Firebreak

by Jennifer Phillips

Overview

High school junior Alia is good at sports but struggles with schoolwork, hindered by her learning disabilities. The latest history assignment on genocide is just more homework to be endured. That’s until a troubling conversation with her beloved grandmother reluctantly jolts Alia into action. Between the country’s shifting mood toward the elderly and new government programs championed as practical ways to deal with a burgeoning elderly population, Alia fears that senior citizens are being targeted for something more ominous. To rally others and challenge the growing oppression, Alia will need to step up and speak out. But people tend to doubt Alia due to her learning difficulties. Can she get people to listen to her? More importantly, can she believe in herself?

Characterized by exciting, fast-paced plots and themes that are relevant for high school students, Horizon’s Hi-Lo books are both engaging and easy to read. Short chapters, simple sentence structures, and an accessible format make these books perfect for teen reluctant readers. Horizon books are written at a 2nd- to 3rd-grade reading level with an interest level of ages 14 and up.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631638411
Publisher:	North Star Editions
Publication date:	08/01/2024
Series:	Horizon
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Phillips writes stories that celebrate creativity, courage, and determination. She started out as a newspaper reporter in the Midwest and then spent many years in corporate and nonprofit communications. Now she splits her professional energy between writing for children and helping grown-ups make things work better through process improvement and creativity methods. She also advocates for social justice needs, especially concerning disability and mental illness. A Seattle mom of two young adult girls and one bird, she has more story ideas than time. She does her best writing super early in the morning when the coffee is piping hot and the house extremely quiet. Firebreak is her seventh book for children and teens. Come visit her at jenniferphillipsauthor.com.

Editorial Reviews

2024-05-04
A high school junior finds her voice when her grandmother’s personal freedoms are challenged.

Alia is a nationally ranked tennis player whose learning disabilities make academics hard. But when her world history class begins studying the warning signs of genocides, Oma, her German immigrant grandmother, encourages Alia to look closely at what’s happening around the country. Recently, the government has begun closely monitoring citizens 80 years and older; those who get a poor Senior Situation Score are moved into assigned housing, the argument being that the senior population is depleting funds targeted for other things. Attacks on elderly people are on the rise. Alia attends an activist meeting with Oma, and as she learns more about what’s happening and starts to gain confidence in her leadership abilities, she encourages her friends to get involved. Alia and Oma are interviewed on news shows and are subjected to harassment by groups advocating for government oversight of older people. But as the teens’ local efforts gain momentum, a local congressman goes on record supporting senior citizens’ rights, signaling a shift in public opinion. The short chapters and spare text will pull reluctant readers in, and the realistic portrayal of grassroots activism will keep them reading this well-told story. Most characters are cued white; Alia’s close friend Jonah is a member of an unspecified Native American tribe.

A timely tale with real-world connections to the power of speaking out against injustice. (Fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews

The short chapters and spare text will pull reluctant readers in, and the realistic portrayal of grassroots activism will keep them reading this well-told story. . . . A timely tale with real-world connections to the power of speaking out against injustice.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher