Spark

Gr 5 Up–When a catastrophic wildfire strikes Redwood Hollows, eighth grader Finn and his best friend Rabbit are forced to evacuate, leaving behind their homes, their beloved forest, and a sense of safety they may never fully recover. Returning weeks later to scorched landscapes and a scattered community, Finn struggles with nightmares, anxiety, and a persistent question: How do you hold onto hope when everything has burned? Baron’s verse novel is emotionally resonant and deeply grounded in lived experience. Inspired by the author’s own loss to wildfire, the narrative is divided into “before,” “during,” and “after” sections, mirroring Finn’s psychological journey through displacement and healing. The poems are accessible yet nuanced, maintaining strong pacing across over three-hundred pages while tracing the characters’ grief, guilt, and growing activism. Finn’s field journal habits and Rabbit’s fierce resolve offer a dual portrait of quiet courage and ecological awareness. Themes of environmental stewardship, PTSD, and community resilience are interwoven with subtle family tensions and ethical questions around development and responsibility. Jewish and Filipino family identities are woven in organically, adding depth to the novel’s strong sense of place and purpose. While the subject matter addresses trauma and loss, Baron handles these topics with age-appropriate sensitivity.