Seldovia Sam and Wildfire Escape — Susan Woodward Springer

This exciting series of beginning chapter books follows the energetic and curious Sam on his adventures in beautiful Seldovia, Alaska, where he lives with his parents and dog, Neptune. Humor, family relationships, survival, natural history, and geography are all part of Sam's "misadventures." A map and author's note portray the real Seldovia while lively illustrations help readers to visualize characters and place. A great choice for avid and reluctant readers! In this new adventure, Sam discovers and reports a wildfire that is dangerously close to the isolated community of Seldovia. When the townspeople gather to be evacuated onto fishing boats, Sam realizes his friend's family hasn't made it to the docks and heads out to find them! Heroic Sam and Neptune escort the family and rescue their litter of kittens. Included is natural history information about the spruce bark beetle life cycle and wildfires-the dangers as well as the benefits to the forest and wildlife.