Eighth grader Pira Morand has lived in 15 Canadian towns in 13 years, moving from place to place with her detective moms, who investigate “unusual mysteries.” Their latest home, in the small town of Eyrewood, is one of the oddest places they’ve lived. Nothing burns within the town limits, ever since a fire raged through the area 30 years ago, yet smoke emanates from the “slash,” the old logging woods that have never regrown.
As Pira begins to make friends in the town, she learns that the slash is actually full of “burnlings,” fire demons that none of the adults want to acknowledge. Several of her peers have banded together as “The Firefighters Club” to battle the burnlings, but as Pira learns more, she begins to suspect that the burnlings are tied to the very case her moms are investigating, the long-ago disappearance of her new peer Jackie’s sister.
The case is particularly important to her moms, not only because her mom Cindy grew up in Eyrewood, but because solving the disappearance would give them enough money to settle someplace once Pira’s sibling-to-be is born. Pira therefore feels tension between her “Good Pira” persona, which tells her to not interfere, with the anger she feels as she discovers that the town is hiding even darker secrets.
As this is playing out, Pira begins to develop a crush on Jackie, and their evolving relationship, from hostile to heartfelt, is a fun and thoughtfully written part of the story. Pira tells us that she’s had crushes on both boys and girls before, but never labels her identity.
Other observations about the queer representation in the book: Pira’s gestational mom and Cindy got together when Pira was four, a rare depiction in recent LGBTQ children’s literature of an LGBTQ family where the parents didn’t plan for a child together. Pira’s mom’s current pregnancy also means the book gives us a rare depiction of a child with LGBTQ parents who is expecting another sibling. And one of Pira’s friends, who plays a smaller role, uses they/them pronouns.
The twisty plot, with age-appropriate horror elements and a quirky, resourceful group of youth, makes for an exciting read, while the character development (particularly of Pira and Jackie) adds depth. There are underlying messages about environmentalism, the perils of corporate greed, what adults pass on to the next generation, and standing up to create change, but author Mary Averling avoids both pedantry and simplistic answers, creating a highly recommended title with (appropriately) a lot of warmth.
Pira, her moms, and Jackie read as White; several other characters are people of color.
