They are not alone. After most of the world's population was wiped out by a deadly plague five years ago, this small group of children formed a family. They've taken care of each other, scavenging food from deserted supermarkets, fighting off the wild animals that prowl soccer fields and schools. The children thought they were the only ones left. Then they came across the Keepers, the first Grown-ups they'd seen for years, living in an abandoned shopping mall. The Keepers offered fresh food, clean beds, and security. But what looked like safety was instead the worst danger the family had yet faced. Now the family is once again on the road. But if they want to reach the end of their journey, if they want to solve the mystery of what happened and who is to blame, they must head straight into danger -- to Pisgah, the heart of the Keepers' power. In this stunning conclusion to the Fire-us Trilogy, Jennifer Armstrong and Nancy Butcher return to the post-apocalyptic world they created in The Kindling and The Keepers of the Flame, as the family discovers the dark secret that changed their world forever. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

The Fire-us Trilogy, a post-apocalyptic action-adventure about a group of children who survive a virus that kills off most of the world's adults, reaches its conclusion in The Kiln by Jennifer Armstrong and Nancy Butcher. Dark secrets come to light, exposing villains and revealing true heroes. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 7 Up-In book three of the trilogy, Angerman, Mommy, Teacher, and the other members of the makeshift family have found their way to The Woods, a retirement community filled with elderly women who somehow managed to survive the virus that killed most of the adults in the world. However, the youngsters' troubles and travels are not over yet. As Mommy deals with the bewildering changes that come with puberty, Angerman grows increasingly agitated, and insists on continuing the effort to find the President of the United States. Traveling in solar-powered golf carts, he and the other kids manage to find the president on Pisgah Island-and he turns out to be the Supreme Leader of the Crossroads enclave. He also turns out to be related to more than one of the children, and an over-the-top, power-hungry madman to boot. One family member makes the supreme sacrifice to save what's left of the world in an explosive finale. Armstrong and Butcher have crafted a chillingly realistic picture of events that unfortunately isn't that hard to imagine, and have created believable characters who act in believable ways. A strong finish to an engrossing and disturbing series set in the near future.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 7^-10. Having escaped the extremely fundamentalist Keepers of the Flame, Mommy, Teacher, Angerman, and the other youngsters continue their search for the Grown-up known as President and find a remote retirement community of elderly women. When they learn from the community's doctor that Pesident's summer home is on the nearby island of Pisgah, also the enclave of the Supreme Leader of the Keepers of the Flame, the older kids go there, leaving the toddlers behind with the women. Soon they find themselves falling into the clutches of the Keepers, and they inevitably learn the truth behind the Fire-us (the virus) that killed most of the people in the country. Although the young people remain true to the characterizations established in the earlier books, the adults here are one-dimensional, and the chain of events stretches credibility. It's a shame that the trilogy, which began with such promise in The Kindling (2002), climaxes with such melodrama. --Sally Estes From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.