Abbott, Tony. Firegirl

Abbott, Tony. Firegirl. Little, Brown, 2006 [0-316-01170-3//978-0-316-01170-9]

Everything is going well for Tom in seventh grade until the new girl shows up. She has been terribly disfigured by burns from a fire and is receiving treatment at a local hospital. Everyone at school is scared of the new girl, making up stories about her accident, and staying away from her. Tom develops a kind of standoffish friendship with her while still being leery of her, not wanting to be around her. Not until the close of this 145 page book does Tom realize what an impact his minor outreach to the girl has on her life. I was hoping that the book didn’t end with them being the best of friends… and it doesn’t. This is a powerful book which was recommended to me by a student.