Tagged: elizabeth pennykettle
Fire Star by Chris d’Lacey
(Cover picture courtesy of Great Books by Doshisha International Readers.)
There is a fire star coming, signalling a time of new beginnings. A time for dragons to rise again.
A research trip to the Arctic and a contract for a new book—life can’t get much better for David Rain. But as soon as David finds himself in the icy climes, he begins to write his legend of bears, dragons, and the mysterious fire star. Soon he realizes that his tale is beginning to mirror real life, and that an old enemy is on her way to meet him. Can David thwart her terrible plan? Or will his world be destroyed forever?
After hinting at it in the first book and explaining a little bit in the second book, Chris d’Lacey finally gives readers a full explanation about the origin of dragons—both the clay kind and the real ones. As it turns out, Liz Pennykettle was hiding quite a few things from both David, her tenant, and Lucy, her own daughter. This time, it’s going to cost her dearly as the scheming Gwilanna returns, with one thing on her mind: returning dragons to the world.
The thing I like most about Fire Star is how much depth the characters have. We see David behaving more like a college student now that he’s temporarily out of the Pennykettle house and around Zanna, the quirky goth girl he loves. Their relationship is believable, but it’s also unusual because they seem to be complete opposites. This definitely makes for weird chemistry, but it works very well.
Filled with plot twists and turns, especially at the end, Fire Star is—to use the cliché—absolutely riveting. It’s surprisingly fast-paced for a children’s novel, which makes it an enjoyable read for both children and tweens. I would definitely recommend it.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Fire Within by Chris d’Lacey
(Cover picture courtesy of National Geographic Kids.)
When David moves in with Elizabeth Pennykettle and her eleven-year-old daughter, Lucy, he discovers a collection of clay dragons that come to life. David’s own special dragon inspires him to write a story, which reveals the secrets behind a mystery. In order to solve the mystery and save his dragon, David must master the magic of the fire within—not only with his hands but also with his heart.
The Fire Within is definitely a book for ages 8-12, but I still love reading it. The whole premise behind Chris d’Lacey’s book is unique, highly creative and very intriguing. I won’t give anything away, but the clay dragons of the eccentric Pennykettles aren’t all that they seem. David will discover the truth, but will the college student believe it?
Since this is written for a much younger audience, David, the main character, is less mature than most college students. The characters are not developed as well as they could have been, but they do get better as the novel progresses. It is more of a character-driven novel than a plot-driven novel and as such, it is not what I would call a fast-paced novel. Still, it moves along at a decent pace that will keep its young readers riveted.
The writing style is simplistic, which makes it a great book to transition from shorter “chapter books” for children into more complex novels for tweens. While the story is written from a male perspective, female readers will not be turned away because they can identify with the young Lucy Pennykettle. I have only one warning about this novel (one that my mother insists I should have told her when I made her read it): the ending is a bit sad for a children’s novel. I was eleven or twelve when I first read this and I must admit that I shed a few tears, despite my best efforts at self-control.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.