The Burning Season
Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Young Readers Group) May 2025
In this riveting coming-of-age survival story in verse perfect for fans of Alan Gratz, a fire lookout-in-training must find her courage when a wildfire breaks out on her watch.
Twelve-year-old Opal has a secret: she’s deathly afraid of fire. Still Opal is preparing to become a fourth-generation lookout on Wolf Mountain, deep in the New Mexico wilderness. She, Mom, and Gran live at ten thousand feet in a single room at the top of a fire tower. They are responsible for spotting any hint of smoke before it becomes an uncontrollable blaze.
Instead of training for the lonely life of a lookout, Opal wishes she could be starting seventh grade in Silver City, attending real classes with kids her own age and even going to afterschool clubs like FFA. But Wolf Mountain has other ideas. When Mom makes the long trek to town for supplies and Gran goes missing, Opal is the only one to spot a tell-tale spiral of smoke moving up the mountainside. She’ll have to be braver than she’s ever been as she heads into the woods, beyond Wolf Ridge’s old blackened burn scar, to face down a fire on her own. But when a fire is what took her father away, and Opal herself knows the sting of smoke and lick of flames, how can she be brave enough when it really counts?
The Burning Season Educator’s Guide
The Last Word with Caroline Starr Rose KSFR radio
The Notebook Series: The Burning Season (a behind-the-scenes glimpse into writing the book)
Included in the Penguin School and Library Educator’s Guide Climate Journeys: Books to Engage Your Students and Patrons on the Environment and Climate Change
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Awards and Accolades
A Junior Library Guild selection
2025 Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award winner, young adult category
A Book Page Best Books of 2025 Middle Grade List selection
A 2025 Newton Free Library Top Shelf Read
A Pennsylvania School Librarians Association Best of 2025 title
An NCTE 2026 Notable Children’s Verse Novels selection
2026 New Mexico Great Reads youth selection
A 2026 Bank Street College Best Children’s Books of the Year title for children twelve to fourteen
A 2026 Green Earth Book Award Recommended Reading title for children’s fiction
A 2026 Children’s Book Council Teacher Favorite
A 2026 Capitol Choices Noteworthy Book for children ten to fourteen
State Book Lists
New Mexico Battle of the Books elementary school list 2026-2027
New Mexico Battle of the Books middle school list 2026-2027
New Mexico’s Land of Enchantment Book Award nominee 2026-2027
Maryland’s Black-Eyed Susan Book Award nominee 2026-2027
Maine Student Book Award nominee 2026-2027
Massachusetts Children’s Book Award nominee 2026-2027
Praise for The Burning Season
★ A young wilderness lookout confronts family expectations and her fear of fire… Believable emotions, gripping action, and skillfully incorporated information about climate change and wildfire management make this a relatable and engaging read. A girl-versus-nature story that shines with evocative verse, a compelling protagonist, and a brisk plotline.
—Kirkus, starred review
★ This novel in verse exquisitely captures Opal’s journey as she owns her fear, learns what it takes to overcome it, and discovers what she’s capable of. Opal’s voice shines through each poem, deepening moments of emotional resonance and intensifying action sequences…Excellent pacing, an engrossing plot, and an endearing main character make this impossible to put down. A riveting survival story with emotional growth.
— Booklist, starred review
★ Rose expertly builds gripping suspense as she conveys Opal’s state of mind and the peril she faces with breathtaking immediacy. The Burning Season is a masterful, memorable coming-of-age tale that sensitively explores the power and pressures of family legacy.
— BookPage, starred review
As Rose layers ongoing drama, the tension ramps up. In a gripping climax, Opal, alone, hunts for and then fights to contain a blaze… lyrically evocative.
—Publishers Weekly
The adventure starts fast in this wilderness survival verse novel…the style brings readers along with Opal, racing through the forest as she calls on everything she has learned to take control…Descriptions of the National Forest feel vivid and realistic; Opal and her family know and love the land and detailed pictures are painted by the verse.
— School Library Journal
This thrilling novel in verse packs all of the adventure and excitement of a survival story into concise, poetic stanzas.
— The Horn Book
Riveting, original, deftly written, emotionally engaging, and a fascinating read from start to finish.
— Midwest Book Review
