Fire-Eaters, The (Shortlisted For Carnegie Medal 2003)

Description: There he was, below the bridge, half-naked, eyes blazing. He had a pair of burning torches. He ran them back and forth across his skin. He sipped from a bottle, breathed across a torch, and fire and fumes leapt from his lips. The air was filled with the scent of paraffin. He breathed again, a great high spreading flag of fire. He glared. He roared like an animal. That summer, life had seemed perfect for Bobby Burns. But now it's autumn and the winds of change are blowing hard. Bobby's dad is mysteriously ill. His new school is a cold and cruel place. And worse: nuclear war may be about to start. But Bobby has a wonder-working friend called Ailsa Spink. And he's found the fire-eater, a devil called McNulty. What can they do together on Bobby's beach? Is it possible to work miracles? Will they be able to transform the world? A stunning novel from the author of the modern children's classic Skellig - winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book Award. David Almond is also winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen award.

Review: An affecting meditation on pain, cruelty, class, belonging and the redeeming power of love. The Sunday Times A beautiful and brilliant novel. There really is nobody quite like Almond. The Times This is beautifully written and polished to a lapidary gloss. The Guardian A wonderful novel. The Times An astonishing, beautiful tale. Almond at his best. The Daily Telegraph A tale so marvellously told it seems a shame to label it as only for children. The Daily Telegraph Stays with you long after the book is closed. The Guardian Almond makes familiar issues fresh; his characters are finely drawn and his depiction of place perfectly realised. The Guardian Lyrical and atmospheric. The Bookseller A near-perfect piece of fiction. Time Out Luminous prose...every character is perfectly served by this fearless writer. The Guardian Subtle and energetic...a powerful and evocative study of loss. The Times [A] strange and haunting story. The Observer Once in a while a book comes along that takes over your head and your heart. [This is] such a book. The Bookseller Almond's best book yet...masterful in every aspect. Financial Times Gripping doesn't do it justice - it sweeps you up and wraps itself around you. The Sunday Express An uplifting, beautifully written story. Independent on Sunday A beautifully written, warm-hearted book. Almond's poetic, though gritty, prose avoids the pitfalls of sentimentality. The Observer Almond's books are always moving, uplifting tributes to the human spirit. The Scotsman

Prizes: Shortlisted for Carnegie Medal 2003.

Author Biography: David Almond is twice winner of the Whitbread Children's Book Award. His first novel, SKELLIG, won the Whitbread Children's Award and the Carnegie Medal. His second, KIT'S WILDERNESS, won the Smarties Award Silver Medal, was Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal, and shortlisted for the Guardian Award. THE FIRE-EATERS won the Whitbread, the Smarties Gold Award and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, and his most recent novel, CLAY, was shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award, and the Carnegie Medal. David is widely regarded as one of the most exciting and innovative children's authors writing today, and his books are bestsellers all over the world. He lives with his family in Northumberland.