Firegirl

Thoughts about Firegirl by Tony Abbot

Inside cover reads:
"From this moment on, life is never quite the same for Tom and his seventh-grade classmates. Despite Jessica's shocking appearance and the fear she evokes in him and most of the class, Tom slowly develops a tentative friendship with Jessica that changes his life. Firegirl is a powerful book that will show readers that even the smallest of gestures can have a profound impact on someone's life."

Response:
A very quick read. Polished it off in about an hour. It's 145 pages long, and it's a well-developed short-story. It's got a good message, solid plot, and it keeps you reading. It's not too "feel-good," so I like that. I feel that the cruelty towards Jessica could have been a bit more realistic, though. It seems like it was just a bit too sugar-coated for my taste. This age group is so cruel, it can be insane at times. I think that the author could have really used that to show kids how horrible they are. Even then, some of them probably wouldn't think twice about their own behavior. I'm not too bitter, am I? I was really reminded of The Burn Journals when I read it. It's a good story for 5-8th grade, I think. There are some loose ends that need to be tied up, and I'm not all that gung-ho about it. It's very simple and straightforward. Good, but not stellar. I would recommend it to kids, though.

Quotes:
"...she spoke so clearly and with all the ups and downs in her voice that helped you understand what the characters were feeling..." (15). This statement gives the narrator credibility as a 7th grader. I know exactly what word he wants to use, but what 7th grader knows about the word, inflection?

"It was everywhere by the end of lunch... that Jessica Feeney had started a fire in her room while playing with matches and that's how she got burned; but worse than that, the fire had killed her sister. and the reason why Jessica had to enter school after the year started was because people found out she killed her sister and they made her leave the town she lived in before" (72). Middle school students (especially 7th and 8th grade) are brutal, vicious, little rats.

"I just couldn't imagine being burned like that, trapped in a burning car. And she was alive and going on!" (101). A burning car is a great metaphor for what I've been through in the past 3 months.

"Hi. It's Jessica. Can you come over?" (127). an inconsequential little sentence. Just reminded me of the last day I was in school.