Phoenix Rising

by Karen Hesse  |  Grades: 6-8  |  Lexile 610  |  Reading Level 4.0

The accident at Cookshire changed Nyle's life, but not in the way she expected...

Nyle and her grandmother live peacefully on their farm - until the night of the accident at the Cookshire nuclear power plant. Suddenly there are protective masks, evacuations, contaminated food. Nyle has barely adjusted when Gran decides to take in Ezra Trent and his mother, two of the accident's survivors. While Ezra fights off death in the back bedroom, Nyle forces herself to stay away. For what will happen if she comes to care for Ezra, only to lose him?

"The characters overcome adversity, not through heroic deeds of epic proportions, but through simple acts of kindness. The message is poignant, but not overpowering. Hesse has displayed considerable skill in creating a contemporary tale of hope and love rising, like a phoenix, from destruction and despair." --School Library Journal, Starred Review

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