If your house caught fire, and your loved ones and pets were all safe, what ONE material item would you save from the fire? This is a question a teacher asks her students during a thought exercise. Some students know without hesitation, others wonder if their choice is as good as others or share their opinions on what others would save, and others struggle to make a choice at all.

This is a beautiful book in modified verse with black and white illustrations that explores the items we hold closest to our hearts and how different our perspectives can be from another person. It brought tears to my eyes thinking of these children's wholesome reasoning. Some of the children think about how their phones and laptops contain so many pictures and files, or could be used to call for help. I had three absolute favorites that stuck with me: a child wanting to save an ugly, old sweater because it was made by a grandparent; a child who has experienced a fire before and is clearly still traumatized by it; and a child who sees nothing worth saving at all.

The sweater one hit hard because I was reading the book while wrapped in one of my grandfather's old coats as I like to do in the winter, and I found it hard to consider choosing anything else. I also found myself "cheating" by saying "well I could just put the jacket on real fast and slip some things in the pockets, it's not like I can go out in this weather without a jacket anyway." The whole book is very thought-provoking, even at times where it is being funny or sad, and would make great discussion material for reading with children. This book reminds me a lot of Mel Glenn's collections of high school poems. Each of the children have a distinct voice and you can tell they come from different backgrounds, despite never being depicted.

Below are a few of my favorite lines:

On sweaters: "...so there's never gonna be another sweater like it in. the whole history of the universe, not ever. Things that you can't go buy another one, that's what you gotta save." The student speaks up again in another scene: "Both grans and my dad - maybe this will sound silly, but when I'm wearing it, it's kinda like all three of them are keeping me warm."

On poverty: "I'd walk out with nothing...place is a total dump. Be a great day for me. Be glad to see it burn down."

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

A short read, but will leave you contemplating for a long time — what would YOU take with you in an emergency? I loved reading about the students’ deliberations and reasoning.

A smart group of poems where students are tasked with choosing the one item they would save if they could in an emergency, The structure of the book makes it difficult for the reader to identify who is speaking.

With thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for an early copy in return for an honest review.

Where do I even begin with how much I liked this book?!? As a teacher, this will be an excellent addition to my classroom and I look forward to teaching my students about Sijo poetry and having discussions on the one thing they would save. I also think this book is an excellent way to introduce students to the format of novel-in-verse if they hadn't yet read any of those books.

This is also a book where you get more out of the story with each read. There is much to be gleaned from the illustrations and as you re-read the poems you'll make additional connections and spark further discussion.

This is a book that I yearn to have in my classroom as an educator. The question is posed by Linda Sue Park: if your house was on fire, what would you save? The poetic format and inspiring words hit home with me and will strick a cord with my students. It allows myself to really reflect on what matters through this trying time.

If your house was on fire and your family and pets were safe, what's the one thing you'd save? This is the question a teacher poses to her students in this book written in sijo, an ancient form of Korean poetry. This book lets children see that what's worthy of saving varies from person to person. It also encourages them to ponder the question themselves. This book would make a great launching point for a classroom writing project.

I love the idea of this book, and I loved the book itself! I love the poetic format and the explanation about it in the back. I love everything we got to know and deduce about each of the characters from the little they said about what they would choose to save. There’s so much worth discussing with a book club or class full of students with this book. It invites you in to think about priorities and what’s important and how you rarely know all the things that are in the hearts of others.

This is a beautiful story told sparsely through Korean sijo poetry. Linda Sue Park masterfully weaves a story of a class of students together through a simple discussion prompt from their teacher: what object would they save from a fire? (Family and pets are safe in this scenario.) They are assigned to think about this and then discuss it the following day, and the answers (and voices) are diverse. Some students know immediately what they would save, while some need to think about it. Some choose items that are irreplaceable while others choose things that are valuable. I loved their interactions and the way that Park shows, in very few words, the respect that characterizes this classroom community, Parts of this story are heartbreaking, while others are hilarious, the responses as unique as the students, The black and white illustrations work well with the text to add background and images to the students’ lives.
This would be a perfect book to use with 5th-7th grade students. It is short enough to keep them intrigued, and would open up important discussions about what we value and treasure in our lives.

“If there were a fire, and you could save just one thing, what would it be?”

This is the premise of ,Newbery winning author, Linda Sue Park's unique book. A teacher presents this question to her class and the result is a lively discussion as teens learn more about one another's lives, connect with each other, and gain insight into classmates that may have otherwise been overlooked. Accompanied by black and white illustrations and written in a Korean form of poetry-sijo syllabic structure, this is a must have addition to school libraries.

I highly recommend this book for grades 5-7 as it offers so many opportunities within the classroom.

Thank you NetGalley and Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group for the e-arc..

I loved the idea and premise of this book, and was lucky enough to have early access granted by NetGalley and Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group.

In The One Thing You’d Save, Linda Sue Park explores the hypothetical question, “If there were a fire, and you could save just one thing, what would it be?” Of course, family and pets are all safe in the scenario, and size and weight of the object doesn’t matter. Through a series of linked poems, written in the ancient Korean sijo (pronounced SHEE-zho) style, Linda presents the thoughts of each child in a middle school class.

It is remarkable the diversity and range of voices which Linda has succeeded in representing, through words on the page, and in the form of their different choice of object. Although we never see the children, they are very different in their thinking and their answers. Some children come to their object very quickly and know exactly which they will save, others have to think more carefully. Some objects are valuable, others worthless to anyone but their owner. Some have sentimental value, others are associated with a specific memory. Some try to stretch the bounds of the question to include more of their precious possessions. But the way in which Linda delves into the thoughts and emotions of each child, giving us an understanding of their backgrounds and lives, with little more than an object to characterize them is extraordinary. I very quickly tuned in to each child, feeling particularly bereft at the one children who had nothing they deemed worth taking.

