Evacuation Order

by Jane B. Mason, Sarah Hines-Stephens

Overview

If you only had a few minutes to evacuate your house in the face of a wildfire, what would you take? And if you were separated from your mom and thought she was in danger, would you still leave - or would you head back in to rescue her?

Twelve-year-old Sam lives alone with his mom and their dog in the idyllic seaside town of Santa Bonita. His father died when Sam was young, but his best friend Marco has been helping recreate his dad's old photos as part of a memorial project. One particularly warm October day, however, Sam smells something faint from far away. It's the scent of smoke.

An unexpected southern California wildfire is whipping ferociously toward town. Sam, Marco, and the whole neighborhood must urgently evacuate with little warning. Sam is distraught. If his house burns, all his memories of his father will go with it.

Even worse, Sam’s dog disappears during the emergency, sending the boy into a panic. When he should be leaving the city with Marco and his family, Sam instead turns back, a decision that will plunge him right into the path of a deadly fire.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338629347
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	11/07/2023
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	998,799
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.30(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	820L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Sarah Hines Stephens lives in Oakland, California, where she spends her time keeping up with her children and writing books with Jane B. Mason, including A Dog and His Girl Mysteries and the Candy Apple titles The Sister Switch and Snowfall Surprise.
Jane B. Mason lives in Oakland, California, where she spends her time adjusting to her teenage children, open water swimming, and writing. Her most recent titles, written with Sarah Hines Stephens, include A Dog and His Girl Mysteries and the Candy Apple titles The Sister Switch and Snowfall Surprise. Without Annette was Jane's YA debut.

Editorial Reviews

12/01/2023

Gr 4–7—Separated from their families, Sam Durand, along with his best friend Marco Nuñez and dog Goodboy, navigate the California streets when a wildfire threatens their small town of Santa Bonita. Equipped with limited supplies and faced with a series of challenges, such as losing Goodboy and a flat tire, Sam is determined to be reunited with his mom before it's too late. The novel has a slow build and offers different perspectives of characters grappling with the growing flames, including Marco's firefighter cousin, Gabi, and a young deer desperately seeking refuge. While the book's premise is gripping, the plot plays out with one-dimensional characterization. Sam's story revolves around his obsession with recreating his deceased photographer father's old pictures, and many facets of that, including his relationship with his grieving mother, lack exploration. The depth of Sam and Marco's friendship is emphasized by Marco leaving safety with his own family to be with Sam, but his frustrations and the subsequent confrontation feel unresolved. Race of the characters is unknown, though the Nuñez family is perceived as Latinx. VERDICT Fans of survival stories like Alan Gratz's books and the "I Survived" series may appreciate this action-packed quick read despite lackluster characterization.—Amanda Harding

School Library Journal

2023-09-23
Two seventh graders battle dangers from a wildfire.

When a wildfire reaches their coastal California town, Sam Durand, his dog, Goodboy, and his best friend, Marco Nuñez, race to escape the flames—traveling on foot, bike, and ATV. They encounter plausible challenges like a flat bike tire, worsening smoke conditions, and a neighbor who’s been unable to evacuate. Interspersed chapters offer readers new facets of the catastrophe, following the perspectives of firefighters and a young deer spooked by the blaze. Mason and Stephens elucidate the details of the disaster with specificity and propulsive suspense, from the origins of the massive blaze right down to the dangerously hot rock that remains after fire has torn through a streambed. The book’s characterization, however, doesn’t live up to these thrilling particulars, saddling Sam with a conflicted relationship with his deceased photographer father and an obsessive effort to re-create his dad’s images. Marco selflessly supports his friend, even to the point of leaving his own family to rescue Sam. The rest of their fearful flight results from Sam’s insistence on tracking his mother to the hospital where she works instead of evacuating with Marco’s family. Physical descriptions of characters are minimal, though Marco is cued Latine.

A heart-pounding survival story for readers who can overlook the clumsy characterization. (Adventure. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews