Juggling Fire

April 1, 2010
Gr 7-10-Sixteen-year-old Rachel's father disappeared years earlier from her family's home in the Yukon wilderness and was assumed dead. Having finished high school, the teen sets off on a trek through the tundra and forest with only her dog as a companion, hoping to find clues about her father's disappearance at the cabin where she lived as a child. Rachel's main interest aside from juggling is memorizing and rewriting fairy tales, which are woven into the main narrative as a story within a story. Finally, she is able to come to terms with her grief and find her own happy ending. Bell beautifully captures the natural world through descriptions of the mountainous terrain as well as nail-biting encounters with bears and wolves. Rachel is a smart, resourceful narrator who nevertheless struggles with the challenges nature throws her way, as well as balancing her own needs and those of her dog. Like Gary Paulsen's "Hatchet" (Bradbury, 1987) and Ben Mikaelsen's "Touching Spirit Bear" (HarperCollins, 2001), this book will appeal to readers looking for an outdoor adventure, though it's a quieter, more contemplative read."Jennifer Barnes, formerly at Homewood Library, IL"

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