Ocean of Fire

Gr 6–10—Ocean of Fire presents the events of the burning of Columbia, South Carolina, in 1865 by General William T. Sherman's army, as seen by 17-year-old Emma LeConte, who is trying to protect her family from the Yankee soldiers; her uncle and father, who are taking supplies out of the city so they don't fall into enemy hands; and Reverend Porter, a local resident. Other characters include Charles Davis, a Yankee soldier who seems to be a spy, and Lieutenant McQueen, an officer in the Northern army who protects Emma's family from harm at the hands of Sherman's men. Unfortunately, the amount of historical detail compromises the novel's readability. The pace is slow and the language is dry. The foreshadowing of the tragedy is overpowering as all of the scenes in the first half of the book appear to be included simply to point out how easily the city could burn, and the alternating points of view distract from the immediacy of the events. The characters' voices are not distinct, and so many people are introduced that readers don't become fully in invested in their plight. It's a struggle to remember who they all are and what role they are playing in the unfolding story. This novel will not generate much traffic.—Tammy Turner, Centennial High School, Frisco, TX