• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 8 to 12
• Reading age: 12 to 18

When Ally’s mom dies, Ally is left with no family, no friends and no future.

Put into foster care at the age of fifteen, she has less than $200 to her name and nothing left to lose. When Ally meets Tate, a busking fire breather, she starts to see a new life for herself as a street performer. Ally decides to run away from her foster home, but her problems follow her. Hiding her age, sleeping on the streets and avoiding fights with other buskers, Ally discovers that there’s more to life as a fire-breathing busker than not getting burned.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang is the author of the poetry books Status Update and Gerald Lampert Award-winning Sweet Devilry. She is also the author of several children's books, including A Flock of Shoes and Warriors and Wailers. Sarah's work has been published and translated internationally, as well as named to the OLA Best Bets for Children 2010, Best Books for Kids & Teens 2011 & 2012, and the Toronto Public Library's First and Best Book List (2012). She is also the editor of the anthology Desperately Seeking Susans and the forthcoming Tag: Canadian Poets at Play.

Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang's profile page

• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens

"Tsiang's plot is fast and fun. These quick and easy readers are especially designed to promote literacy...Tsiang accomplishes her goal of making reading enjoyable with her original characters, her believable story and her interesting dialogue."

TriState Young Adult Book Review

"Tsiang’s protagonist crackles with personality, and readers will be rooting for Ally as she juggles, flips, and breathes fire to come into her own."

Publishers Weekly

"The message of following your passion in times of difficulty was well captured and delivered."

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"The fast-paced plot...will appeal to reluctant teen readers with short attention spans. The author deals with such sensitive subject matter as addiction, death, sex, and poverty from a relatable, first-person perspective. Recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials