Where there’s the smoke of rebellion, there’s the fire of courage. Fire Dancer by Catherine Jones Payne is the sizzling story of Kyla, a girl whose clan wields fire magic. But the clan forbids women from practicing magecraft, so Kyla’s highest hope is to earn the role of principal dancer in the fire festival. She pours herself into audition training, while secretly learning magecraft from her friend Nolan, whose family is banished. Kyla vows to change things—for herself and Nolan—but undoing centuries of tradition is harder than it sounds. Kyla must fight for change despite a scheming rival, a dangerous arsonist, and dilemmas that will shape her future. In the end, she’ll discover where true power lies. This is a brilliantly written story full of emotion and action that will have readers blazing through the pages.

Best for: Teens and older readers who enjoy fantasy, family-centric stories, and the discovery of new worlds.

Discern: Oblique references to sex, some violence and depictions of death.