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About
The Fire Eaters Synopsis
It's Autumn and the winds of change are blowing for Bobby Burns. His new school is a frightening place, World War III might be imminent, and then there's the strange fire eater - a devil called McNulty.
Winner of the Whitbread Children's Book Award 2003
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9780340944998 |
Publication date: |
15th April 2004 |
Author: |
David Almond |
Publisher: |
Hodder & Stoughton Childrens Division |
Format: |
Paperback |
Pagination: |
256 pages |
Suitable For: |
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Recommendations: |
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Press Reviews
David Almond Press Reviews
"David Almond's The Fire-Eaters is an exceptional novel. Precisely written, it hauntingly evokes the life of a small community at the time of the Cuban Missle Crisis." - Lesley Agnew, THE BOOKSELLER
"Once in a while a book comes along that takes over your head and your heart. David Almond's The Fire-Eaters is such a book. Set more than 40 years ago at the time of the Cuban Missle Crisis, it tells of a small seaside community near Newcastle, living in the fear of the third world war. This brief description does not do it justice, as the novel works on numerous levels. It is a detailed portrait of Bobbie Burns - his family, his community, his school - and McNulty, the wild and strange Fire-Eater. The writing is lyrical and atmospheric and establishes a strong sense of place. The novel engages many emotions and lets you, for a while, live with, and know, this sensitively drawn community." - Wendy Cooling, THE BOOKSELLER
Author
About David Almond
David Almond was our Guest Editor in September 2011 CLICK HERE to see his choices.
David Almond is the acclaimed author of many award-winning novels for children such as Skellig, Kit's Wilderness and My Name Is Mina, and has collaborated with artists Polly Dunbar, Dave McKean and Oliver Jeffers on fiction for younger readers. David's books sell all over the world, and in 2011 he was the recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. He lives in Hexham, Northumberland.
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Julia Eccleshare on David Almond:
One of the best-loved and finest writers of today, David Almond made an immediate impact with Skellig, his first book. The moving story of a boy’s discovery of a strange creature in the shed which can be interpreted in many ways introduced some to the recurrent themes of David Almond’s writing. Infused with a touch of magic or the supernatural or ‘belief’, David Almond writes sensitively about the inner complexities of growing up. Much influenced by the landscape of Tyneside where he was brought up and still lives, David Almond’s books have a strong sense of place especially in titles such as Heaven’s Eyes, The Fire-Eater and Kit’s Wilderness. Although often clearly set in some particular time, there is a timeless quality to David Almond’s stories which give them enduring appeal.
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