What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this is a sad story about a boy
struggling to deal with a classmate who was been severely
disfigured in a horrible accident, the description of which is
not graphic, but is disturbing.
Families who read this book could discuss how people act around those who are disabled or disfigured. Why are we so uncomfortable? How should we act? How would you want people to act if it was you?
Common Sense Media Review
Though the title is FIREGIRL, this poignant little book
isn't about Jessica, the disfigured burn victim. It's about
Tom, and how he tries to deal with her presence in his class
and neighborhood, and how doing so changes everything in his
life. It's a story in which, as Tom himself says as narrator,
"It wasn't much, really, the whole Jessica Feeney thing. If you
look at it, nothing much happened." In terms of physical
events, or plot, he's right. What happens is inside him, and
that's what author Tony Abbott delicately chronicles.
Tom is nothing special, just a good kid trying to do his best. And that seems to be the real point -- that goodness is a struggle, and even with the best will in the world it's hard to be sure we've done all we can, or should, do. In trying to be a person, Tom doesn't end up miserable or triumphant, or guilty or satisfied -- he's just changed, in ways that will, no doubt, continue to resonate through his life. If effort towards becoming a better person, coupled with introspective self-examination and criticism, are the hallmarks of adulthood, then this gentle, touching little novel is a true coming-of-age story.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
