Evacuation Order

By Jane B. Mason, Sarah Hines Stephens

A wildfire forces Sam to choose: escape or risk everything to save his family.

3.8/5 Goodreads · 49 ratings

176 pages· 36,024 words· Est. 5 hour read

$7.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

In Santa Bonita, a sudden wildfire threatens twelve-year-old Sam's world. As flames approach, Sam faces a heart-wrenching choice: flee with his friend Marco or risk everything to save his missing dog and preserve his father's memories. With danger closing in, Sam's decision could lead him into the fire's deadly path. Will he find what he's searching for, or lose everything in the blaze?

From the publisher

If you only had a few minutes to evacuate your house in the face of a wildfire, what would you take? And if you were separated from your mom and thought she was in danger, would you still leave - or would you head back in to rescue her? Twelve-year-old Sam lives alone with his mom and their dog in the idyllic seaside town of Santa Bonita. His father died when Sam was young, but his best friend Marco has been helping recreate his dad’s old photos as part of a memorial project. One particularly warm October day, however, Sam smells something faint from far away. It’s the scent of smoke.An unexpected southern California wildfire is whipping ferociously toward town. Sam, Marco, and the whole neighborhood must urgently evacuate with little warning. Sam is distraught. If his house burns, all his memories of his father will go with it.Even worse, Sam’s dog disappears during the emergency, sending the boy into a panic. When he should be leaving the city with Marco and his family, Sam instead turns back, a decision that will plunge him right into the path of a deadly fire.

At a glance