Book Description
for Fire by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson
From The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)
McKinley and Dickinson collaborate on five agreeably eerie fantasies that begin and end in fire. “Phoenix,” set in modern Great Britain, expands the Egyptian myth as McKinley has done for other well-known folk tales. “Hellhound,” possibly written as a salute to the authors’ own hellhounds, features a dog of unearthly prowess and a cemetery haunted with evil zom bies. A young boy is transformed into a powerful magician in “Salamander Man.” “Fireworm” transports readers back to ancient times when men lived in caves and any threat to the clans’ fires was a death sentence. “First Flight,” an exquisite tale of dragons and boys, will leave readers begging for a sequel. lmp