
Chris Baron (The Gray) will leave readers both teary-eyed and cheering with his novel-in-verse Spark, which evokes the terror of wildfires and the hope of new growth.
Like all Californians, the residents of Redwood Hollows are intimately familiar with red-flag warnings and alerts for wildfires. They are so common that middle-school student Finn keeps track of fires by noting them in his field journal, a meticulous log of local flora and fauna. Then the alarm sounds: "LEAVE NOW-LEAVE NOW-TIME TO GO!" His family's escape by truck is "like being inside a movie/ or a painting/ of what it looks like/ at the end of the world." Swaths of Finn's small town are burned beyond recognition and fire haunts his dreams. Finn and his friends have hope an important part of their town may have remained intact: the Forest Heart, the old-growth forest at the center of the state park. But the forest is still in danger from construction that would make the fires worse--unless Finn and his friends can do something to save it.
This powerhouse novel uses short and accessible prose to evoke fear, rage, and purpose in the face of wildfires. Baron discusses the differences in how danger is faced and trauma processed because of culture and wealth: Finn's Jewish heritage, the disabilities and multi-racial identities of his friends, and wealth gaps all play roles in how characters react to and handle disaster. Though all animals and named characters survive, Spark may be too raw for those with wildfire experience or who are particularly sensitive. However, readers who want an empathetic and ultimately hopeful read will likely find both sorrow and inspiration in Spark. --Nicole Brinkley, bookseller and writer