Escape from the Wildfire

by Dorothy Bentley

Overview

"The finely detailed plot unwinds slowly, but make no mistake — it’s a page-turner." — Kirkus Reviews

Escape from the Wildfire offers a fictional account based on the real-life facts of the disastrous wildfire of 2021 that destroyed the town of Lytton after days of scorching heat. Dorothy Bentley’s own experiences of living through a wildfire led her to research the experience of Lytton residents so she could write the story of a resilient teen surviving an environmental catastrophe.

The summer of 2021 is hot even for B.C.’s arid interior under a record-breaking heat dome. Fourteen-year-old Jack hangs out with his friends Scott, Tess, and Indigenous teen Rory. On June 30, a wildfire inferno descends with horrifying suddenness. Jack must flee for his life, evacuated to a nearby town. Jack and his friends are aware of the context and possible causes of the wildfire  He must come to terms with the loss of his entire village, the idea of starting all over again, and the need to change how we interact with the climate we depend on to survive.

Dorothy Bentley has written an adventure story for our time, enabling young readers to consider the consequences of ever more frequent disasters triggered by climate change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459417045
Publisher:	James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers
Publication date:	09/02/2022
Sold by:	De Marque
Format:	eBook
File size:	998 KB

About the Author

Dorothy Bentley was born in Southern Ontario and has made Alberta her home for many years. She has taught creative writing, written a newspaper column, and now works for the Writer’s Guild of Alberta. A nature enthusiast, she enjoys outdoor activities and is an advocate of tree planting. Surviving the trauma of a devastating wildfire herself inspired her to research and write about the topic. She is also the author of a picture book for young readers, Summer North Coming, Winter North Coming. She lives near Okotoks, Alberta.

Editorial Reviews

02/01/2023

Gr 5–8—After a prologue where ninth grader Jack barely escapes from his burning home and a brief chapter set three weeks later, readers settle into a steady tick-tock beginning almost four months before a devastating wildfire in small-town Lytton, British Columbia. Jack lives with his schoolteacher mom and a dad who is often traveling for his job coordinating wildfire response. Big sister Quinn is away training as a tree planter. Only a day after Mom leaves for an extended family visit in faraway Victoria, with Jack remaining home alone with support from neighbor Glenda, a growing wildfire rips into Lytton, beginning to consume Jack's house even while he's playing video games with a friend in the basement. The remainder of the story details their time in an emergency shelter and a tentative return to normal. The events surrounding the actual fire and escape take up only a fraction of the story and details are scant. Written at a fourth grade reading level, the book includes a list of discussion questions as well as recommended resources for further study in subjects such as climate and biodiversity. At times didactic and often bogged down with unimportant details, reading will be slow going for reluctant readers. VERDICT A secondary selection where climate fiction is popular.

School Library Journal

2022-10-11
This fact-based novel brings to life the 2021 wildfire that devastated Lytton, British Columbia.

With his sister away planting trees and their dad helping fight wildfires up north, Jack, 14, plans to spend the summer biking, working at the pool, gaming with friends, and pursuing his crush, who founded a biodiversity club. There’s not much to do in tiny Lytton, but it’s home: The scenic wilderness surrounding it has miles of biking trails and a terrific swimming hole. Life feels normal, yet Jack’s world is changing. His mom’s away in Victoria when the sweltering, tinder-dry village erupts in a fiery inferno, leaving Lytton a burned-out ruin. Accommodated in a nearby town, the residents take stock. Fire has consumed the Chinese History Museum that honored the laborers—including one of Jack’s great-grandfathers (the rest of his family is implied White)—who built railroads through B.C.’s steep mountains but were erased from history. His friend Rory’s First Nations community, whose land Lytton occupies, has suffered significant losses. The townspeople scatter—some never to return, moving in with relatives or starting over elsewhere. Itemizing his lost items for insurance purposes, Jack ponders intangible losses like community and safety and contemplates how to restore them. Surviving Alberta’s devastating 2016 House River Wildfire has given Bentley deep insights into her subject. Straightforward characterization and understated narration make this a strong choice for reluctant readers.

The finely detailed plot unwinds slowly, but make no mistake—it’s a page-turner. (author’s note, study questions, resources) (Fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews