Book 00041: Icefire by Chris D'Lacey
Title:
- Icefire
First Publication:
- 1 October 2003 by Scholastic Press
Trivia:
- As a teenager, D'Lacey dreamed of being a rock star, but he focused on science during college and eventually got a job in that field, working with microscopy at Leicester University.
- It was not until age thirty-two that D'Lacey wrote his first children's story; seven years later, he entered a competition in writing for young people but he has not won the said competition.
- Chris D'lacey's first children's novel, Fly, Cherokee, Fly, was published in 1998 and subsequently shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It was inspired by the time he found an injured pigeon in Victoria Park and nursed it back to health at home
Award:
- Shortlisted for 2006 Angus Book Award
Icefire is not the first book of the series where it belonged to, but it is not also the least among them. This is a children's book that offers lessons for both young and old. Let your lighter side be cuddled by lovely little glazed dragons that are born to life whenever a friend is in great need.
The story began when David, a college student and aspiring author, started to investigate the history of the mythical dragons for a paper. He needs to make this research to be the best in order to win the price of a once in a lifetime trip to the Arctic.
But his investigation has lead him to something more than any wonders the Arctic could offer. He has been drawn to the most magical and mysterious past anyone could not imagine possible... the ancient secret of icefire.
The dragons are alive, but are not having the form we used to imagine them. They are hidden among us as inanimate objects and are ready to reveal themselves to those who are worthy of their presence.
Can David handle the magnitude of this all, along with the excitement of having a new girlfriend and the fact that he's about to move in with her?
Whet your appetite with this excerpt:
Time. David shot his watch hand up. “Oh no!” he exclaimed. “I should have been at school ages ago. I’m supposed to be having a tutorial with…” Leaving the end of his sentence hanging, he shot down the hall in search of his coat.
Liz patted Lucy’s arm and told her to work on G’reth a little more. “Take him up to the den when you’re finished. We’ll kiln him when I get back.” Grabbing her car keys, she went after David. “Come on,” she said, overtaking him on the porch, “if it’s that important, I’ll give you a ride.”
On the drive into Scrubbley, Liz said quietly, “You seemed a little uptight in the kitchen. Not just about G’reth. Is there something on your mind?”
David ran the zipper of his bag back and forth. “I’m meeting Sophie for dinner tonight.” A smile spread slowly across his face at the mention of his girlfriend’s name. “She says she wants to tell me something important. I think she might want me to move in with her.”
“I see. Do you think you will?”
David bit his lip and looked the other way.
“We’ll miss you,” said Liz, taking his silence as a yes. “It’s going to be hard telling Lucy, though.”
“I’ll come and see you. Regularly. I promise.”
Liz smiled and touched his arm. “If you need to move on, that’s all there is to it. You can’t stay in our mad dragon house forever. Don’t worry, we’ll cope.”
Visit Scholastic for more excerpt.
Grade: B+
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