It is 1871 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and fourteen-year-old Pringle Rose, still grieving from the death of her parents, takes her brother Gideon, who has Down syndrome, escapes from her uncle and aunt, taking a train to Chicago--but disaster seems to follow her there.

The lads at the firehouse named me Sparky. It's a good name for a fire dog! I come froma time when horses, not engine, hauled equipment to fires. It was my job to keep the horses calm and obedient. But there was no calming man or beast on the night of the Great Fire! Based on true events, Sparky includes information about Dalmatians, the Great Chicago Fire, the legend of Mrs. O'Leary's cow, and more!

Oscar Starling never wanted to come to Chicago. But then Oscar finds himself not just in the heart of the big city but in the middle of a terrible fire! No one knows exactly how it began, but one thing is clear: Chicago is like a giant powder keg about to explode. An army of firemen is trying to help, but this fire is a ferocious beast that wants to devour everything in its path, including Oscar! Will Oscar survive one of the most famous and devastating...