Breathing Fire

by Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang, Carrie Mac

When Ally’s mom dies, Ally is left with no family, no friends and no future. Put into foster care at the age of fifteen, she has less than $200 to her name and nothing left to lose. When Ally meets Tate, a busking fire breather, she starts to see a new life for herself as a street performer. Ally decides to run away from her foster home, but her problems follow her. Hiding her age, sleeping on the streets and avoiding fights with other buskers, Ally discovers that there’s more to life as a fire-breathing busker than not getting burned.

Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2014

Reviews

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little suspension of disbelief and this book becomes an entertaining and engaging story about a girl who loses everything and tries to find herself through juggling fire. Having known someone who has juggled fire, I was thrilled by the descriptions and accuracy. While the ending is a little too pat, even cliche, the book itself kept me reading and interested in the story, which is what's important with a hi-lo book. Besides, I'm a sucker for happy endings so I'll give this one four stars.

[Justin Ahlquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel "Breathing Fire" by Sarah Yi Tsiang heavily connects to Teenage life and is easily related to by teens that are troubled or are going through a tough time in life. I loved this book because i related to it as well, the main character Ally's mom passed away in the beginning of the book, and throughout the novel it reveals the many stages of grief almost like Gilgamesh does and it shows how devestating a loss of a family member can be. Ally also travels to a foster home and her time spent there shows the way that many kids live in foster homes. I liked this book overall because i related to it a lot.

[Melenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Ally’s mom dies unexpectedly, she is left all alone with less than $200. The system puts her into foster care, but she is not happy there. She meets a boy named Tate who teaches her to breathe fire and together they earn some money doing a street show. When Tate takes off for the coast to do work some festivals, Ally follows him. However, things are never easy and she has lots of challenges in her way.
A solid read for reluctant/struggling readers with interesting characters and a plot that draws one in and makes you want to keep reading.