Wildfire by Rodman Philbrick

From Goodreads,

"Newbery Honor author Rodman Philbrick sends readers straight into the nightmare of a raging wildfire as 12-year-old Sam is trapped by explosive flames and deadly smoke that threaten to take his life. Can he survive?
Flames race toward Sam Castine's summer camp as evacuation buses are loading, but Sam runs back to get his phone. Suddenly, a flash of heat blasts him as pine trees explode. Now a wall of fire separates Sam from his bus, and there's only one thing to do: Run for his life. Run or die.
Lungs burning, Sam's only goal is to keep moving. Drought has made the forest a tinderbox, and Sam struggles to remember survival tricks he learned from his late father. Then, when he least expects it, he encounters Delphy, an older girl who is also lost. Their unlikely friendship grows as they join forces to find civilization.
The pace never slows, and eventually, flames surround Sam and Delphy on all sides. A powerful bond is forged that can only grow out of true hardship-as two true friends beat all odds and outwit one of the deadliest fires ever.

At the end of the novel, information about wildfires and useful safety tips add to the reader's understanding of one of the US's most dangerous natural disasters."

Goodreads - Wildfire

I'm a little slow getting around to reading books.  I received this book as an advanced reader's copy last school year.  I decided it was time to read it since I've had so many students ask about getting this book in my classroom library.

Wildfire is a survival story told by Sam who was at summer camp when the fire started.  His camp was being evacuated, but when he ran back to get his phone a wall of fire was between him and the bus.  Sam had to fight through the night to survive and eventually finds a girl named Delphy who is also lost in the burning woods.  The two team up in hopes they can continue to outrun the fire and survive.

This book was definitely a page-turner.  It has been a while since I have powered through a book the way I went through this one.  The entire time I was reading, I was on the edge of my seat wondering if they were going to survive.  This book is packed with adventure and thrills.  I really liked that there were small pieces that came together that reminded Sam of his late dad.  It felt like fate that he found a Jeep that helped save his life, and throughout the early days of trying to survive he kept referring back to things his dad had taught him.  It felt like it was a type of closer for Sam as his father's advice helped him and Delphy survive.

My copy was an ARC and it did have a few grammatical errors.  There was also a small continuity error at the beginning of the book, but it didn't impact the overall storyline.  The book had appropriate language and events for a young adult book.

This book was so good and I am very excited to put it into my library.  I expect that some of my adventure-seeking boys will enjoy this book.  I give it 4 stars and recommend it to anyone looking for a thrilling adventure read.