''Fire Brats'' is a series of

children's books A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...

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

World War III World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical World war, worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use ...

. The books were written by

Barbara Siegel Scott Warren Siegel (born 1951) is a US writer of mostly young adult shared universe science-fiction and fantasy, generally with his wife Barbara Siegel. Many of their novels were published in the 1980s and 1990s. In later years, he and his wife t ...

Scott Siegel Scott Warren Siegel (born 1951) is a US writer of mostly young adult shared universe science-fiction and fantasy, generally with his wife Barbara Siegel. Many of their novels were published in the 1980s and 1990s. In later years, he and his wife t ...

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 actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

basement A basement or cellar is one or more floors of a building that are completely or partly below the ground floor. It generally is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, ...

, where they live on

junk food "Junk food" is a term used to describe food that is high in calories from sugar and/or fat, and possibly also sodium, but with little dietary fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, or other important forms of nutritional value. It is also known as ...

and suffer a mild form of radiation sickness. 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, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, 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 barrels ...

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

''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 transporte ...

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 in American English and Canadian English, 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 ( Sou ...

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 an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

caused by a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

which was formed by the bombing.

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 Series of books