FIREBREAK

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.