Candice Lemon-Scott, Wildfire Rescue (Eco Rangers #3), New Frontier Publishing, January 2020, 112 pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781925594904
Ebony and Jay are best friends and eco rangers, who love animals and taking care of the environment. When a recent bushfire devastates the bushland surrounding their homes, they help the local vet by searching for injured animals and find a ringtail possum whose paws are burned. They also find evidence that people have been camping in the fire-affected area. Who are they, why are they there and did they have anything to do with the fire? Our two eco rangers not only care for the possum but also work hard to solve the mystery. After Australia’s devastating bushfire season of 2019-20, this book is a timely reminder of the job we have to do in protecting injured wildlife and their habitats.
The friendship between Ebony and Jay is warm and the way they solve the mystery is determined and clever. Wildfire Rescue’s strong message of looking after nature and each other isn’t delivered as a lecture but is a well-told, easy-to-read, story for readers who love nature, animals and an intriguing mystery.
Reviewed by Deborah Abela