Beth Vrabel’s books have always resounded with me, especially Reckless Club, The Humiliations of Pippi McGee and The Newspaper Club. Her characters are realistic, deal with real life issues faced by kids everywhere, and are downright likable. In WHEN GIANTS BURN, Gerty is living off the grid with parents she calls by their first name and none of them talk about the heartbreaking catalyst that sent them to the woods. Hayes lives with his grandmother and younger brother but they have recently been joined by his ex-con, ex-firefighter mom. The two pre-teens are brought together regularly in the school counselor’s office and are not sure whether they are friends or not until Gerty shares a secret with Hayes and from then on, the plot zooms just like the ultralight plane the two of them crash into the woods as a fire rages towards them. Vrabel’s troubled main characters show both strength and weakness as they attempt to not only survive but find answers to significant questions in their lives. Readers in grades 4-7 are sure to stay on the edge of their seats wondering what will happen, cheering when good things happen and groaning at the less happy. Text is free of profanity, sexual content and violence of the human on human kind. WHEN GIANTS BURN will pair nicely with Controlled Burn (Erin Soderberg Downing), The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry (Shelly Brown/Chad Morris) and the classic Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.

Gertie and her new friend Hayes are both trying to find their way through difficult situations. Gerty feels torn between her grandmother and her parents, who don't really communicate. Hayes is really angry at his mom, who was incarcerated for stealing some jewelry while in the midst of dealing with a drug issue. Gerty has been channeling her anger into building a plane so she can fly away and she enlists Hayes to help. This is an exciting story to read and kids are going to like it a lot!

Gerty and Hayes are best friends with very different backgrounds. Gerty’s parents, who she is only allowed to call their first names, are survivalists living off the grid. They’re tight-lipped about their past and trust few. They’ve even shut out Gerty’s grandma, a kind, ambitious woman who’s a member of the Civil Air Patrol who helps Gerty build a plane. Hayes has lived a less than easy life after his mother’s incarceration. He’s angry and wants to live his life differently than her. When the two kids each receive bad news, they fly away together in search of Pando and find themselves in grave danger.

This was SUPER gripping. I love that it is all about finding balance between being strong on your own and also drawing strength from your community. Hayes and Gerty are such interesting characters with a lot of trauma and flaws, but ultimately they are wonderful kids just trying to survive in a tough world. Survival stories are always a hit with middle grade and this one is definitely a unique take on the genre.