City of Fire (City Trilogy) [Kindle Edition]

City of Fire by Laurence Yep is an exciting, adventurous read for children ages nine and up. Set in the 1940's, our heroes journey across the Pacific ocean from San Francisco to the Hawaiian Islands meeting shapeshifters, dragons and even the ancient goddess Pele who has disguised herself as a vagabond, but controls the land and the sea through her mystical enchantments.

Magic is part of this fantastical world and our hero, twelve-year old Scirye, will come face to face with evil and her own abilities to overcome it. She will find friendship in a young boy, Leech, who she first mistrusts, but then comes to understand that he is also on a journey of self-discovery. Leech must find out about his own mysterious past and make the decision to do good or evil.

Gaining the trust of her traveling companions, Scirye, sets out to avenge the death of her sister caused by the evil dragon Badik and the powerfully evil Mr. Roland. Each of her companions have their own personal journey in finding the powers within them that will help them stop the diabolical Mr. Roland from stealing the Five Lost Treasures of Emperor Yu and giving him ultimate power over the world.

If you have a middle-schooler --or even an older elementary school child -- who is looking for an adventure series with great world-building and interesting characters, let me suggest Laurence Yep's new City Trilogy.

Yep, who is a Newbery Honor Award author, sets his story in an alternate universe where an alternate earth enjoys magic and magical creatures; and where certain historic events, such as World War II, never happened. [Hawaii remains an independent country!]

The principal characters are 12 year-old Scirye, her lap-Griffin Kles, Leech and Koko, two street urchins: as well as Bayang, a dragon sent to assassinate Leech.

The book doesn't begin with them knowing each another, but soon their paths cross as they find they seek revenge against a common foe, the ancient dragon Badik and the human Roland. Revenge takes on more importance when they find out that the two bad guys are determined to steal the Five Lost Treasures of Emperor Yu, weapons that will let them alter the world forever.

Talking Points :::

This is the beginning book of what promises to be a good series. The characters are interesting and fun, the world building is excellent.

This book will be particularly good for readers who like complex worlds where magic doesn't just 'sit there' on the surface. There are some philosophical issues here that are interesting.

I really liked that the story is told from two perspectives. One point of view was Scirye's and the other was the mysterious and enigmatic Bayang, the assassin dragon. Her other-world perspective was actually my favorite as it gave insight into the strange goings on in this alternate earth.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer at BooksForKids-reviews

City of Fire

* Accelerated Reading level : 5th Grade (generic; no month given)
* Hardcover: 320 pages
* Publisher: Starscape (September 1, 2009)
* ISBN-10: 0765319241

I've always loved Fantasy. From the time I could first read chapter books I was drawn in by the worlds that were build for me by these amazing authors. However, sometimes it is hard to get into a book because the world is so vast and the amount of characters is overwhelming. As a reader, I find it easier to invest in a fictional world when there is a handhold for me that relates to the world around me. Cue Laurence Yep's City of Fire.

Yep builds a fantastic world around the real events of the 1940's. This time period allows our adventurers the use of planes and boats as their main transportation, which is much more exciting in my opinion! Certain events in our history have been altered, such as the fact that Hawaii is still an independent country. Also, and here is the kicker, mythical creatures walk among humans as equals. Pretty amazing right? Or is your head hurting? Well either way trust me, it's worth the slight confusion at the beginning because once I was pulled into the world there was no turning back. The world is so vivid, so well written, that I can guarantee you'll be pulled in as well.

Bring on the characters shall we? We meet Scirye, the fiery young girl with a vendetta against her sister's killer. She is tired of being treated as a little girl and ready to prove herself. Then we are presented with Leech and Koko, two street urchins with secrets buried within them. Mysterious and hilarious, they are quite the duo! Finally we meet Bayang, a dragon who is disguised as an elderly lady and is the key to the whole journey. These four characters are so fantastic together! Their banter with one another is classic, and throughout their interactions there are so many lessons learned about friendship, understanding and forgiveness. There is a character for every reader to attach to and fall in love with.

I could write a whole novel about my appreciation for this book, but I'll end here. The long and short of it is simply this: City of Fire is a fantastic journey complete with realistic and magical elements. Although this written for the younger reader, I see a lot for us young adult and adult readers to love. If you're ready to be transported to a new world, let Laurence Yep take you there! This book gets the highest recommendation possible from me, and I can only hope that you agree.