The Burning Season

Twelve-year-old Opal is training to become the fourth generation of her family to serve as a lookout on Wolf Mountain in New Mexico. Although she is deeply afraid of fire, she lives with her mother and grandmother in a fire tower and helps watch for smoke. When her mother goes to town, her grandmother disappears, and Opal sees smoke moving up the mountain. Alone, she must confront her fear as a wildfire threatens lives and home. The story is told in free verse.