‘When she was old enough to learn, her father began to teach her the art of making fireworks. She began with little Crackle-Dragons, six on a string. Then she learned how to make Leaping Monkeys, Golden Sneezes and Java Lights. Soon she was making all the simple fireworks, and thinking about more complicated ones.’*
Lila has one wish: to be a Firework-Maker, like her father Lachland. To fulfil this, she sets off on the perilous journey to Mount Merapi, to obtain Royal Sulphur from the cave of Razvani, the Fire-Fiend. She navigates twisted jungle paths, outwits a bumbling group of river pirates/restaurateurs/barbershop singers and, with the help of her friends Chulak the Elephant Keeper and Hamlet, the King’s prized white elephant, returns to her hometown to save her father from certain death.
A magical, fairytale-esque account of determination, talking elephants and water goddesses, culminating in what must be the most enchanting firework display ever written!
‘Now the King of that country owned a White Elephant. It was the custom that whenever the King wanted to punish one of his courtiers, he would send him the White Elephant as a present, and the expense of looking after the animal would ruin the poor man; because the White Elephant had to sleep between silk sheets (enormous ones), and eat mango-flavoured Turkish Delight (tons of it), and have his tusks covered in gold leaf every morning. When the courtier had no money left at all, the White Elephant would be returned to the King, ready for his next victim.’
Paradoxically, I came to Philip Pullman’s children’s fiction as an adult, having read His Dark Materials as a child. Having read The Scarecrow and His Servant, Clockwork and now The Firework-Maker’s Daughter, I am impressed by the diversity of his writing style between the age groups. Just like this particular novel, I find his children’s fiction has a fable-like quality; there is a bedtime story tone to the tales (less so with Clockwork, due to the serious creepy factor …). Though also fantasy, His Dark Materials dismisses this in favour of a realist, borderline nihilistic style. The series is a masterpiece but sometimes a whimsical short story is needed – get you an author who can do both!
“They looked at each other as if they were strangers. Each of them had had quite the wrong idea about things, and they were both alarmed to find it out.’
* Loved the names ‘Tumbling Demons’ and ‘Shimmering Coins’ for her later inventions!
Bookishly Abroad 