Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Absorbing, violent fantasy brings dragons into the 1950s.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
BURN tells the story of Sarah Dewhurst, who's almost 16 in 1957 and lives in a small town in Washington on her father's farm. Since her mother died, she and her father are barely able to make ends meet and keep the farm afloat, so they hire a dragon named Kazimir to come help them clear some land for planting. Despite warnings from her father not to interact with the powerful and supposedly soulless creature, Sarah's curiosity draws her to learn more about Kazimir, and about how he knows so much about her already, and why he seems so protective of Sarah. It seems an ancient dragon prophecy is starting to prove true, and is going to be fulfilled right on the Dewhurst farm. To learn the truth behind it, Sarah, her loved ones, and Kazimir will have to face a deadly assassin from a dragon-worshipping cult, a brutal town deputy, a couple of FBI agents on the assassin's trail, and the rampaging goddess of dragons herself.
Is It Any Good?
This is an absorbing fantasy with an unusual 1950s U.S. setting that combines suspenseful detective fiction, coming-of-age, science fiction, and of course, dragons. There's magic, but not the kind you'd expect to go along with castles, knights, wizards, and round tables. Veteran author Patrick Ness skillfully weaves together themes as wide ranging as the Cold War, cult worship, alternative universes, the power of prophecy, and where the real magic in the world lies.
Things slow down a bit when the author explains, and some readers might feel he explains too much, about how the magic, the prophecy, and alternative universes work. But, overall, the plot moves along well. One of Ness' strengths is his fully developed characters. The good guys are easy to relate to and root for, and the bad guys have real dimension so you "get" them without liking them or what they do.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Burn. How much is too much? Does it matter if it's fantasy violence or real-world? Why, or why not?
Why is it important to have positive representations of different types of people in books, movies, TV, etc.? Which characters are good role models? In what way?
What are some examples of racism that Sarah and Jason experience? Do the same kinds of things happen today? Have we as a society changed much since the 1950s? If so, how? If not, why not?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Dragons , Magic ) , History
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : HarperTeen
- Publication date : June 2, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 384
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : March 6, 2026
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