FISHING IN FIRE

A group of middle schoolers’ fishing trip goes awry when a forest fire threatens their lives.

Sixth grade in McCall, Idaho, was a social war between popular girls Swann Siddiq and McKenzie Crenner, with everyone choosing sides—and Annette Willard caught in the middle. With the summer before seventh grade almost over, Annette decides to start the year fresh by going fishing with her best friend, Yumi; her new pals, Swann and Kelton; and her crush Hunter. After the group makes a bet with McKenzie and her friends about who can catch the most fish, Annette and company continue on to a river fishing spot. Feeling like the fifth wheel, Yumi heads back to town only to come across McKenzie and crew—and discover a forest fire heading toward her friends. Trapped, the two friend groups must work together, using their skills to navigate the woods and outrun the fire. Reedy crafts an authentic, absorbing nature survival story. Brief interludes between chapters detailing the spread of the fire and other characters’ experiences with this natural disaster add more context about the severity of wildfires. The book’s first half is slower, focusing on relationships and fishing, but the second half moves as quickly as the intense fire. Despite being the series’ third book, it can be read as a stand-alone. McCall is described as a predominantly White town; Yumi is biracial (Japanese and assumed White).

An intense, thrilling wilderness survival story.