Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Diverse group of teens team up to protest a book banning.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
WAKE NOW IN THE FIRE begins on a March morning in 2013. Aoife Connor is getting ready for what she thinks will be an ordinary day at Curtis Technical College Preparatory High School. But it's about to be anything but ordinary. The Chicago School Board has notified the high school that teachers must turn in all their copies of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. They'll no longer be allowed to teach the graphic memoir in any of their classes. Aoife's best friend, Kendall Dunne, thinks this is ridiculous, as they'll be censoring a book about censorship. Aoife and Kendall start organizing a protest walkout on Friday and word about the banning and the walkout quickly spreads. Some teachers encourage classroom discussions about censorship and the Banned Book Club makes plans to sit and read Persepolis at the protest. Jackson Sweet, who works on the student newspaper, emails Satrapi about the banning and is shocked when she emails him back—"Shame on Them!" By Thursday, major local media in Chicago has picked up the story and Mrs. Suong, the school librarian, has defiantly put copies of Persepolis front and center on a counter. But in the midst of all the preparation for the walkout, Aoife's father's taken to the hospital with alcohol poisoning and admitted to a psychiatric unit. On Friday, the students at Curtis have to make a huge decision. Do they walk out before the end of the school day and face unknown consequences, or do they stay in class?
Is It Any Good?
This timely and empowering story of censorship and resistance unfolds from multiple points of view and tackles head-on tough issues facing today's teens. While Wake Now in the Fire is certain to inspire teen activists, the deeply personal stories of its characters is what sets the novel apart. There's Aoife, who's preparing for a future that will include both college and life with a father who has addiction and mental health challenges. Kendall, who confronts her best friend, Aiofe, with an angry truth—because she's White, she'll never have to live in a world where people pretend you don't exist. Weston may be bound for Stanford, but he still encounters neighbors who believe he might not belong in the neighborhood. And when grade focused Aditi skips the walkout to take her AP Bio midterm, she's astonished when her parents tell her that she made the wrong decision. These fully-realized characters and school and protest scenes are drawn in thick dark lines full of movement and emotion by AJ Dungo. Colored in muted blues with flashes of red from Satrapi's Persepolis cover, the art's inviting even as it captures anger and action. Immensely readable, this fictionalized account of a real event also serves as a clear guide for teens fighting for the freedom to read.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the importance of teamwork in Wake Now in the Fire. Is there a cause that has or would bring together different groups of students at your school?
Should there be any restrictions on what teens can read? What would the reaction be if students at your school wanted to form a banned book club?
Why do think there's such an intense focus on banning books with sexually explicit or violent content but not on banning the same content in a movie or TV show?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : AJ Dungo
- Genre : Graphic Novel
- Topics : Activism ( Civic engagement ) , Book Characters , Friendship , School ( High School )
- Character Strengths : Courage , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Ten Speed Press
- Publication date : February 3, 2026
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
- Number of pages : 464
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : March 3, 2026
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