Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Get the app
Parents' Guide to

Wildefire

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Violent myth-driven debut OK for fantasy-loving teens.

Book Karsten Knight Fantasy 2011
Wildefire Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

Ashline \"Ash\" Wilde already stands out by being the only adopted Polynesian student in an affluent, all-white New York high school. When her estranged, intimidating older sister Eve comes home and ruthlessly kills Ash's school rival, Ash escapes from her East Coast troubles by boarding at Blackwood Academy, a posh prep school in Northern California. There, a mysterious encounter draws her to five other students. And that's when Ash's real adventure begins: Together, the group discovers they're able to do unbelievable things like control the weather or others' minds. In fact, they may not even be human.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Readers may find strong Ash a refreshing protagonist: She's not a shy wallflower waiting for a cute boy to help her blossom. Ash knows she's hot stuff, whether she's beating an opponent on the tennis court or flirting with a guy on the dance floor. But she's not sure who -- or what -- she really is for most of the book, and that makes her appealing -- at least when the pace picks midway through the book.

Unfortunately, other characters aren't so well-drawn: Scary big sister Eve is one-dimensional as the unabashed "bad girl," and the author doesn't develop Ash's friends enough to care too much when they're put in harm's way. First-time author Knight's writing suffers from some clunky prose and unanswered plot holes, but once the action takes off, fantasy-loving teens will be guessing and wanting more -- and hoping for another installment.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the popularity of mythological characters in books and other media. What other titles can you think of? What's lasting about these characters?

  • Compare Ash to other popular heroines in young adult books. Is she typical -- or unusual? Thinking of media as a whole, are there more diverse female characters today than there were in the past?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended book lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate