The Firework-Maker's Daughter - Philip Pullman, The Borrowers - Mary Norton & Why the Whales Came - Michael Morpurgo

Recently I’ve been reading quite a lot of children’s books so I thought I would combine my reviews for these three wonderful books! ⠀

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The Firework-Maker’s Daughter follows the character of Lila, who wants more than anything to follow in the footsteps of her father and become a firework maker. She discovers that the only way to fulfil her dream is to make the perilous journey to visit the Fire-Fiend. She sets off alone, unaware that she needs to take special protection - her father is horrified when he discovers the danger she is in and races to catch her before it’s too late. In true Pullman style, this novella is compelling, magical and beautifully-written. I have yet to read a Pullman text that I don’t like!

The Borrowers by Mary Norton is a charming book which follows a miniature family who live in the floorboards of a house of some ‘human beans’. They collect or ‘borrow’ everyday items from the house to furnish their teeny abode: cotton reels, blotting paper - anything they can use. Their biggest fear is being discovered or ‘seen’ - one day, Arietty, against her parents’ wishes, engages in conversation with a human boy. He begins to help her communicate with other borrowers, to assure her that they are not the only left of their kind. Yet other humans in the house are a much bigger threat to the little people. Mary Norton’s writing is spellbinding and this is just an adorable book!

Why the Whales Came is my first Michael Morpurgo book, which follows children Gracie and Daniel who live on the Scilly Isles and have grown up with warnings of the Birdman, a local elderly man who people believe to be cursed. Against their parents’ rules, the children befriend the Birdman, who leaves messages for them with seashells and turns out to be a very friendly but lonely old man. When out sailing in the fog, the children become stranded on an island named Samson which also harbours the alleged curse. This is a spooky and charming tale of friendship and I absolutely adored it!