Tom Bender is a typical seventh-grade student at St. Catherine's private school. He loves sports cars and has a crush on Courtney Zisky. Everything changes when a new student arrives. Jessica Feeney has been badly burned and has moved to New Haven to be close to a hospital specializing in burn therapy.
"As horrible as I thought the girl would look, it was nothing compared to what stepped into the room". The other students were frightened of Jessica and cruel rumours started about the origin of her accident. Jessica's medical condition causes her to miss many days of school. One day Tom's teacher asks him to take Jessica's homework to her home. Over the course of a few weeks, Tom slowly begins to see past the burns and realizes that Jessica is a person just like everyone else.
This is book is an excellent read. Cataloged as a J fiction, Firegirl will appeal to readers aged 9-14. Tony Abbott is better know as the author of the Secrets of Doon series.