Josh has had a great year. He’s popular at school and after improving his personal basketball game with hours of practise, his Coach is
impressed with him. He’s feeling good as he leaves the court, but begins to worry when his ride home doesn’t arrive.
When he finally gets home, the police in his driveway is the last thing he expects. They’ve come to talk to his father who works in a bank.
Before he knows it, he and his mum are leaving Dad behind to sort things out. She’s decided to visit her cousins, far from the city, basketball, and any cell coverage.
Josh thinks he’s going to be bored stupid, but Mum’s cousins are great. There is a lot to discover, learn and experience amongst the forest where they are staying, and he enjoys Holly and Nicole’s company.
He also learns about the fires that swept through the area three years before, burning anything and everything in its path. It sounds scary, and before he knows it, he and Holly are smelling smoke, dodging flying embers and fleeing for their lives!
The novel from 2020 is now out in Graphic Novel format. This joins the incredibly popular I Survived Series, and will be sure to be snatched off shelves as soon as they arrive.
I Survived the Californian Wildfires is fast-paced, in full blazing colour, capturing the heat and intensity of the fires the main characters find themselves in.
This raises the tension throughout the novel. A separate story thread is woven into the narrative about troubles at home, which adds substance to both character and story.
A non-fiction section is included in the rear of the book with more information about the terrible fires that have plagued California over previous years.Â
Author – Lauren Tarshis
Illustrator – Cassie Anderson
Age – 8+
Graphic Novel
(2026, Scholastic, Graphic Novel, Series, Friendship, City to Wilderness, Basketball, Wildfires, Firefighters, Firestorm, Animals, Lizard, Action, Family)