Fire Storm

Fire Storm by Jean Craighead George, illus. by Wendell Minor, the second book in the Outdoor Adventures series, which launched with Cliff Hanger, reads like an episode from an adventure novel. This time, Axel (once again accompanied by his dog, Grits) kayaks down the Salmon River with his aunt and uncleuntil a forest fire surrounds them and Axel's quick thinking saves the day. In Minor's dramatic paintings, the golden fire is both menacing and beautiful; smoke rises like mist in the trees. George uses the graceful metaphor of the phoenix to reassure both Axel and readers that the forest's devastation will not last forever. (Sept.)