Breathing Fire

by Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang

At fifteen, Ethan is on the fast track to nowhere. In and out of group homes and constantly in trouble, Ethan is fighting to find a sense of who he is. After breaking into an amusement park and being savaged by a police dog, he is befriended by a paramedic. Offered a choice of court or going on a ride-along in an ambulance, Ethan takes what he thinks is the easy way out. On Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Ethan comes face to face with the horrific truth from his past and must learn to deal with where he came from--and where he is going.

Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

138 pages, Kindle Edition

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.