Caroline Starr Rose was able to weave a strong story about a coming-of-age survival story, it had that plot that I was looking for and enjoyed the feel of the concept. The characters were everything that I was expecting and enjoyed. It was everything that I was looking for and am excited for more from Caroline Starr Rose.

The verse was so good that I forgot I was reading a novel in verse (and I mean that as a great compliment!) This one got off to a slightly slow start for me, but once things picked up, I couldn't put it down. I was fascinated to read about fire towers, a topic I (and likely most middle graders) know nothing about! I can't keep survival books on the shelf at the library, and this one's sure to be a big hit.

Opal, 12, is the fourth generation of her family to live and work as a firewatcher in New Mexico. Can she meet the challenge to save lives despite her secret fear of fires?

Opal is a twelve year old, fire watcher in training who is hiding a secret from her mother and grandmother. She know that being a fire watcher has been a family tradition, but she wants to go to the seventh grade in Silver City.

This story is written in prose. The words and phrasing make this story so much more powerful.

It is also ideal for a school or classroom library.

This novel in verse is sure to keep readers engaged as it addresses fires, survival and family relationships in an intense and lyrical way.

80/100 or 4.0 stars

I had a good time with this story. The author does a great job using verse to suck the reader into the world! This is a great choice for younger readers to help them get into verse and make it fun for them! I would recommend this to young readers who like survival type stories without too much graphic content!

Novels in verse always hit me harder. This was so informative and made me think more about how forest fires can impact everything. I loved Opal as a character and her growth we saw. The authors note was also important and I'm glad I took the time to read it.

In The Burning Season, the women in Opal’s family have a multi-generational tradition of serving as fire spotters. Now twelve, Opal lives in a fire tower in a remote spot in New Mexico, observing and learning from her mother and grandmother while harboring a secret—she is afraid of fire. While she loves her home and learning from her mother and grandmother, she is also craving a more traditional life that includes more contact with friends and attending in-person school. When her mother is on a supply run and her grandmother goes missing, Opal is forced to face her fear head on to save those who matter most to her.

While the way Opal and her family live in their forest home might not be relatable to many readers, the author provides sufficient detail for readers to understand what her life is like in the Gila National Forest. Additional resources provide readers with further information about fires, fire management, and the setting of the book that will enhance the reading experience. This fast-paced novel in verse offers adventure and emotion in a compelling coming of age story that will appeal to fans of survival tales.

This novel-in-verse tackles heavy emotions in sparse words. Opal is terrified of fire. You will be turning the pages quickly to find out what she decides to do when those she loves are in danger!

I think this is my favorite novel in verse that I have ever read because of the way that the words flowed. So many of the verses were just so beautiful! And the book covered such powerful topics of fear, dreams, family, and facing your fears down in a time of extreme emotion. The book flowed well and when it was time for the adventure, it was sure intense!

In stunningly evocative verse, Rose unfolds a story of emotional connection with family and nature in a wild setting which will be unfamiliar to most readers at the start of the book but which will feel like home by the end. Opal's strength as a narrator comes from her vulnerability and her honesty with readers, making her unusual lifestyle comfortable and tangible for those of us without her personal experiences. This book will resonate perfectly with middle grade audiences, and I also recommended it to my adult book club due to the depth of the verse and the engaging setting.

I just finished this book over the weekend and have already recommended it to a student looking for a book similar to Megan Freeman's Alone. The Burning Season is the novel about a young girl named Opal who works with her family as a fire lookout in the Gila Mountains of New Mexico. This is a fast-paced novel in verse about a girl facing her fears of fire to save her family. Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Nancy Paulsen Books, and Caroline Starr Rose for the opportunity to read The Burning Season in exchange for an honest review.

The Burning Season is a middle grade novel-in-verse that follows twelve-year-old Opal. Having just had her birthday, she is ready to follow in her mother's and grandmother's footsteps as a lookout for forest fires. Opal's post is on Wolf Mountain, in the wilderness of New Mexico. The story references and actual fire that occurred a few years ago in the Gila National Forest. 

Opal aims to be posted as a lookout, now that she is twelve, and seeks to demonstrate her level of responsibility. With her mom having left to get supplies in town, it's just Opal and Gran, and they will be relying on her more than ever. When she messes up, big-time, it might cost the trust she gained with her family, as well as the surrounding forest.

