Greg’s dad is a professor Mr. Taylor really never started fires but the police came to him for help since he was good at mysteries and was a professor. Scream Machine was the regular hang out for teens on the weekends (on my board there are 2 coupons from the Scream Machine). When another fire happened, Shelby went to check it out and found Greg’s mitten their soaked in gasoline. Greg started to annoy Shelby a lot Greg embarrassed Shelby at school. Everyone thought Shelby and Greg-Dating. Only one school dance every year. At dance, Shelby just went with Greg because she had no one else to go with.
Jane was bragging so much about her new dress she got for the dance but didn’t show up. Jane got new coat, but 2 days later gave it away after bragging about it Jane and Nick broke up Nick noticed Shelby more. Jane more depressed ?Shelby looked through Mr. Taylor’s drawer of scrap books- found in scrap books Greg’s mom had died in fire. So maybe Greg was setting fires, because his mom died in one. Mr. Taylor found Shelby and caught her looking through his drawers. Greg worked at a gasoline station which was close to where the fire happened and he dropped his mitten while working and got it soaked in gasoline.
Shelby and Greg didn’t talk anymore because Shelby thought that Greg did the fire but Greg didn’t. Shelby got a book from Mr. Taylor about why people start fires. Shelby made a list of girls who could start fires. Shelby found that all the characteristics from the book of why people start fires lead to Jane and Anna. Shelby finds out she is in love with Greg. Anna and Jane both take their anger out on other people, are shy to change in the girls locker room with other girls in it, and both act depressed sometimes.
Anna always goes to any after school activities and hangs around guys a lot. Jane never goes to any after school activities and doesn’t hang around any guys. She isn’t close to anyone either and doesn’t go to anyone’s house. Jane hates her step father a lot for no reason and he is always taking her away from any social activities. In the book on fire starters, it says that women who get usually sexually abuse start fires, because that’s how they can take their anger out and also because they are always trapped in the house.
Also in the book it mentioned that abusers tend to keep their girl victims from anything social or any special events especially with guys in it, because the abuser gets jealous. So find out what happens next in the book, Out of the Ashes by Valerie Sherrard. And see in this wonderful realistic and cryptic novel how Shelby and Greg both in love with each other but can’t express their love for each other and also work together to find out who got sexually abused along with the person setting the fires!
