The Fireworkmaker’s Daughter by Phillip Pullman

A tiny, cute little book, found on the “summer reading” shelf of K-mart, I believe. It was 94 pages, large-ish print, and I read it in one sitting, I think. But I liked it, as a tiny and cute story that wraps up quickly. Actually, what it is really is is a fable, or a long fairy tale (though short for a novel.) It has a short conflict, some supernatural stuff, a tiny moral, I suppose. And I love all the creative firework making terms, it just makes me grin. It’s very descriptive and visual, and makes me wish they actually had fireworks like that. And the moral where only you yourself can decide if you are ready to be what you really want to be - that’s a powerful and neverending little moral, and always important. It’s all about growing up. The main character (whose name I’ve forgotten) figures out that she is ready to be a firework-maker and the test isn’t a test so much as imparting a general knowledge that you know what you’re doing. Plus cute sideplot where she saves an elephant and her father. And what, really, is better than writing “Chang loves Lotus Blossum” on the side of an elephant? I’m going to graffiti that somewhere someday I swear, cause it’s just so subtly comical.

Also, yay for an incidentally non-white main character! I swear, this never happens in young adult fiction, especially the young adult fantasy I read. Everyone’s always white. Seriously, I will do a study on this some time, or an informal poll of the young adult section of the library. Somehow racial representation is incredibly slanted, and it’s more the case in young adult fiction than teen fiction, I have noticed.

Ships and Kids’ Books are Dirtier Than You Think: So not even worth it, this time. Book’s too short, and plus it’s a fable/fairy tale. Not the point or anything. That, and I can’t even remember anyone’s name in this book, so I can hardly remember subtle shippy points.