Winter Sky by Patricia Reilly Giff (review)

Siria spends her nights scanning the winter sky for Sirius, its brightest star and the inspiration for her name, which was chosen by the mother eleven-year old Siria can barely remember. She also looks for the telltale orange glow of any fires across town, as this means her firefighter father must put his life in danger to save others. If Pop goes to a fire, so does she, sneaking out of her apartment and biking to the blaze to make sure Pop gets through it unharmed. Only her best friend Douglas knows about these late-night excursions, though even he doesn’t know about the other fires Siria has started chasing: small ones started near an abandoned shed, in an old movie theater, and in trashcans by the school. Convinced that she must protect Pop and the rest of his crew, Siria soon finds herself out almost every night trying to determine the source of these fires, braving smoke, a hungry, wolflike dog, and an unknown arsonist to keep her firefighting family safe. With simple prose and an appreciation for the growing sense of freedom and responsibility of late childhood, Giff creates a gentle and enjoyable read with a light touch of suspense. While Siria’s insistence on these dangerous late-night excursions and her reluctance to confide in an adult go on a bit longer than believable, the book effectively captures the mind of a preteen who feels deeply responsible for those around her. The mystery element will keep young readers guessing, while the themes of loneliness, friendship, and family will resonate strongly. Siria’s late-night sleuthing and realistic friendships—along with a well-worn dog-adoption subplot—also make this a potential readaloud for an upper elementary classroom.