This is a review of the audio book.
Author: Tony Abbott
Reader: Sean Kenin
Producer: Listening Library
Production Year: 2007
Lexile: 670L
Most of the listeners will be: Late elementary to early middle school boys and girls.
Listener's Advisory: Laurie Myers's book Surviving Brick Johnson is also about a new kid who seems scarier than he is, and can be found in audio format.
Summary:
On the first day of seventh grade, Tom's teacher announces that a new girl, Jessica, will be joining their class. She has been badly burned and has moved to the area to get special treatments at the local hospital. Tom is horrified by her appearance, but not as horrified as he is by the behavior of some of his classmates. When his teacher asks him to take Jessica some homework she has missed he gets to know her and her story. Suddenly the things that used to be so important to Tom aren't so important after all: riding in Jeff's uncle's cobra, nominating Courtney for class president so that she will notice him. Now all he can think about is how awful it is for Jessica. She does not stay at St. Catherine's for long, but it is long enough to change Tom's life.
My favorite passage:
When Tom goes to Jessica's house to bring her her homework, he ends up telling her about his theory that small super powers are better than big ones. He thinks it would be good to have one indestructible finger or to be able to whistle really loudly. When you don't ask for too much, you are grateful for that little super power you have, and you can think of really amazing things you can do with it. (Disc 2)
What I really think:
This book was full of surprises. I'll admit it. Since the title is Firegirl I expected the main character to be a girl. (Tom is not a girl.) Then I was surprised by how much I can relate to Tom. That thing he does where he daydreams in class, making up stories in which he has weird super powers? I did that! All this time I thought I was a freak. And isn't that what young adult literature is all about - letting teens know they are not alone? Fortunately for Tom, he learns something from Jessica that I learned from the long, slow process of growing up - you can be happy with what you have.
Sean Kenin did a good job of giving the characters that have the biggest roles distinct voices. Most of the general class members sound the same, but you can always pick out Tom, Jeff, and Jessica. Jeff's voice is my favorite. He really sounds like a middle schooler who just doesn't care about most things.
Reader: Sean Kenin
Producer: Listening Library
Production Year: 2007
Lexile: 670L
Most of the listeners will be: Late elementary to early middle school boys and girls.
Listener's Advisory: Laurie Myers's book Surviving Brick Johnson is also about a new kid who seems scarier than he is, and can be found in audio format.
Summary:
On the first day of seventh grade, Tom's teacher announces that a new girl, Jessica, will be joining their class. She has been badly burned and has moved to the area to get special treatments at the local hospital. Tom is horrified by her appearance, but not as horrified as he is by the behavior of some of his classmates. When his teacher asks him to take Jessica some homework she has missed he gets to know her and her story. Suddenly the things that used to be so important to Tom aren't so important after all: riding in Jeff's uncle's cobra, nominating Courtney for class president so that she will notice him. Now all he can think about is how awful it is for Jessica. She does not stay at St. Catherine's for long, but it is long enough to change Tom's life.
My favorite passage:
When Tom goes to Jessica's house to bring her her homework, he ends up telling her about his theory that small super powers are better than big ones. He thinks it would be good to have one indestructible finger or to be able to whistle really loudly. When you don't ask for too much, you are grateful for that little super power you have, and you can think of really amazing things you can do with it. (Disc 2)
What I really think:
This book was full of surprises. I'll admit it. Since the title is Firegirl I expected the main character to be a girl. (Tom is not a girl.) Then I was surprised by how much I can relate to Tom. That thing he does where he daydreams in class, making up stories in which he has weird super powers? I did that! All this time I thought I was a freak. And isn't that what young adult literature is all about - letting teens know they are not alone? Fortunately for Tom, he learns something from Jessica that I learned from the long, slow process of growing up - you can be happy with what you have.
Sean Kenin did a good job of giving the characters that have the biggest roles distinct voices. Most of the general class members sound the same, but you can always pick out Tom, Jeff, and Jessica. Jeff's voice is my favorite. He really sounds like a middle schooler who just doesn't care about most things.
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