Firegirl, the narrator describes the Cobra- a classic car from the 1960's. Based on the fact that he calls the car classic, we can assume the story has taken place after the 1960's, probably at least a few decades in order for the car to be considered "classic." This inference is also backed up by the fact that the Cobra he is talking about in particular, belonging to the uncle of his best friend, had to be restored. This implies the car had fallen into some degree of disrepair.

Another detail which helps us pinpoint the time period is the scene in which Jeff sets a toy car on fire. It is a remote-control Batmobile model made of plastic. Though model and toy car collecting has been a hobby since the first half of the twentieth century, the market was not catered to children until after the 1970's. 

Based on the lack of mention of a cell-phone, and the fact that Tom uses a landline to call his friend, I would place this story sometime before it was common for most people to have a cell-phone- perhaps late 1990's or early 2000's. 

Firegirl is a children's story that was written by Tony Abbott and published in 2008. It is in the first person, and it is about how a boy named Tom behaves around Jessica, a burn victim who suffers from bodily abnormalities. Tom and other students struggle to cope with her presence in his neighborhood and class at St. Catherine's Catholic School, in New England, which is where the story takes place. Mrs. Tracy, a teacher at the school, attempts to train the students to be unafraid of Jessica's appearance, but her attempt is unsuccessful. Almost all the students avoid dealing with her, but Tom develops a friendship with her, since he thinks of himself as awkward, and awkwardness is a common trait for both of them. Therefore, Tom and Jessica try to interact in a genuine way. The story is able to instill empathy in readers, and it shows readers the beauty of caring for one another.