Winter Sky

Siria’s mother has died but she loved stars and named her daughter after the star Sirius. Siria’s father is a firefighter so Siria fears for his safety when he is on duty and gets a call to put out a fire. Since he works the night shift, Siria sneaks out at night to chase the trucks to the fire so she can make sure that her dad is okay. When she is out, she notices a stray dog that she soon befriends and hopes to make her pet. She also notices that someone is setting small fires and she worries that there is an arsonist in the area. These fires are another cause for her concern about her father’s safety and so she sets out to discover who is setting the fires.

This is a book about family, friendships, firefighting, pets, arson, show more bravery, and stars. An important additional theme is that one should not jump to conclusions without having all of the facts. This middle grade book addresses a lot of topics in a small number of pages. Young readers will love that Siria friends the stray dog. And the book has a warm fuzzy ending that ties everything together appropriately for the middle grade reader. show less

In this book, Siria sneaks out during the night to keep an eye on her firefighter father. When her mother passed away, she told Siria to take care of her father. While out protecting her dad, she discovers that someone has been setting fires around town. As she starts investigating, she finds the arsonist is closer to home than she was expecting. It takes real courage to solve the mystery. She learns a lot about herself and those close to her in this adventurous novel. Great for fifth and sixth grade readers.