Tillmon County Fire

by Pamela Ehrenberg

A spark popped out and hopped around the leaves, then paused for a second before bursting into flames. . . . I watched the fire for a while, and then: crack. The basement window split, a long spidery... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802853455
• ISBN13: 9780802853455
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
• Length: 175 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.6" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 17 years and under
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 12

Customer Reviews

Wow, loved it!

It's been a while since I tore through a book this quickly, but the varying viewpoints and constant twists kept me wanting to find out what happened next. I actually felt like I was listening to teenagers talk (more Judy Blume than The Breakfast Club) and sometimes forgot that I was reading a book by an adult. Ehrenberg conveyed the kids' emotions without beating us over the head with her beliefs. It was amazing to see both how much and how little goes on in small-town America and puts a number of social conflicts in perspective. I'd definitely recommend the book. Mike

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple" - Oscar Wilde

This is an excellent read! Pamela Ehrenberg's well-crafted book, "Tillmon County Fire" offers young readers to see the world through many different lenses. What makes it stand out is how without a hint of preachiness, but with humour and compassion, Ehrenberg urges young readers to consider our differences with open minds, and to understand how we are all interconnected; how our actions are inextricably linked to those of others. Whether we agree or disagree with the ideas that motivate the actions of any of the keenly observed characters is beside the point. What is important, however, is that when we do (agree/disagree) we must always consider context, and we must do so with tolerance and recognition of our collective humanity.

Kept me in suspense...

Tillmon County Fire kept me in suspense from the moment I opened the cover because of the questions inspired by the title: Where is Tillmon County? What structures burned in the fire? How did the fire start? The author does an excellent job of slowly spiraling the reader toward the answers by introducing dynamic characters who speak in their own unique voices (and each voice is represented with a font that matches his/her personality!). The characters' individual stories intertwine as the plot unfolds. In addition to a solid storyline, Tillmon County Fire helps its teenage audience relate to and understand real issues facing teens today. I believe young readers will find characters with which they identify and who may help teens deal with their personal struggles as they fight toward adulthood.

An Impressive, Gripping Teen Page Turner

With Tillmon County Fire, author Pamela Ehrenberg has created an "Our Town" for teens. Like Ethan Suspended, Ehrenberg's debut novel, Tillmon deals with issues universal to young adults everywhere. And she accomplishes this difficult task visually,through font and typeface and with her usual wit and insight. Each chapter of the book is narrated by a different teen who is in the process of trying to figure out the world and his or her place in it. Like Roshomon,their intersecting stories help to uncover who was responsible for a devastating fire which culminates in a trial. Is it Rob, the new kid in town who happens to be gay? Or is it Albert,the slow twin, or the pregnant cashier in the hardware store? Or is it Amelia, the only Chinese American in Tillmon County, or is it Cait, a bright girl determined to go to college and flee Tillmon for good? Ehrenberg has created real flesh and blood characters devoid of melodrama. She channels each teen and it is for this reason that Tillmon County Fire is an impressive, gripping and relentless page turner.