UP IN FLAMES

A sheltered girl experiences financial and emotional traumas due to wildfires.

Ruby Ortega, of Buena Valley in Southern California, is used to having everything she wants, but she can’t have the boy she likes, her neighbor Ashton Willis. She’s shocked to discover he has a new girlfriend he’s serious about, and they’re moving in together. Suddenly, Ruby realizes that much of what she’d imagined about her college experience revolved around being with Ashton. She even applied to Arizona State just so she could be near him. However, the unusually dry California summer becomes another source of concern as the wildfires approach their town and homes are destroyed. As the fires finally reach their neighborhood and people are told to evacuate, Ruby’s sense of safety is shattered, and she endures terrible challenges that ultimately lead to her transformation. Unfortunately, the story is slow to take off, and Ruby’s emotional growth—from someone who vilifies the young woman her unrequited crush is dating to someone who is aware of her own privilege and starts caring for people who have less than she does—may come too late for some readers. White-passing Ruby has a white mom and Mexican dad.

Uneven pacing and a protagonist it’s difficult to invest in make this a challenge.