Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys, Andrew Weiner, Brittney Williams
Published by Harper Alley on March 1, 2022
ISBN: 0063029561
Pages: 224
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads

Full disclosure: if you’re not already singing Keys’ 2012 hit to yourself you will be soon. 

In many ways, this is your classic superhero comic: a main character who has a strange experience that triggers the onset of special powers, a villain, a best friend sidekick, and the tension between good and evil. As a modern graphic novel, however, it weaves in real and important contemporary themes such as the mistreatment of black Americans by police officers, how drugs and gangs affect communities, and the struggle of having an absent parent. 

Lolo is with her brother when he is blamed for a crime he had nothing to do with. She surprises herself when she is able to use a newly-discovered power to help him escape from the cops, and even more surprised when she later falls backward off the roof of a building and floats back up to safety. When she finds herself cornered and blackmailed by a local thug, she’s not quite sure what to do. As she watches the people she loves fall into harm’s way, she has to decide how much she’s willing to put herself at risk to save them. 

This book is fun with just enough tension to keep you turning the pages quickly. The creators do a great job of balancing the classic comics feel with important themes to get teens reflecting. Recommended for high school students. 

Reviewed by Kristi Favaloro, Skidompha Public Library, Damariscotta