this book to find out if the kids can make it down through the huge Pinch Canyon Fire. Do you think they'll make it down?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flash Fire by Caroline B. Cooney, October 4, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Flash Fire (Hardcover)

Have you ever wanted to know how it is to be in a natural disaster? In Flash Fire, it feels like you're really in the book going through the disaster. Right after another you're just wondering what is going on,in every chapter. You get to like and dislike the people in this book. You can relate to how they feel in this book. It was a great book and I really enjoyed reading it. Flash Fire is the type of book you do not want to put down, and when you have to, you tend to think about it all the time.