For Ages: 12-14 years

• Sharon James

Forest Fever is an exciting story set in what is now Dominica's Morne Trois Pitons National Park. Jerry, the narrator, goes on a school trip to the famous Boiling Lake and gets lost in the surrounding forest during a storm. Bruised and battered by the storm, he wakes up in strange surroundings, among strange people. Will he ever return to his normal life? He has to keep his eyes and ears open for a chance to escape from an increasingly dangerous situation.

Key Features:

• The language of the story is mostly Standard English, but with words, phrases and idioms which represent the Dominican Kreole. Explanations are skilfully integrated in the text to make it easy to understand them.
• The story places emphasis on an individual's moral strength, cunning and commonsense, which often make the difference between success and failure.
•  The characters in the story, both male and female, are well-drawn. The story gives a glimpse of the culture and habits of life in Dominica, especially in the historical period of the 1970s when the emerging Rastafarian religion was a source of apprehension in the country.
• The story emphasizes the positive aspects of life in a village situation where everybody cares for everybody else. It also demonstrates what living close to nature entails.
• This book is an excellent choice as an online reader for the diaspora, in schools, as well as for families.

Look Out For:

• An exciting plot
• Twists and turns which keep the reader's interest
• Words and phrases of the Dominican Kreole that are cleverly explained within the text
• The storytelling expertise of the writer which is evident throughout