Fire Brats
Encyclopedia
Firebrats is a series of children's books
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

 about two teenagers, Matt and Dani, who both survive post apocalyptic World War 3. The books were written by Barbara Siegel, Scott Siegel and Barbara Steiner. The first book, The Burning Land, was published in 1987.

Overview

Firebrats is a series set in the aftermath of World War 3, it follows the struggles of two teenagers Matt and Dani to escape a nuclear-bombed city and find a new life.

The Burning Land

Published in 1987.

Matt and Dani scarcely know one another when World War 3 happens. They meet each other in a theater basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...

, where they live on junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...

 and suffer a mild form of radiation sickness
Radiation Sickness
Radiation Sickness is a VHS by the thrash metal band Nuclear Assault. The video is a recording of a concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, London in 1988. It was released in 1991...

. 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
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

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

Survivors

Matt and Dani cross a huge river on a raft
Raft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is the most basic of boat design, characterized by the absence of a hull...

, and are taken in by a kindly old survivalist who teaches them various useful techniques and helps them destroy a pack of bandits
Bandits
Bandits is a 2001 American crime-comedy drama film directed by Barry Levinson. It stars Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Cate Blanchett. Filming began in October 2000 and ended in February 2001. It helped Thornton earn a National Board of Review Best Actor Award for 2001...

. The hero and heroine take turns rescuing each other from peril throughout this series.

Thunder Mountain

As a dust storm
Dust storm
A dust / sand storm 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. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil to move from one place and deposition...

 strikes, Matt and Dani struggle to survive. They eventually reach the shelter of Thunder Mountain
Thunder Mountain
Thunder Mountain can refer to:*Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado, used as Thunder Mountain in the television series Jeremiah*Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in several Disney theme parks*Thunder Mountain Motor Speedway, a race track in Rusk, Texas....

, but it isn't really the safe refuge they need.

Shockwave

As nuclear autumn
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....

 persists, Matt and Dani foil a band of slave-trading bikers and save Denver from flooding caused by a lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 which was formed by the bombing.

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.
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