Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A boy, a girl, a venerable Jeep, and a massive wildfire sweeping across the mountains of Maine. It's the perfect setup for a riveting tale of high suspense.Sam and Delphy are staying at separate summer camps on the same lake when the threat of a wildfire forces evacuation—but both are inadvertently left behind. Using the survival skills he learned from his deceased father, Sam hikes cross-country until he finds a remote cabin and the old Jeep that will prove to be his salvation. Only later, barreling along a narrow logging road, does he encounter Delphy. With shades of My Side of the Mountain for a modern audience, 2010 Newbery Honoree Philbrick (The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg) provides the pair of young adolescents, both white, with just enough modern technology to keep the tale credible. It will take all of their courage and wits to survive being lost in the wilderness, even as they are constantly threatened both by the erratic fire and the danger posed by two out-of-control arsonists. Sam's pithy first-person voice is self-deprecating enough to be fully believable and plays nicely against Delphy's sometimes less confident but heroically determined character. Short chapters, outstanding cover art, and a breathless pace make this a fine choice for reluctant readers. Interesting backmatter regarding wildfires and survival tips rounds out a thrilling tale.Outstanding suspense. (Fiction. 9-12)

ALA Booklist (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this fast-paced story, two young people struggle to survive after they're stranded in a dangerous wildfire in the Maine woods. Sam is left behind when he returns to camp for his cell phone. On foot, he finds an old logging trail and eventually comes upon a cabin with canned food and an old Jeep. A bit conveniently, Sam is able to drive the Jeep despite being only 12, having driven one with his dad, a civilian truck driver killed in Afghanistan. As he flees an encroaching fire, Sam nearly runs over Delphy, a tall, 14-year-old girl also left behind at a nearby witness camp. Wild animal encounters become the least of their problems after they witness d are spotted by rt bikers deliberately setting fires. Delphy's science smarts and Sam's dogged determination and wilderness skills help them survive for six harrowing days. Exciting short chapters will appeal to readers, especially those familiar with the recent devastating wildfires in California, and an afterward contains wildfire survival tips.

Horn Book (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Setting this tale in the present, Philbrick (Who Killed Darius Drake?) roots his survival story in details of Maine's Great Fire of 1947. When a wall of fire prevents twelve-year-old Sam and another camper from evacuating Camp Wabanaski, they go on the run, desperately seeking safety. Sam's brisk first-person narrative folds in his father's death in Afghanistan and his mother's opioid addiction. Back matter includes extensive wildfire information and survival tips.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A boy, a girl, a venerable Jeep, and a massive wildfire sweeping across the mountains of Maine. It's the perfect setup for a riveting tale of high suspense.Sam and Delphy are staying at separate summer camps on the same lake when the threat of a wildfire forces evacuation—but both are inadvertently left behind. Using the survival skills he learned from his deceased father, Sam hikes cross-country until he finds a remote cabin and the old Jeep that will prove to be his salvation. Only later, barreling along a narrow logging road, does he encounter Delphy. With shades of My Side of the Mountain for a modern audience, 2010 Newbery Honoree Philbrick (The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg) provides the pair of young adolescents, both white, with just enough modern technology to keep the tale credible. It will take all of their courage and wits to survive being lost in the wilderness, even as they are constantly threatened both by the erratic fire and the danger posed by two out-of-control arsonists. Sam's pithy first-person voice is self-deprecating enough to be fully believable and plays nicely against Delphy's sometimes less confident but heroically determined character. Short chapters, outstanding cover art, and a breathless pace make this a fine choice for reluctant readers. Interesting backmatter regarding wildfires and survival tips rounds out a thrilling tale.Outstanding suspense. (Fiction. 9-12)