What do You think about The Big Burn (2003)?
Jeanette Ingold did her homework. This YA fiction The Big Burn is also about the huge forest fire in Idaho/Montana in 1910. The Big Burn NF book by Timothy Egan gave many more details not only about the fire but also about the politics and in general I found it to be more interesting. However Ingold spilled an engaging story and got her facts right. The nice thing about reading fiction is the characters you like don't have to die unless the author decides it's their time. A lot of the gross descriptions of the fire were also in the fiction book but it contained a nice romantic twist or two. It was a light engaging read after the intense NF read.
—Carol
Driving over Lolo Pass in August 2012, I stopped at the Visitor Center at the top of the pass. There were forest fires around. While I was there, a bus dropped off firefighters, a helicopter swooped in, dropped off tired firefighters, picked up the fresh fire fighters, and headed back toward the smoke. In the VC bookshop, I discovered The Big Burn by Timothy Egan, about an historic fire in the region that occurred just after Theodore Roosevelt's presidency - an excellent book about the history of the US Forest Service. I also found this book of historical fiction about the same fire. I am sending it to my eastern Oregon niece and nephew, so they can learn about some regional history.
—Wendy
I enjoyed the Big Burn. It ranks above the other books I've had to read in school. This book starts out rather slow but after the first hundred pages you start to feel the intensity. My favorite character was Seth. His constant need for a place to belong and affirmation was contrary to the attitude of Mrs. Celia Whitcomb. She was too stubborn to be nice to people or listen to their advice. She deserved to almost get trapped in the fire. As for Jarrett and Samuel Logan, they were an interesting way to see the "behind the scenes" of the people fighting the fire versus the people fleeing from the fire. I could relate to the people in this story BECAUSE they were so...real. They had real emotions, everything wasn't happy pretty butterflies all of the time.
—Maddie
