LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
May 2024 Book of the Month
The first book in a charming new adventure series from Abi Elphinstone, Ember Spark and the Thunder of Dragons is suffused in the wonderful, classic notion that magic might be found all around us — hidden in plain sight, awaiting discovery by those who are so- attuned. That’s exactly the case with Ember Spark, an inquisitive ten-year-old who has “an unusual gift with animals”.
While Ember lives in a sleepy village called Yawn, and has felt much unease and heartbreak since her dad left the family home, she finds thrills and inspiration through reading the adventures of her comic book heroine, Gutsy Wonder. Then, on one typically humdrum day, the strange sighting of what appears to be a hamster stranded at sea sees Ember capitulated into an adventure to rival that of her heroine. It turns out that the hamster is definitely not a hamster, and Ember has been chosen to become the apprentice to Rusty Fizzbang, a vet to magical beasts, no less.
Alongside the thrill of Ember’s race-against-time quest to come to the aid of a baby dragon, and the joy of being immersed in a dazzlingly magical world, young readers are also sure to engage with the true-to-life portrayal of an unlikely friendship between two outsiders, and the promise that magic is “right here. Under our noses. In our forests and rivers. In our oceans and caves.”
Joanne Owen
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About
Ember Spark and the Thunder of Dragons Synopsis
A magical NEW story filled with adventure, wonder and edge-of-your-seat excitement, set in a world of daring dragons and magical maladies by the best-selling author of Sky Song, Abi Elphinstone.
Rusty Fizzbang, vet to magical beasts, needs an apprentice. Ember Spark, looking for adventure, is his newest recruit - and together with an unlikely friend, Arno, she is sent to help a baby dragon whose parents have gone missing. But keeping magical beasts a secret isn’t an easy task, especially with arch-villain, Jasper Hornswoggle, hot on their heels and keen to derail them…
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781398500693 |
| Publication date: |
9th May 2024 |
| Author: |
Abi Elphinstone |
| Illustrator: |
Kristina Kister |
| Publisher: |
Simon & Schuster Ltd |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
238 pages |
| Series: |
Ember Spark |
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Press Reviews
Abi Elphinstone Press Reviews
'A total masterclass in high-action, high-stakes, high-fun adventure. Abi Elphinstone does it again! Her new adventure series is off to a ripsnortingly good start!’ - Emma Carroll
‘Quirky and magical, this wonderful adventure proves what everyone should know – Abi Elphinstone is a writer to be cherished.’ - Phil Earle
‘Ember Spark herself is a wonderful heroine – she’s brave, curious and always up for an adventure.’ - Katie Tsang
Praise for Sky Song:
'A shimmering thrill-ride of a book. I loved every page.' Lauren St John, author of The White Giraffe
'Sky Song made my heart sing - I loved it!' Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars
'A dazzling snowstorm of an adventure, with hope at its heart' - Emma Carroll
‘I cannot recommend highly enough… a brilliant, heart-stopping, tear-inducing, soul-soaring adventure’ MG Leonard, author of Beetle Boy
‘A truly magical tale’ The Guardian
‘Abi Elphinstone is proving to be a worthy successor to CS Lewis’ The Times
'Abi Elphinstone’s books are full of adventure, wit, heart, and, above all, bravery’ Katherine Rundell, author of The Explorer
Author
About Abi Elphinstone
A World Book Day Author 2019
Abi Elphinstone grew up in Scotland where she spent most of her childhood running wild across the moors, hiding in tree houses and building dens in the woods. After being coaxed out of her tree house, she studied English at Bristol University and then worked as an English teacher in Tanzania, Berkshire and London. Abi has written numerous much-loved middle grade novels and picture books and has been shortlisted for multiple awards.
When she's not writing, Abi can be found working for The Lamp Of Lothian Trust and scrambling up Scottish mountains with her husband and three little kids.
She is the author of The Dreamsnatcher, The Shadow Keeper and The Night Spinner; a series of fast-paced adventure books for 8-12 year olds which follow Moll, Sid, Alfie and a wildcat, Gryff, as they search for the Amulets of Truth to stop a group of sinister witchdoctors taking over their world. She is also the curator of the anthology Winter Magic.
Her 2018 book Sky Song was a snow-swept tale of adventure and friendship. The book was a Waterstones Book of the Month and was also shortlisted for the Independent Bookshop Week Book Award and the Sainsbury Children’s Book Award for Fiction as well as being longlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award and nominated for the Carnegie Medal. The Times has praised Abi has ‘a worthy successor to CS Lewis’ and The Guardian described Sky Song as ‘a truly magical tale’.
Abi’s series The Unmapped Chronicles is an epic and wide-reaching new series of interlinked standalone novels about magical kingdoms which coexist alongside our continents and hold all the magic needed to conjure sunlight, snow, rain and every untold wonder behind the weather for them. Abi released a World Book Day book, Everdark, in March 2019. Everdark is a prequel to The Unmapped Chronicles.
Abi volunteers for Beanstalk charity, is a patron for the brilliant Grimm & Co and is heavily involved in campaigning for Authors4Oceans. When she's not writing, Abi enjoys speaking in schools and travels the world looking for her next story. Her latest adventures include living with the Kazakh Eagle Hunters in Mongolia and dog-sledging across the Arctic.
More About Abi Elphinstone
