Burning Up

This is an older children's/YA novel, and I wish there'd been more of this kind of stuff around when I was a kid. Young Macey lives in the swanky Connecticut burb that's been home to her family for generations. As a school project, she decides to delve into the history of a local burnt-out barn . . . and is surprised to run into a wall of adult hostility to the notion. It could have ended there -- why rock the boat? -- but Macey's attitudes mature quite a lot when she and a few classmates visit an inner-city church to do charitable work, see the deprivation of the kids there, and make friends; they mature even more when, soon after, one of those kids is murdered. With her new boyfriend, Macey pushes ahead and discovers why the barn was show more torched, and the levels of guilt and bigotry buried beneath the genial facades of some of her family members and their friends. The writing's good, the relationships are well handled, and difficult topics are handled more substantively than in many an adult "issues" novel. What's not to like? show less

This book is about a girl who has to do a history report. Macy decides to do the report on a huge fire that happened about 30 years ago. Two days later, she goes to this church with her friend Austin to paint the rooms for community service. Macy is paired up with a girl named Venita. They become very good friends. A week later, Venita is murdered. Macy is upset and wonders if there is people in her town against black people. Macy then sees that her grandparents are a part of this. Macy is very upset. She tries to find out about the fire that happened 30 years ago, but no one seems to remember. Macy finally learns to let the fire and Venita go.
This book was very good. I liked how Macy didn't give up even if people told her to. I was a show more little mad that Macy's parents didn't let her go to Venita's funeral. But I like the way the book was written and I like how Caroline Cooney mentioned Shakespeare. I think this book holds a life lesson. I think that the lesson is never forget the dead and never forget the past because you never know when it could mean something to somebody else later on. show less

We did this book for 7th grade book club. It brought up some interesting issues about race and class in the history of our country and also more recently. Macey doggedly pursues truth regardless of the resistance she gets from her community as events in her life intertwine with the burning of an apartment in 1959.

This is a great book that mixed teen life with a serious issue. It kept me interested the whole time.

Macey Clare feels comfortable in her home town, although it isn't always fun being shunted back and forth between her two sets of hovering grandparents, who live near her. But between hanging out with her two good friends, attending annual barbacues on the beach, and getting to know cute classmate Austin better, her life seems fine.

Then, for a school project, Macey starts investigating the story of a barn in town that burned down years back. When she meets with resistance from friends and family, she is surprised and curious. It only makes her more determined to discover the truth, even if it means digging deep. But Macey could never show more imagine that her small, friendly town hides a shameful secret.

An old science teacher, who was black in a time when it was dangerous to be so. Prejudices long buried become revived. True colors are shown. And Macey will never be able to see her town, her family, or herself the same way ever again.

A mystery, a character study, and a historical fiction rolled into one teen novel, this is a very well-done book. show less

I loved this. It made great use of symbolism and multiple themes that teens can either relate to already or learn to relate to as they read this poignant story that deals with the closet racism of many whites, even in the North, breakup of families, and secrets within those families. It does have two words that are considered strong language, though they are not used frivolously.

Beautifully crafted story about the continuing issues of race in America. Loved it!

Cooney, C.B. (1999). Burning up. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf.

Grade Levels: 7th – 11th grades
Category: Mystery/Suspense
Read-Alouds: pages 17-23 (Macey questioning her teacher about the fire), pages 36-37 (Macey and Austin questioning the church fire as arson), pages 51-52 (Grace and Macey talking about Austin), page 68 (Macey’s teacher talking about not letting a negro run a classroom), pages 84-86 (Macey and Grace baking together), pages 103-104 (A letter to Macey from Venita’s grandmother), page 120 (Macey’s mom and Mrs. Framm having coffee together), pages 130-133 (Macey questioning whether it was her grandfather that started the fire in 1959), page 148 (Austin’s grandfather ordering Macey to stop researching the cause of the show more fire), pages 174-175 (a change in Macey’s mood), pages 190-195 (seven pictures have been found of the fire), page 209 (Macey and her mom talking about the measures the town has taken to keep it all white)

Summary:
Macey Clare is a 15-year-old girl who lives in a white town in Connecticut with her family. One day, she and her friends volunteer in an inner-city church and she befriends a black girl named Venita. They're just getting to know each other when the kids are caught in a church fire, which turns out to be arson. Luckily no one was hurt in the fire, but it inspires Macey to start researching an old barn fire in her hometown for a school project. Suddenly no one wants her to find out about the true cause of that fire. When disaster strikes her new friend, Macey can no longer ignore her suspicions, she has to know whether that barn fire was racially motivated arson. Macey wants to find out if the town that she has so much respect for is capable of such hatred.

Themes:
The main theme of this book is racism. Macey has to defend her relationship with Venita and her work with the inner-city church. When Macey is researching the cause of the barn fire, she is coming across a lot of clues about the measures the town has taken in order to keep it an all white town. Macey is a very courageous teenager that seems to be ahead of her age by taking such initiative and risk by researching this fire of 1959.

Discussion Questions:
What would you do if you were trying to discover the truth about a fire?
What do you picture this town looking like in 1959?
Can you name any other stories that you connect to when you read this book?

Reader Response:
I have read a few of Caroline B. Cooney’s books before, but I really like the story that she told in this one. I think that this is a good story that sends a good message to children. I think that there are a lot of kids that aren’t aware of what people of color had endured in the past; this story could be a great precursor to civil rights lessons. show less