The Fire Eaters
Author David Almond
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Story
1962, the Cuban Missile crisis threatens and Bobby Burns starts grammar school. His father is ill and McNulty the mysterious fire eater he first met under the bridges in Newcastle has found his way to town. That autumn everything is strange and different and the Cuban Missile crisis hangs over it all.
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Why we chose it
David Almond is a powerful storyteller. The Fire Eaters like many of his stories, seamlessly mixes the real and the imaginary and brings to vivid life a place and a moment in time.
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What a young reviewer said
This book was an superb read. Fantastically magical description. I would highly recommend this to lovers of bravery, curiosity, and rebellion. (Elliot, age 12)
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First published
2003, Hodder
Story Reviews
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I didn't know much about the time between the end of WW2 and the 1980s. This book hooked me into an unknown and magical time. Lots of people will be put off by the lack of high tech hover cars and mythical dragons but the fact that this story could be real and yet out of this world is just amazing. I would highly recommend this to lovers of bravery, curiosity, and rebellion This book was an superb read, finished it in three days. Fantastically magical description.