''Fire Brats'' is a series of

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

about two teenagers, Matt and Dani, who both survive post apocalyptic

World War III World War III, also known as the Third World War, is a hypothetical future global conflict subsequent to World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). It is widely predicted that such a war would involve all of the great powers, ...

. The books were written by Barbara Siegel, Scott Siegel and Barbara Steiner. The first book, ''The Burning Land'', was published in 1987.

Overview

''Fire Brats'' is a series set in the aftermath of World War III. It follows the struggles of two teenagers, Matt and Dani, to escape a nuclear-bombed city and find a new life.

''The Burning Land'' (1987)

Matt and Dani scarcely know one another when World War III happens. They meet each other in a

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

basement A basement is any Storey, floor of a building that is not above the grade plane. Especially in residential buildings, it often is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the Furnace (house heating), furnace, water heating, ...

, where they live on

junk food "Junk food" is a term used to describe food that is high in calorie#Nutrition, calories from macronutrients such as sugar and fat, and often also high in sodium, making it hyperpalatable, and low in dietary fiber, Protein (nutrient), protein, or m ...

and suffer a mild form of

radiation sickness Acute radiation syndrome (ARS), also known as radiation sickness or radiation poisoning, is a collection of health effects that are caused by being exposed to high amounts of ionizing radiation in a short period of time. Symptoms can start wit ...

. When an earthquake destroys the building over their heads a month later, they dig their way out to find themselves threatened by a gang of escaped convicts. They escape to head for

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where Matt hopes to find the rest of his family still alive.

''Survivors'' (1987)

Matt and Dani cross a huge river on a

raft A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull. Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barre ...

, and are taken in by a kindly old survivalist who teaches them various useful techniques and helps them destroy a pack of

bandits Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, e ...

''Thunder Mountain'' (1987)

As a

dust storm A dust storm, also called a sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Fine particles are transpo ...

strikes, Matt and Dani struggle to survive. They eventually reach the shelter of Thunder Mountain, but it is not really the safe refuge they need.

''Shockwave'' (1988)

As nuclear

autumn Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemisphe ...

persists, Matt and Dani foil a band of slave-trading bikers and save Denver from

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civi ...

caused by a

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

which was formed by the

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

Reception

One of the issues that has irked many readers of this series was that there was never any resolution. The first four books build up the characters, who are trying to get to California, have these characters face much adversity, and then leave them stranded with book four. The reason for there not being any fifth book is still unknown. This series of books was very popular amongst adolescent readers, many of whom remember the series fondly, but still, all this time later, long to know the fate of Matt and Dani.

References

{{reflist

External links

Book covers and some info
Fantasy books by series Book series