School for Fireflies – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: magic, friendship, dangerous, ghosts, memories.
Children’s book title: School for Fireflies.
Children’s author: Erica Gomez.
Genre: Children’s fiction.
Published by: Knights Of.
ISBN: 9781913311735.
Recommended for children aged: 10+ year-olds.
First published: Paperback February 2025.
This children’s book is ideal for: confident readers who enjoy school-based fantasy fiction where the conclusion isn’t happy ever after for everyone.
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Our review:
Siddy and Zadie have been best friends forever! They are about to start secondary school together until, a fortnight before the new academic year begins, everything changes. Apparently, they have been accepted at the School for Fireflies at Hatton and Latimer Secondary.
Siddy is absolutely delighted to discover that she and Zadie have firefly magic inside them, and once she’s worked out what that actually means, she is determined to use it to find her dad, Owen, who’s been missing for three months! Zadie, on the other hand, is devastated – how could no one have told them about this? She doesn’t want to be magical, thank you very much! At least her dad promises that if she hates it, she can leave.
When Siddy discovers that Owen was allegedly responsible for the deaths of three students while he was at Hatton with Zadie’s dad, Zach, her sole focus becomes clearing his name. What she doesn’t know is that Zadie’s powers as a Spotter allow her to see one of the supposed victims, who needs her help to finally cross over. Can she uncover the truth, clear her dad’s name, and bring him home, or is there no magic strong enough to achieve that?
Our verdict:
School for Fireflies has a fast-moving storyline, which I think is best suited to readers aged 11 to 13. Although a little confusing in places, it provides an engaging mystery to solve alongside exploring the trials and tribulations of starting secondary school, making new friends, and gaining a little independence – things that most readers in this age group will relate to.
The bad guys, known as Swallows, are quite creepy and have the ability to turn Fireflies to stone! Siddy’s conviction that they are trying to stop her from finding her dad and clearing his name worked well, as did the assumption by some parents that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and that she should be expelled immediately. There was tension throughout – not always about the same thing – and a few red herrings were thrown in to confound both the main protagonists and readers alike!
The ending was well executed. Not everything falls neatly into place, and there is definite scope for this to become a successful series.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- Siddy and Zadie have very different reactions to discovering their magic. Who do you identify with? Would it be cool to be a Spotter like Zadie or a detective like Siddy?
- The girls’ new friend, Finley, is a Smeller! Everything has a scent, including Swallows, which others can’t detect – but for him, this ability is enhanced. What magical powers do you think would be awkward rather than awesome?
- Siddy and Zadie had been best friends for a very long time. The conflict between them is one way to increase tension in a story. What other situations could create a similar effect in a school setting?
- Did the book end the way you expected? Siddy didn’t get everything she wanted, and Zadie’s opinion of magic completely changed. How do you think their second year at Hatton will differ from the first? Zadie still has things to search for, but Siddy doesn’t – how will that change their dynamic?
- Read more about School For Fireflies on the author’s website.
Many thanks to Knights Of for the review copy.
To order a class set of this book, please click below to order via uk.bookshop.org, an organisation that supports local bookshops, or Amazon.co.uk.
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