- Hardcover: 217 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (3 Oct 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1416913106
- ISBN-13: 978-1416913108
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14.2 x 2.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,205,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
Every so often a book comes along that is so good it feels more like it grew than it was written, like it came into being through it's own sheer force of will. That is exactly how I feel about this book.
Ellie Roma is a freshman in high school. She has her fair share of normal high school problems; she hates school, she only has a few friends, she`s insecure about the way she looks, her sister seems like she's become an alien, etc. Ellie's got some bigger problems, though. She's new in town. As if that isn't bad enough, they moved three times when they first got to town. The last time was just next door, so everyone in the neighborhood thinks they're nuts. Her parents recently got divorced, and she hasn't seen her dad in a few months. Oh, and her mom has decided to "take a vacation from parenting."
Ever since her parents' divorce Ellie feels like nothing in her life makes sense. Her sister, Gwen, has completely switched personalities, from cheerleader to juvenile delinquent. Her mother, well, Ellie says it best; "...it's more like she's come unraveled. Like he was the last bit of glue that was keeping her together, and now that he's gone, all the broken parts can take over." Ellie spends a lot of time locked out of the house, basically living by her mom's whim. It's starting to get to the point where it's easier to lie than to tell the truth. Consciously trying to escape her mother's notice, Ellie has become an observer in her own life.
The book is told by Ellie, as things happen. At first it's all observation and barely scratches the surface of Ellie. As the story progresses Ellie opens up more, and allows herself to be a bit more vulnerable. The more vulnerable she lets herself become, the more she begins to be involved in her own life, and the more involved we become. Somehow, before you know it, you are living and breathing inside Ellie's story. By the end of it my heart felt like it had been taken, broken, and given back in the most tender, loving, beautiful way.
At its simplest level this is a coming of age story, but it's also a story of survival, strength, love, hope, and most of all possibility.
Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman
Ellie Roma is a freshman in high school. She has her fair share of normal high school problems; she hates school, she only has a few friends, she`s insecure about the way she looks, her sister seems like she's become an alien, etc. Ellie's got some bigger problems, though. She's new in town. As if that isn't bad enough, they moved three times when they first got to town. The last time was just next door, so everyone in the neighborhood thinks they're nuts. Her parents recently got divorced, and she hasn't seen her dad in a few months. Oh, and her mom has decided to "take a vacation from parenting."
Ever since her parents' divorce Ellie feels like nothing in her life makes sense. Her sister, Gwen, has completely switched personalities, from cheerleader to juvenile delinquent. Her mother, well, Ellie says it best; "...it's more like she's come unraveled. Like he was the last bit of glue that was keeping her together, and now that he's gone, all the broken parts can take over." Ellie spends a lot of time locked out of the house, basically living by her mom's whim. It's starting to get to the point where it's easier to lie than to tell the truth. Consciously trying to escape her mother's notice, Ellie has become an observer in her own life.
The book is told by Ellie, as things happen. At first it's all observation and barely scratches the surface of Ellie. As the story progresses Ellie opens up more, and allows herself to be a bit more vulnerable. The more vulnerable she lets herself become, the more she begins to be involved in her own life, and the more involved we become. Somehow, before you know it, you are living and breathing inside Ellie's story. By the end of it my heart felt like it had been taken, broken, and given back in the most tender, loving, beautiful way.
At its simplest level this is a coming of age story, but it's also a story of survival, strength, love, hope, and most of all possibility.
Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
14 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Hope and Survival
28 Jan 2007
Format:Hardcover
I read this inspirational novel at the recommendation of a high school English teacher. While on the surface, this story is one of dysfunction, it is really a story of hope and survival. Ms. Paul is very in tune with the challenges many teens face unbeknownst to their teachers and other adults in their daily lives. I would highly recommend this book to teens and any adults who work with teens. This book has left a lasting impression on me and I will think of Ellie and infinite possibilities whenever I see fireflies.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Wise and witty narrator
22 Oct 2006
Format:Hardcover
It's a thrill to be totally captivated by a first novel and to miss the narrator when you finish. This compelling story of a very perceptive young teenager struggling to find her place in a world of insensitive and uncaring adults will appeal to adult readers as well as the "young adults" who are the readers suggested on the book jacket. Ellie, like Sal in "Walk Two Moons" and Scout in "To Kill a Mockingbird," is a wise and witty observer of the adults in her life who severely disappoint but also provide hope. Her story will stay with you for a long time!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
i love this book!
7 Nov 2007
Format:Hardcover
In "The Possibility of Fireflies," Dominique Paul paints a heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully moving picture of one girl's struggle with an abusive mother and a rebellious big sister as she grows up and learns to find her own voice. Paul's portrayal of the late 80s is spot on and hilarious, and her narrator is vulnerable, hopeful, smart, and incredibly real. I grew up in suburban Maryland just a few years after the time period this book takes place in--and recognized so much of my own teen years in the clever, poetic and beautiful writing. I can't say enough good things about this book. I read it in a single sitting--and then I opened it up and read it again.
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