Forged by Fire By Sharon M. Draper

Forged by Fire is the second book in the Hazelwood High School Trilogy. This novel is bout a boy named Gerald, he is a home with a drug addicted mother and a alcoholic step dad who beats him. In the beginning Gerald is just three years old and his mother is addicted to cocaine and leaves him home by himself during the day. While home by himself he finds a lighter and ingnites a apartment fire, after being bought out by the police and suffering from smoke inhalation his mother is forced to jail and for the next 6 years Gerald lived with his Aunt Queen. When his mother is let out of jail 6 years later she comes to his Aunt on Geralds 9th birthday hoping to get him to come live with her and her new boyfriend Jordan. Gerald also finds out that day he has a little sister named Angel, which he learns to love more than anything. Gerald didn't want to move away from his Aunt Queen, but when she has a unexpected heart attack and dies he is forced back to his mama. He realizes that Jordan is crazy and abusive. He abuses Angel and Gerald and there mother. Monique, his mother, never does anything about it though, she just takes and says the kids deserve it. As you read on you find out that Jordan is a nasty man who sexually abuses his daughter Angel. Gerald does everything in his power to keep everyone safe esspecially Angel thoughout the whole book. You will absolutely love this book and the first one Tears of a Tiger. There are themes of hardship and abuse and how hard it is to live in that type of place for so long. -posted by Elena Key