Fire from the Sky

MICHAEL L. PRINTZ HONOR WINNER  KIRKUS BEST OF THE YEAR From 23-year-old Sámi debut novelist and reindeer owner Moa Backe Åstot, Fire From the Sky comes a queer coming-of-age story about heritage, family ties and age-old commitments to the past.  Ánte’s life has been steeped in Sámi tradition. It is indisputable to him that he, an only child, will keep working with the reindeer. But there is something else too, something tugging at him: his feelings for his best friend Erik have changed, grown into something bigger. Ánte is so aware of Erik and his body in relation to his own; everything he does matters so much. What would people say if they knew? And how does Erik feel? And Erik’s voice just the push of a button away. Ánte couldn’t answer, could he? But how could he ignore it? Fire From the Sky will warm your heart as Ánte experiences the magical, soul-combusting feeling of first love.    P R A I S E ★ “Fire From the Sky is a superb account of one boy’s struggle to be himself. Åstot does an exemplary job invoking Sami culture, and an especially good job of capturing Ante’s turbulent emotions, dramatically ratcheting up tension, as it is often agony for Ante to be around the friend he's so in love with. Much of Ante’s experience is universal, and empathic readers will hope urgently for his happiness.” —Booklist (starred) ★ “A rare and triumphant look at what it means for queerness to stay put, with all the messiness and pain that entails. . . . A fresh voice and a setting that’s pure fire.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)

Moa Backe Åstot, born in 1998 in Malmberget, is Sami and a reindeer owner. She has studied creative writing at Umeå University and Jakobsberg Folk School’s well-regarded creative writing program. She has received a number of awards for her writing, among them one from Sveriges Radio in 2018 for her short story, “A Small Red Drop.” She lives in Jokkmokk. Fire From the Sky is her debut novel. In addition to being a writer and a translator, with children’s and young adult books published in the United States and Sweden. Eva Apelqvist has worked with many different aspects of book creation and distribution, among them, a publishing house, a library and an independent bookstore. Her latest translation is the young adult novel Fire from the Sky by Swedish author Moa Backe Åstot. The setting for the novel is northern Sweden, north of the Arctic Circle, which is, interestingly, the very area where her parents grew up and a place that she often visited growing up. Eva lives in Duluth, Minnesota, with an office overlooking the majestic Lake Superior.