Linda has turned quite a simple hypothetical question into a powerful discussion of materialism, sentimentality, values and worth. Illustrations from Robert Sae-Heng add to the beauty of the message and the objects.
I will absolutely be sharing this with my year 5 in the new year, and I look forward to hearing their own answers to this question, and me learning more about them in the process.

This book provoked a lot of unusual thoughts, things one may not normally consider without prompting.

Ok... This was AMAZING. Did I cry a bit? Yep. Do I want this book in my collection? YES!
What would you save if there was a fire? Just one thing. It's hard to pick just one thing. It would take me ages to decide.
A perfect book to read with children. Or by yourself.

A short but powerful novel in verse, this beauty from Linda Sue Park employs the sijo form of poetry. Ms. Chang challenges her students to think deeply about what they would save in a house fire. One thing. (She confirms that all family members are guaranteed safety.) The students’ answers range from sneakers to a laptop to an old sweater. While some responses may seem superficial, they aren’t. Every answer speaks to what we hold dear and why. This book is thought-provoking, touching, and a worthwhile read.

This is a short book that packs a lot in it. Technically it's a verse novel as it consists of poems written by a class of children on the subject of 'what would you take with you if your house was on fire'. It would be perfect as a class read as you could discuss what the choices said about the priorities of the children but could also open it up easily to engage readers by asking them for their own response. Unusual and heart-warming.

This is a WOW book for me.

My favourite kind of book, so (seemingly) simple, but so powerful.

I can’t wait to see the finished product of this one, as I suspect it will be a beauty,

So many things I love:

It's a verse novel – I understand that some readers shy away from them, as they look different, but I can’t recommend them enough. I always say that they are the heart of a story, without all of the ‘other stuff’ getting in the way. This particular verse novel is told in a specific type of verse, Sijo, a Korean form of poetry, and there is additional information about that in the back of the book.

The question – If your house were on fire, what one thing would you save? (knowing your family and pets were safe)
Such a simple question, but the answers are anything but. The students don't just say what they would take, they also tell why, and that makes all of the difference. It’s been a little while since I finished this book, and I am still thinking about it. Choosing ONE thing is hard!

The teacher and the classroom culture – I love a book with a good teacher. One who really engages with the students, encourages them to think and question, who listens to what they have to say. A classroom that is a supportive community.

The illustrations - the illustrations in the book give us a chance to look into the lives of the characters. The illustrations are black and white, and through these we can learn that little bit more about each character by what they have on their walls, or desks, maybe even what books they're reading, or an illustration of where they live. I found myself studying the illustrations for clues.

It’s a book that makes me wish I was in the classroom, because I would love to see a class full of students tackle the question. I can imagine it would be a lot like in the book, some would go straight for money or phones, and then when they start to hear what other people would take and why, they may reconsider, and choose something else entirely.

When the book is released, I hope to put the question, ‘If your house were on fire, what one thing would you save?’ out there, through my social media channels, and see what happens? I can’t wait!

The One Thing You’d Save was a short and sweet book told in verse about the simple idea of if you could save one item from a house fire what would it be. It was interesting to hear the students’ different interpretations of this question and how they thought through their choice. I liked the varied responses and found myself pondering this question myself. It brought up a lot of good points about what’s truly important and valuable to life and what one person might find value in will differ entirely for someone else. I think my fourth grade students would gravitate towards this book and it would provoke some good open-ended class discussions.

I love that The One Thing You'd Save is based around the idea of an actual classroom discussion. While it is a bit long, I think the student answers/poetry were very interesting to the prompt: "Imagine that your home is on fire. You're allowed to save one thing. Your family and pets are safe so you don't need to worry about them." I think I will use this book to inspire the same prompt and discussion - I can see a lot of value in both and it will help meet some curriculum outcomes in a really interesting way. Thank you to Clarion Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I received this e-ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I love the premise of this book. I love the conversations around each student's decision, and I love the question itself. I think many families and classrooms will find this is the perfect prompt for a heartfelt discussion or journal entry. The poetry aspect didn't make a huge difference for me either positively or negatively.

This is quite a different work for Linda Sue Park and most thought provoking.
Suppose your home is on fire; all the people and pets are safe outside. What is the one thing you’d rescue? This was a comment a teacher posed to her teen students. Of course, she interjects, in the event of a real fire you don’t stop for things, you just get out. But let’s just suppose for now... would it be the signed program of a famous baseball player, a treasured picture, the tiny lock of hair saved from your baby brother who’s heard didn’t work right and he died, or maybe that really cool snake skeleton?

This unique book by Newbery winning medalist Linda Sue Park explores this idea through lively dialogue as the teens thoughtfully bounce ideas off each other.

The discussion is heavily illustrated with lively black and white pictures. She wrote the discussion in sijo syllabic structure which is a Korean form of poetry.

This is a very quick read with only 75 pages, but might be a fun discussion starter addition for class interaction.

Long after I am still pondering the thing I’d grab on my way out of a burning house. Interesting that I’m reading The One Thing You’d Save in late October in the height of a worldwide pandemic.
The book goes hand in hand with the season of thanksgiving.

In this novel in verse, middle school teacher Ms. Chang poses a question to her students:
What is the one thing you would save if your house caught fire?
This question brings up a lively conversation among all the students. It really brings up questions of what you value, what defines you, and how to preserve your history. The illustrations perfectly compliment the poems and show some of the items the students have chosen. This book really will bring up good discussion questions with students of all ages. It can even be used for an in class assignment. This book is very thought provoking and will have a great appeal. I highly recommend this for all kinds of readers.