A book dedicated to all those volunteers at the Hinckley Fire Museum who help preserve the history of their community by telling the stories of the great Hinckley firestorm of 1894, and to all those students who come to listen.

Imagine a force in nature more powerful than multiple atomic bombs�that was the Great Hinckley Fire of September 1, 1894. In only four hours, the fire incinerated over 400 square miles of forest, killed at least 418 settlers and an unknown number of forest-dwelling Native Americans, and destroyed six towns in a firestorm of flame. The elements that led to this unprecedented catastrophe included careless logging practices, a drought, freakish weather,...

"Twelve-year-old Maia's parents say she's lucky she noticed something as early as she did. Lucky to have smelled the smoke, lucky to have pulled her sister, Amelia, out of their burning house. But is it really "lucky" when Amelia's stuck in the hospital, covered in burns? And is it "lucky" when Maia knows it was her candle, left unattended, that started the fire in the first place?...As she begins to figure out how to face her guilt and paralyzing...

Charlie, an eight-year-old girl, has the ability to start fires by pyrokinesis. Now a government agency is after her and wants to use her as a weapon.

In 1894, Daniel and Carrie fight to survive as an uncontrollable forest fire threatens to destroy their small Minnesota mill town.

"Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson attempts to burn a...