Spark

Ages 10 to 14

A middle grade novel about two friends trying to save their forest from wildfires.

Finn and his friend, nicknamed Rabbit, live in an area that's been hit hard by wildfires. Families were displaced and school was interrupted. Moreover, their beloved forest is suffering -- animals and plants struggle to come back, and the two friends wonder if there's anything they can do to help.

As a developer restarts a large construction project, Finn and Rabbit believe they’ve discovered the cause of the wildfire. The development is meant to be good for their community, and Finn’s father has secured much-needed employment with the construction company. What will it mean for Finn’s family if his dad is once again out of work?

This powerful novel-in-verse testifies to the devastation of climate change. In Finn and Rabbit’s journeys, readers will experience the dangers of wildfires as well as ways to heal both the forest and the human hearts in the aftermath..

About the Author

Chris Baron is the award winning author of the middle-grade novels All of Me (an NCTE Notable Book), The Magical Imperfect (a SLJ and NYPL Best Book), and The Gray, a Junior Library Guild selection. He's a professor of English at San Diego City College, and holds an MFA in Poetry from San Diego State University. He lives with his family in San Diego. chris-baron.com