This is an easy to read novel, being a HiLo. It makes for a unique read with a perspective that young readers perhaps have not been exposed to. The life of being on watch for fires is truly its own thing. Someone must help keep people and the forest safe from fires, and this novel sheds some light on what it might be like being a young person living in the middle of a forest, only seeing other people or visiting a regular town every once in a while. The story resonates with today's world as there are so many fires affecting the United States. This story may be even closer to home for some readers than they anticipate.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Burning Season by Caroline Starr Rose is a novel written in verse. This is a quick paced nature adventure novel. It follows the life of Opal and her family. Whose chosen profession for the last four generations has been to protect the forest of New Mexico from fire. This follows in the tradition of great wilderness adventure novels of Gary Paulsen, and Jack London. I highly recommend this read to all even though it is meant for middle grade readers. Happy Reading.

This story did not capture me. I’ve read, and enjoyed, verse novels, especially those written by Karen Hesse, Ann Burg, K. A. Holt, and Shari Green, but either the topic, the excessive fact dumping, or the style of the poetry itself, did not appeal to me here.

12-year-old Opal lives with her mother and grandmother in a watchtower in the Gila forest, New Mexico. Their job is to detect and track fires and report it to the authorities in town. The first half of the book is Opal’s thoughts on living in the woods, being homeschooled, her radio friends, her family, and the science behind tracking fires. In the second half, Opal drops the binoculars from the watchtower, setting off a series of events that results in her grandmother being injured in the woods and Opal needing to use everything she’s learned to halt a fire’s spread.

I recommend the verse authors already mentioned for a better representation of the style.

Told in verse, The Burning Season is a quick read. Descriptions are sparse and the writing focuses mostly on what Opal is thinking and feeling; oftentimes it is more a stream of consciousness from the protagonist rather than concrete imagery and actions. Topically, this book works for readers as young as nine, but slightly older readers may more successfully fill in the unwritten spaces in the story. There are a few characters, but the book primarily follows Opal, a 12-year-old girl who lives in a fire watch tower with her mother and grandmother. From the cover and the book’s description, there is a suggestion that this novel would have elements of action and adventure, but the primary thrust of the story is Opal overcoming her doubts and fears and finding her own place in her family’s legacy of fire lookouts. Ultimately, this is more of a coming of age story than an adventure story.

The notes at the end are excellent in providing historical background, the inspiration for the story, and facts about forests and wildfires. With wildfires becoming more prevalent and dangerous in recent years, this is a timely topic.

Interesting use of iambic meter throughout (not something I usually see in verse novels), as well as internal rhyme. But the pacing feels off to me--the inciting incident doesn't feel like it happens until halfway through. Not my typical type of book, but I think fans of ALONE by Megan Freeman will really enjoy this.

In sparse verse The Burning Season invites readers into Opal's life on a remote mountain in New Mexico's Gila Wilderness. Opal lives in a fire tower with her mother and her grandmother, part of a long line of women who have served as lookouts and helped to protect the cherished land from wildfire. While she loves her life and family on the mountain, Opal longs to move into town and attend middle school with her friends. Moving to go to school would mean leaving her family and their tower behind to live with close family friends. Opal is ready for this change of pace, but her mother is not ready to let her go. When a foolish decision puts a family member in danger, Opal has to face her fear of fire and put her wilderness skills to the test. Suddenly Opal isn't just reading about survival in a well-loved Gary Paulsen book, she's living it. Resourceful and determined, Opal will rise to the challenges before her in a way no one would have expected.

The novel builds slowly, at first, but the second-half action is propulsive. Part adventure, part meditation on fire and the realities of climate change, part ode to our earth, Opal's story is one middle grade readers won't want to miss. The verse format makes the pages fly by. Extensive author's notes clarify what is true and what is fiction, informing readers about fires, fire towers, fire management history, lookouts, and the Gila Wilderness area of New Mexico.

This novel in verse format is a quick but powerful read. Opal's family has been involved in watching for fires in New Mexico for generations, but she longs to go to school with her friends in town. Unfortunately, Opal is on her own when a fire breaks out and she's forced to face her greatest fear. The author keeps the story compelling, and I was rooting for Opal to successfully navigate these challenges and find her own path in the world. The resources and factual information in the book are just as valuable and well-written as the story itself.

Living like your ancestors can be difficult especially when you are a young girl who is trying to prove her worthiness. This book shows the resilience of a young girl who puts herself in danger to save her grandma and much forest land from fire.