Phoenix Rising

by Karen Hesse

Book Overview

Nyle's life with her grandmother on their Vermont sheep farm advances rhythmically through the seasons until the night of the accident at the Cookshire nuclear power plant. Without warning, Nyle's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140376283
• ISBN13: 9780140376289
• Release Date: September 1995
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.2" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Anna's Book Review

I read the book Phoenix Rising by Karen Hesse. This book is about a girl, Nyle, who lives with her grandmother. Nyle's mother died when she was young and her father left because he couldn't watch Nyle's mom die. When a nuclear explosion goes off at a power plant in Cookshire, many are left homeless and sick. Nyle and her grandmother take in two evacuees, Ezra and Mrs. Trent. At first, Nyle is reluctant for Ezra to come, but then realizes he is not that bad. They grow closer, as Nyle's best friend Muncie and her grow apart because Nyle feels that Ezra needs to be kept a secret. Muncie's family is scared of radiation and Ezra had a lot of radiation, so that is why Nyle felt like she had to keep Ezra a secret. Muncie and Nyle get in a huge fight and don't speak for a while. Something happens to Ezra - read the book and you will find out! When Ezra came to stay, I thought that he wasn't going to pay attention to Nyle, but all he did was pay attention to Nyle! I thought that Ezra was really nice to Nyle. He listened to what she had to say and I thought that that was really respectful and courteous. I think when Ezra came to stay, Nyle inside was happy because she could hang out with someone else besides Muncie, even though she tried to convince herself she wasn't happy. I think Nyle should have left the decision up to Muncie about Ezra because Muncie isn't helpless; she is just different from Nyle. If I were Nyle, I would have told Muncie about Ezra because Muncie would have probably still stuck around. Muncie can defend what is hers; it just took Nyle a while to realize that. I really enjoyed this book. This book teaches you a lesson: Live your life, and never give up! Out of 10 stars, this book gets all 10! I recommend this book to people who like realistic fiction and books about love, loss and becoming a new person. If you want to know what happens in the book, read it!

Living In The Aftermath

At age thirteen Nyle Summer has already lost so much. Her father walked out. Her mother died. Her grandfather died. And now it's just Nyle and her grandmother left alone in the house to work the farm. They get by well enough. The chores get done, the sheep are well cared for. Then comes the accident. A nuclear reactor in a nearby town suffers a meltdown. The little town of North Haversham is safe but all around radiation is contaminating fields, crops, animals, and worst of all, people. Of course people died in the explosion but now, weeks later, people are still dying. And so the Trents, Miriam and her son Ezra, come to North Haversham, to the home of Nyle and her grandmother. Sick and on the verge of dying they are put in the back bedroom, the same bedroom where Nyle's mother died. Nyle knows this is the dying room. This is the room where people come when they are ready to leave Nyle behind. What follows is a testimony to the human spirit as Nyle and Ezra become friends and force each other to confront their own worst fears. Little by little Ezra comes back to life. Little by little Nyle learns to accept the life she has. This is a truly wonderful book. It is written for the young adult market but readers of any age will be touched by 'Phoenix Rising.' It's a deeply moving book with an all too plausible story line. For all of us living in the nuclear age this one should be required reading.

Aww yeah.

This was the best book I have ever read. I know that's really all I need to say, but I'm going to tell you a little about it too. A girl named Nyle Sumner lives with her 'Gran' on a sheep farm in Vermont. A nuclear power plant in Cookshire, Massechusetts (? I'm guessing it's MA) exploded, causing radiation to leak out and affect cities miles away. Nyle's grandmother decides to take in evacuees from the accident, Miriam and her son Ezra. She doesn't want to be friends with Ezra at first, but she eventually does...other characters include...a midget, Nyle's best friend, named Muncie Harris. Who is super cool. So anyways, I hope you enjoy/enjoyed this book even half as much as I did. (: Email me if you want to talk about it, I obviously have no life. evacuee@bellsouth.net aww, I know my email adress is...quite strange. But oh well.

Nyle understands that is important for her to help people.

It all starts when a nuclear spill takes place. A boy named Ezra is sick from radiation poisioning. He goes to live with Nyle and her Gram. At first Nyle doesn't like the idea of having him and his mother, but she gets over it. Ezra grows stronger everyday, but sometimes he is very weak. Nyle doesn't tell Muncie, her best friend, about Ezra. Nyle is starting to like having Ezra around and spends a lot of time with him. Muncie gets mad at Nyle, because she thinks that she doesn't really like her. Ezra keeps getting better and now he is able to attend school. When he goes to school he learns that he is the smartest person in his class. One time, when Nyle is visiting Ezra in his room she asked him what he wanted to hear today. Nyle would read him stories. In reply Ezra said, "Your voice." He told her how when he was sick her voice always brought him back. He also told her how he was a phoenix rising. He explained the meaning of that, which was an old myth. He said that a bird called a phoenix rises out of its ashes.