Awards
Under the Light of Fireflies
9781963511017
Paperback
$19.95
Jan. 2025
A Children’s Book Council 2026 TEACHER FAVORITES Award
Winner of the TIL’s Jean Flynn Award for Best Young Adult Book
A Booklist Starred Review
A big-hearted coming-of-age debut about a tiger, a Russian, a model airplane, unexplainable disaster, and a bewildered twelve-year-old boy just trying to find his place in the world.
It’s 1981 in Texarkana, Texas, and Noah Ellis is trying hard to remember. Still reeling from the loss of his father in a suspicious tragedy, Noah is in a tragedy of his own—one that results in another inexplicable death, this time leaving Noah to suffer from severe amnesia.
After that day, everything changes. Noah becomes an unwitting star in a highly publicized trial. Girls start to notice him, and kids who once bullied him now allow him to run with their pack—at a cost. Standing as always in his big brother’s shadow, Noah also has a little sister he must look out for. But Noah’s still stuck on that day and the accident he can’t remember. As town secrets come to light and summer draws to a close, Noah must find a way to salvage all that he’s lost, and to learn what is truly precious.
Supporting Documents
This book has downloadable PDFs with supporting material for teachers and book clubs
Praise for:
Under the Light of Fireflies
"Debut author Sanders delivers a powerful, coming-of-age novel set in 1981 Texarkana... [and] weaves a perfectly paced, compelling novel that will challenge and ultimately reward readers... All told, [Under the Light of Fireflies] is a home run." — Ana Menchaca, Booklist
"A boy learns to accept the unpredictability of life and finds his own sense of self in the transformative novel Under the Light of Fireflies." — Julia Dillman, Foreword Reviews
"The author’s portrayal of the emotional landscape of a teenage boy adds rich dimension to the storyline, while creating sufficiently mean-spirited and detestable antagonists. Detailed descriptions of settings immerse readers in 1980s small-town Texas, creating a thoughtfully detailed coming-of-age story." — Youth Services Book Review
Creators
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Catalyst Collective Books by Creator
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Heading 5
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