79 pages • 2 hours read
Alan GratzA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Akira runs to the pool, where Dodger is trapped by the plastic cover. He must have fallen in while trying to run from the fire. Akira tries to unlatch the cover, hoping that if Dodger falls into the water he will be able to escape, but finds that he doesn’t want to leave. He loves swimming and is clearly terrified by the nearby fire. She jumps into the freezing water and tries to coax him out. Meanwhile, some flaming debris blows onto the house from the forest and sets it on fire.
Sue yells for Akira to hurry up as the house blazes behind her. Dodger still won’t move, even as the wooden arbor above the pool begins to burn. Sue finds an apple in her backpack and calls to the horse, who immediately climbs out of the pool at the sight of food. As soon as Akira and Dodger leave the pool the arbor collapses behind them. The girls mount the horse and begin riding him away from the house.
As they ride along the road, Akira and Sue are surprised to find that everything around them is already burned. The world is gray and lifeless. Akira begins to realize that they must be trapped between multiple fires, and they might come face to face with the flames at any moment.
By Alan Gratz
Action & Adventure
View Collection
Action & Adventure Reads (Middle Grade)
View Collection
Books on Justice & Injustice
View Collection
Books that Teach Empathy
View Collection
Childhood & Youth
View Collection
Coming-of-Age Journeys
View Collection
Community
View Collection
Earth Day
View Collection
Fathers
View Collection
Fear
View Collection
Friendship
View Collection
Grief
View Collection
Juvenile Literature
View Collection
Mortality & Death
View Collection
Mothers
View Collection
New York Times Best Sellers
View Collection
Realistic Fiction (Middle Grade)
View Collection
Safety & Danger
View Collection
Teams & Gangs
View Collection
The Best of "Best Book" Lists
View Collection
The Journey
View Collection