| International Standard Book Number |
9780525514053 (hardcover)
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| International Standard Book Number |
0525514058 (hardcover)
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| International Standard Book Number |
9780525514060 (ebook)
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| Personal Name |
Villasante, Alexandra, author.
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| Title Statement |
Fireblooms / Alexandra Villasante.
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| Production, Publication, Distribution, Manufacture, and Copyright Notice |
New York, New York : Nancy Paulsen Books, 2025.
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| Physical Description |
287 pages ; 22 cm,
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| Summary, Etc. |
When seventeen-year-old Sebastian agrees to come to New Gault to care for his absent and abusive mother after her cancer diagnosis, he is not prepared for the strange new community that awaits him or the distressing state he finds his mother in. He tries to help, but despite being ill, her tongue is as sharp as ever, finding all Sebas's tender places. But he promised his Abuela he'd try to make this work. Unfortunately trying also means attending TECH, New Gault's high school. His first day, he's assigned to enthusiastic TECH student ambassador, Lu, who introduces him to all TECH can offer--a safe space, free from bullying. But all this safety and technology comes with a catch--not only do you have to watch what you say, but you have to stay within a strict word limit. Sebas declines. To him New Gault feels more like the Stepford Wives than freedom. For Lu, who suffers from anxiety and has a history of being bullied, TECH is a lifeline somewhere they can be safe. They can't understand why Sebas would refuse. When Sebas rejects TECH, it feels as if he's rejecting Lu. But when Sebas learns if he doesn't accept the TECH phone and abide by the rules, his mother will be denied cancer treatment, he changes his tune. Slowly, Lu and Sebas form a friendship that morphs into something more, but the closer they get, the more Sebas challenges Lu's beliefs about TECH and what it means to be safe. Meanwhile, Sebas contemplates how to forgive his dying mother for being no mother at all.
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| Target Audience Note |
Ages 12 & Up.
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| Target Audience Note |
Grades 7-9.
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| Subject Added Entry - Topical Term |
Mothers and sons Fiction.
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| Subject Added Entry - Topical Term |
Hate speech Fiction.
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| Subject Added Entry - Topical Term |
Psychic trauma Fiction.
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| Subject Added Entry - Topical Term |
Technology Fiction.
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| Subject Added Entry - Topical Term |
High schools Fiction.
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| Subject Added Entry - Topical Term |
Schools Fiction.
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| Subject Added Entry - Topical Term |
High school students Fiction.
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| Subject Added Entry - Topical Term |
LGBTQ+ people Fiction.
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| Index Term-Genre/Form |
Queer fiction.
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| Index Term-Genre/Form |
School fiction.
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| Index Term-Genre/Form |
Romance fiction.
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| Index Term-Genre/Form |
Young adult fiction.
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