The Firework-Maker's Daughter - Softcover

Pullman, Philip

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0590129430 ISBN 13: 9780590129435

Publisher: Arthur a Levine, 1999

Synopsis

Chulak and his talking white elephant Hamlet help Lila seek the Royal Sulphur from the sacred volcano so that she can become a master maker of fireworks like her father

About this title

Review

"A thousand miles ago, in a country east of the jungle and south of the mountains, there lived a firework-maker called Lalchand and his daughter, Lila."

Lila, the heroine of Philip Pullman's charming fable, was, as a baby, "a cross little thing, always crying and refusing her food, but Lalchand built a cradle for her in the corner of the workshop, where she could see the sparks play and listen to the fizz and crackle of the gunpowder." Once out of her cradle, she showed a marked talent for pyrotechnics, even inventing her own fireworks with names like Tumbling Demons and Shimmering Coins. Nevertheless, when Lila tells her father she'd like to become a master firework-maker, he's shocked. Firework-making is no job for a girl, he tells her; besides, with her burned fingers and singed eyebrows, he's afraid he'll never be able to find a husband for her.

If Lalchand is horrified by Lila's ambitions, his daughter is equally appalled by the prospect of a husband. Instead, she decides to run away to Mount Merapi, where every firework-maker must go to claim some of the royal sulphur from Razvani the Fire-Fiend. Lila's adventures on the road to Merapi alternate with those of her best friend, Chulak, and his talking white elephant, Hamlet, who set out after her when they learn something that could mean life or death for Lila. Along the way, they meet pirates, wild animals, and supernatural beings of every stripe until, at last, Lila must face the scariest obstacle of all: her own fear. Pullman invests The Firework-Maker's Daughter with wit, wonder, and more than a few goose bumps. The charm of the prose is reflected in the black and white illustrations by S. Saelig Gallagher that punctuate this slim novel. Though not as sophisticated as Pullman's remarkable fantasy novels The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, this engaging story does share a courageous heroine, an exciting adventure, and a singular philosophy that ties everything together in a deeply satisfying denouement. (Ages 9 to 12) --Alix Wilber

From the Back Cover

Lila has learned from her father almost all there is to know about making fireworks. But he's held back the final secret, the most dangerous one. With the help of her friend Chulak, Lila discovers the secret -- that anyone who wants to be a true firework-maker must face down the Fire-Fiend of Mount Merapi and bring back some of the royal sulphur. So Lila sets off, ready to face anything that gets in her way.

It is only after Lila has gone that Chulak discovers the other half of the secret -- that Lila needs a flask of magic water from the Goddess of Emerald Lake or she will perish in the flames. So Chulak and Hamlet, the talking white elephant, set off to find Lila -- before it's too late....

Edition details

• Publisher: Arthur a Levine
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0590129430
• ISBN 13: 9780590129435
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Gallagher S. Saelig
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 97