The Firework-maker's Daughter
by Philip Pullman
★ Top 25 book of 1995 · #18 on Best Books of 1995
In a far eastern land, Lila dreams of becoming a master fireworks maker like her father. Joined by Chulak and his talking white elephant Hamlet, she journeys to a sacred volcano to find the Royal Sulphur.
Best for: Young readers who like adventure, quests and a talking elephant companion
The Firework-maker's Daughter is #18 on BookWard's Best Books of 1995, out of 28 1995 books that cleared our data bar.
What The Firework-maker's Daughter is about
Lila wants to be a firework-maker like her father, Lalchand, even though he thinks the trade is no place for a girl. To prove herself, she sets off for Mount Merapi to fetch Royal Sulphur from Razvani the Fire-Fiend, a trial every would-be firework-maker must face. Her friends Hamlet, a talking white elephant, and his caretaker Chulak help her on the way. Trouble waits at home too, and Lila must win a Firework Festival competition against talented rivals to set things right.
Philip Pullman began the story as a school play and calls it a fairy tale. It is a light, whimsical quest for young readers, and underneath the adventure it is also a story about what it takes to make art.
The Firework-maker's Daughter on the Best Books of 1995
The Firework-maker's Daughter came out in 1995. Of the 28 books first published in 1995 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #18 on our Best Books of 1995 list.
Why it made the list: 174 readers have shelved it on Open Library; 22 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 1995 list
- Dreams from My Father Barack Obama, #16
- Fingerprints of the Gods Graham Hancock, #17
- Longitude Dava Sobel, #19
- Naked in Death Nora Roberts, #20
See all Best Books of 1995 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1994 Best Books of 1996.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 140 want to read it, 22 are reading it now and 12 have read it, according to Open Library.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 21 | 55% |
| Reader love | 50 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 71 | 20% |
Questions about The Firework-maker's Daughter
When was The Firework-maker's Daughter published?
The Firework-maker's Daughter by Philip Pullman was first published in 1995.
Was The Firework-maker's Daughter one of the best books of 1995?
The Firework-maker's Daughter is #18 on BookWard's Best Books of 1995, out of 28 1995 books that cleared our data bar. 174 readers have shelved it on Open Library; 22 are reading it right now.
Why is The Firework-maker's Daughter on the Best Books of 1995 list?
174 readers have shelved it on Open Library; 22 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 1995
- The Lost World Michael Crichton, #1
- Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman, #2
- Northern Lights Philip Pullman, #3
- Mindhunter John E. Douglas, #4
- Rose Madder Stephen King, #5
- Wicked Gregory Maguire, #6
See the full Best Books of 1995, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
Find your own best books
Add what you have read, rate it, and BookWard will recommend what to read next.
Free while in beta. No credit card needed.