Controlled Burn (Erin Soderberg Downing)



When Maia's house burns down she's sent to a small town in the country to spend the summer with her grandparents while her parents pick up the pieces of their lives and tend to her little sister, who was badly burned in the fire. Out in the country she takes in the simple beauty of nature, befriends a local boy and a stray dog, tries to tamp down the guilt of not reacting to the fire fast and allowing her sister to get burned, and bonds with her grandfather who volunteers as watchman of the town's fire tower.

A key story element is wildfires, an unavoidable part of nature we have to learn to deal with as trying to stop them altogether only makes them worse when one inevitably breaks out. Disasters are going to constantly shake up your life and it's easy to look back on them and think of what you should have done when you actually have time to think. We have to accept some things are out of our control, focus on what we can control, and maybe take a moment to appreciate the new life that emerges from the destruction (or as a certain song would put it, "staring across this barren, wasted land, I feel new life will be born beneath the blood-stained sand").

As if the guilt of her sister's injuries wasn't enough, the house burned down because Maia left a candle unattended in her room. But as soon as it was revealed (spoilers) the house was having its electrical wiring worked on I guessed what the big reveal was going to be. You can argue that cheapens her internal struggle and the idea of not beating yourself up over the mistakes of the past since it turns out there was no mistake for her to beat herself with. You can also argue that it means you should find out if something was even your fault before you beat yourself up over it. I tend to side with the latter but can see the former's point but you know what? It's a kid's book, let Maia and the kids reading her tale have their peace of mind.

Rating: