The Fire Within

This was such a fun and weird story. I loved the characters and how Lucy and Liz and the dragons wormed their way into David's life, or was it the other way around? The plot of the squirrels and the dragons were a lot of fun. I really enjoyed this one.

What if there truly were dragons in Medieval times?And, what if there are those among us who can still channel the fire of dragons and the inspiration of the ages?David Rain is a typical college student looking for a place to live while attending classes. Even if things appear a bit odd, any student will grab a space priced reasonably well, and if it comes with a nosey cat and excellent food, well, that's even better! (Even though the ad very clearly specified the applicant was required to 'Like Children and Cats and Dragons.'Mrs. Pennykettle and her daughter Lucy have a rather odd home-based business. They create pottery dragons. Now, you might think that's a perfectly ordinary business, but David would be quick to disagree. Whoever heard of a pottery business without a visible firing kiln?Besides, there is something peculiar going on here. The dragon Mrs. Pennykettle made especially for David is carrying a pencil and a tablet. Why is David suddenly inspired to begin writing a book?That's the thing with authors, the weirdest activities can trigger a storm of ideas, and those ideas can create something quite magical.D'Lacey filled his book with quirky characters and a community of the most unusual squirrels. What more do you need to keep young readers on the edge of their chairs?Kids will be inspired by kindness, courage, and imagination by this delightful fantasy. Parents will appreciate the journey back to the day when they exhibited a wild imagination. And writers? Well, they'll be inspired to look closer at everything they see for that spark that opens up an entirely new world.

I loved this book when I read it to children in school. Now that I have a grandson, I will chapter read with him. I am excited to introduce him to fantasy.

Good book. Couldn't put it down. May be for a younger audience. But still very good for all. Thank you.

I read this book when I was 10 and again now that I’m 26. I can’t wait to read it with my kids. Full of magical realism and wonder.

Very original, charming,reminded me of The Ocean at the End of the Lane for some reason. Maybe Lucy's simple purity, and an ordinary person finding themselves in the middle of a myth....

I read this because my 10 year old great grandson asked me to. He wanted someone to talk about it with. We are both artists and he wanted me to draw a dragon with him. The book was a very pleasant and interesting surprise. Well written and whimsical yet down to earth as well, the author crafted a cunning piece of work here.

My 10 year old son received this book for Christmas, and since he was already in the first chapters of a long book that he was reading on his own, we began reading 'The Fire Within' together before bed. All 3 of us were hooked by the 2nd chapter! We were constantly wondering about the dragons......subtle hints let us know they were "special", and we all loved the squirrels, and worried about poor Conker. Every night my son begged for extra chapters. He is not a bookworm and we have to force the start of his own reading time, but once he begins, he usually reads for longer than his mandatory 30 minutes. He'd rather be playing baseball, basketball or a video game than read a book any day, unfortunately. So you can see his interests lie in active things, but this book kept him totally enthralled! I recommend it highly and it also makes a great family read!

What a fantastic, warm and gripping story for young folk! This book wasn’t what I expected but I actually preferred it even more for that reason. I was expecting a fantastical, Lord-of-the-Rings type of thing but it was a much more domestic and cosy kind of adventure. I have it on good authority that the fantasy levels amp up through the series though. I’ll definitely be reading on because I loved the humour, the characters and the story-within-a-story element. Brilliant!

Where should I begin?(Looks over at Gadzooks hopefully by the windowsill near my bed)(AMAZING: Gadzooks wrote)Ah yes. First of all, this book was... amazing. I loved the characters in the book: I can compare myself to David, embarking on a mission to write my own stories (I currently am... about seven novels - with dragons of course. Don't worry. I'm focusing on one at a time).But anyways, this book was flawless; I could easily imagine the surroundings of the house, the library, the gardens perfectly. The clay dragons are a brilliant idea. I'm starting to wish I had one of my own (perhaps I can ask Liz nicely?) amidst my room of everything dragon related. I was easily drawn to the story, reading the entire thing in one day, and will very much buy the next one, and the next one, and the next one. Go on, buy this book and fall in love with this beautiful story (or no clay dragon for you).But seriously, read this book.P.S - Thank you Chris D'lacey! Your storytelling will forever inspire me in my endeavours to finish my own. Your books will be cherished on my bookshelf... amidst the other 60+ books on dragons. And I still don't have room for more.

My 8 year old LOVES this book. I don't think he thought anything could be the Cressida Cowell books when it came to the subject of Dragons, but yes this book seems to have captured his imagination totally which is why he went on to read the rest in the series very quickly. Very well written.

Am reading this with my grandchildren on FaceTime. We have only read 6 chapters but the story is good and the children are enjoying it.

I read this having read The Salt Pirates of Skegness (which was brilliant) with a view to reading it aloud to my mixed Y3/4 class. The story doesn't have such a great appeal to children of this age and so far I have chosen not to read it to them, as the action isn't quite as gripping as the other story and the characters are not so instantly amusing, but we have a theme of dragons for our class reading next term, so watch this space!