School for Extraterrestrial Girls #1 : Girl on Fire

Tara Smith’s parents are super strict with all their rules and routines, and Tara is a dutiful daughter. Rule #1: No friends her own age. Rule #2: keep her bracelet on, or else. But when she breaks her routine—and then loses her bracelet—she’s in trouble.
Now outed as an extraterrestrial after wielding fire and losing her humanoid form, Tara is captured by the government. She’s given two options: get shipped far away where she won’t be a danger to anyone or stay on Earth and join a school for other extraterrestrial girls like her. Things at the school aren’t easy—especially for the girl whose only friends were textbooks. But Tara’s goal to learn how to control her powers is soon sidelined by the discovery that the people she’s called Mom and Dad all these years aren’t her parents. With her not-parents still out there, Tara must rely on others for the first time to figure out who she really is before she’s kidnapped a second time.

" Engaging science fiction that is fiercely female-forward"- Kirkus Starred Review

"An engaging title with an entertaining story and deft use of color and design. The clever premise will entice readers, who will eagerly anticipate future installments in this new ­series" - School Library Journal

"A fully entertaining graphic novel for young readers ages 8-12 by the team of author/storyteller Jeremy Whitley and artist/illustrator Jamie Noguchi, "School for Extraterrestrial Girls #1: Girl on Fire" launches a fun and original science fiction series that is especially and unreservedly recommended for elementary school, middle school, and community library graphic novel collections." -Midwest Book Review

The Hal Clement Notable Young Adult Books 2021 List