A Catalog of Burnt Objects

Starred review from January 1, 2025
A high school girl grapples with personal worries and the devastation wrought by the wildfire that engulfs her small town. Caprice Alexander both loves Sierra, California, beyond reason and hopes to escape it. While dealing with the stress of senior year, Cappy, who's white, is also developing an app she hopes will launch her career. At home, she tiptoes around her older brother, Beckett, newly sober after months in rehab. Written after the devastating Camp Fire of 2018 in the author's hometown of Paradise, this compelling novel has a highly effective narrative frame: The fire doesn't come as a surprise, but that early knowledge enhances rather than dampens the building tension as Cappy and her family (including their beloved gramps and gram) draw closer to the day that will change everything. Interspersed throughout are archival entries of items lost in the fire, each with an explanation from its owner of the object's significance. Besides cleverly tying to the book's conclusion, this structure makes the broader communal loss visible, enlarging the scope of the work beyond Cappy's individual struggles. Helping Cappy navigate Beckett's recovery process and the fire's aftermath are her best friend, Alicia Johnson, one of the few Black people in town, and her crush, River Parker-Holt, newly arrived with his moms and hoping to put down roots after dozens of moves. Smart and moving; a beautiful tribute to those living with the threat of wildfires. (content note, author's note, resources)(Fiction. 12-18)

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Starred review from February 1, 2025
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Youngdahl's eloquent sophomore work celebrates love, loss, family, and the meaning of home. The summer before senior year, Caprice is hard at work on a tourism app for her hometown, dealing with her older brother, Beckett's, return from rehab, and grappling with post-graduation plans. In addition, she also has the attention of new-to-town River. Caprice is trying to be patient with Beckett, but his impulsiveness and controlling tendencies are getting on her last good nerve. Then, as senior year starts, a wildfire races through Sierra, destroying everything. Everyone is forced to evacuate and loses someone or something. Caprice and Beckett's beloved Gramps dies in the fire, and their home, which Gramps built, is gone. The app is now useless for tourism, but Caprice turns it into a vehicle for people to talk about the things they lost in the fire. It is a catalog of burnt things: a Talking Heads album, a prom corsage, clay pots made by children-- everyday, but precious, objects. These "catalog" stories are thoughtfully interspersed throughout the novel. Youngdahl based Sierra on her hometown of Paradise, California, and her narrative goes straight to the heart in lucid, well-crafted sentences. Caprice is complexly developed: stubborn but empathetic, loyal, and giving, and she is surrounded by a well-drawn, realistic group of characters. Full of heart and sure to have mass appeal.

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