KEROSENE is a novel about the part of us that reacts physically to what is happening inside. For some, it may be punching pillows or beating up our siblings; in this novel, Cal channels his internal turmoil into fire. Fire is not to play with. Fire can hurt you. Everyone hears these warnings; is it possible that it can also help you heal? That toying with it, tempting it, living your internal passion out through the dancing flames can release something that nothing else can? It seems true for Cal, when a match helps relieve stress, burning property leaves embarrassment behind, and going to more drastic measures with the pure energy takes everything away. Chris Wooding's novel, KEROSENE, is fascinating in the way it takes a curious character and plays with him, allowing the characters to be unpredictable but believable. Cal's insecurity is the extreme of what everyone knows lives inside themselves, and Cal is part of us from page one. The plot, style, and characterization of the novel were sophisticated yet on the level of the reader, and the situations made the heart wrench again and again. Overall, it was a psychologically intense and fabulously written work of art. Christopher Wooding's novel KEROSENE will remain burnt into my mind, a bright but dangerous reminder of human nature's tendencies to play with fire. - Julia, Age 15