Get whisked away with Heather Whirl, Weather Girl and her magical umbrella as she and her friends experience wildfires and the impact of climate change in this chapter book for readers ages 6–9, the second in a series! Heather Whirl is fascinated by the weather and concerned about the climate. In this second adventure, Heather’s magical umbrella, given to her by her eccentric great-grandmother, lands her and her friends near a raging wildfire! Heather and her friend Edward and animal companions–Fog the dog and a lizard named Blizzard–observe and learn how such fires come about. They also lend a helping hand in building a fire break, and document their adventures. Heather’s journal entries, notes from her helpers, definitions, and activities provide additional information for children wanting to learn more about the weather and climate. Linda Oatman High is an experienced and versatile children’s book author of more than 25 books for children (and teens), including picture books and middle-grade and YA novels. Her work includes Hound Heaven , which was nominated for the Rebecca Caudill Award; City of Snow: The Great Blizzard of 1888 , which was added to the 2005 NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book list; and many others. Linda holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College, and she teaches both nationally and internationally. Kris Aro McLeod is an author, illustrator, and elementary school art teacher. She has illustrated several children’s books, including The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee , Catch a Kiss , and Li zzy and the Last Day of School . She has illustrated and written poems for Ladybug , Spider , and Cricket magazines. Her work has been reviewed in School Library Journal , Kirkus , and others. Chapter 1 From Gingersnaps to Wildfires   It was a gray day in November, clouds hanging heavy and dark. Heather and Edward were helping Heather’s father to bake gingersnap cookies from Nanny Pippa’s recipe when Heather’s eyes suddenly changed color. “Uh-oh,” said Edward. “Here we go again. Your eyes are purple! And I see red and green slashes.” Edward and Heather both looked at Heather’s magic umbrella, standing in a corner by the door. Fog ran to the umbrella and sniffed it. Blizzard skittered to the dog’s side.   [Page 8] The gem on the handle of the umbrella was flashing frantically. Heather turned off the cookie mixer. Edward spilled some honey on the floor and his shoes. “Oh, no!” he said. “My new shoes! Plus, I have flour all over my shirt.” “No time to worry about your shoes or your shirt,” said Heather. “It’s time for another adventure.” Edward followed Heather to the umbrella. Heather’s pets looked up at her. “Let’s go!” said Heather. “Bye, Dad!” “Be safe!” Heather’s father shouted as Heather picked up the umbrella. The four friends hurried outside into the chilly November day. Heather popped up the umbrella and pressed the gemstone. Heather’s entire body twisted, along with the umbrella. Swirling, whirling, twirling fast as a human tornado, Heather flew high into the sky. So did Edward, and Blizzard, and Fog. It was wild and crazy and weird, just like the first time, and Heather’s heart flipped exactly as it had on her last wild weather adventure. Heather blinked, and her body landed gently upon the ground, her three friends dropping down beside her. The smell of smoke hung thick in the air, and all four of them began to cough. “Holy guacamole!” squeaked Blizzard. “Look!” The lizard pointed into the distance, toward high hills. The hills flamed with fire. “Dude!” said Fog. “We’re in California! The West Coast of America.” Edward lifted one shoe after another, still examining the mess of sticky honey. “How do you know we’re in California?” he asked. “Um, that sign over there.” Fog lifted a paw, pointing. Heather took a deep breath. She could feel the heat of the fires, even though they weren’t close. “My hypothesis,” she said, “is that we are near a wildfire. I can tell from all this smoke and heat.” “They happen a lot in California, don’t they?” asked Edward. He bit nervously on a fingernail. “Wildfires happen all over the world,” said Fog. “Anywhere that it is too dry.” “They need some rain!” said Edward. “I wish it would start raining right this minute!” “Let’s do a rain dance!” squeaked Blizzard, looking up at the sky and skittering in circles. “I wish that the magic of the umbrella could just make it rain!” said Edward. “I think wildfires may be caused by more than drought,” said Heather. “I’ll do some research and write about that in my Weather Journal when we get home.” The four friends all gazed at the blazing fires. “One minute we were making gingersnaps,” said Heather, “and the next, we’re at a wildfire. Wild weather adventures sure are surprising.” “It’s creepy how we can feel the heat from so far away,” squeaked Blizzard. “Lizards don’t melt,” huffed Fog. “And you’re from a tropical environment, bro. Try to imagine being inside of all this f