Fire Starters

This was a nice change of pace in the graphic novel genre. I look forward to more from this author.

This is a great first graphic novel from Jen Storm. The story is all too real and the clarity of the art leaves nowhere to hide (nods to illustrator Scott Henderson and colourist Donovan Yaciuk). But I would recommend this book highly to all junior high readers and up. Powerful!

There seems to be more here, as though we have come in in the second act of a four act play. This doesn't make this a bad story. Life is sort of like that. We don't always know what's came before, and what happened after. It feels as though we don't know, and might never know everything that has happened in this community. How did the Uncle die? Was ther foul play? Why does the police dislike the native people?

The story involves two brothers who are accused of burning down the local gas station/store even though they didn't do it, and there is no evidence they did. The boy who did do it figures it will all work out, and that it doens't matter because it is just Indians, after all.

Well written, very raw story written by a First Nations writer, so we are seeing things from the other side, and perhaps that is why others have said that some things seemed odd.

As others have mentioned, the ending seemed to be weak, but it may be just that we didn't understand what it meant, and that perhaps there is another, second book to come? Or, as I said above, it is probably closer to what life is like.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Ooof, what a tough read. Very realistic and heart-wrenching as you see the way they deal with each other...the racism involved and the judgment from people that are supposed to be friends. The painfully rapid cycle of lies. So glad I read this one.

'Fire Starters' by Jen Storm with art by Scott Henderson tells a good moral fable for younger readers. It works well in a graphic novel form.

Ron and Ben live on the Agamiing Reserve. Their grandmother looks after them when their mother is away. When they find an old flare gun in their deceased uncle's tackle box, they decide to take it to the dump and shoot it off. When the gas bar is burned down, they are accused, but the real person who did it won't come forward.

It's a story that feels like an after school special, but there's nothing wrong with that kind of story in a graphic novel format. The message of racism is a bit strong, but maybe that's not so bad either. The art is pretty good, and I enjoyed this story.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Portage & Main Press, Highwater Press, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

“Fire Starters” is an excellent book for middle graders about the prejudice facing indigenous peoples. It’s also a morality tale about taking responsibility for your actions. Tough subject matter to read, as it should be. The artwork is great.

A simple but compelling story about racism and consequences in America. Great story and perfectly executed.

This starts out really promising and has really great art but then all of a sudden it ends SUPER abruptly with no real resolution.