ESCAPE FROM THE WILDFIRE

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.