The Firework-Maker's Daughter (Thing 1)

We read The Firework-Maker's Daughter by Phillip Pullman. It was about a girl named Lila who, being a firework-maker's daughter, loves to create fireworks. One day, she gets mad at her father, Lalchand, for not telling her the secret to being a true firework-maker, so she gets her friend, Chulak, to trick Lalchand into telling him the secret. Lalchand does, but does not tell him the whole secret. Since Chulak thinks he has the secret, he tells Lila what it is and she sets off immediately on a dangerous journey to Mount Merapi to get some royal sulfur from the Fire-Fiend, Razvani, in exchange for the three gifts. What she doesn't know is that she needs some special water to protect herself from the flames. So Chulak and the talking white elephant, Hamlet, set off after Lila. But will they make it in time?

I would give this book

. It was exciting, had interesting characters, and funny parts. I especially liked the description of all of the fireworks.