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The Firework-Maker's Daughter; Clockwork or All Wound Up

Two Tales

Part of Everyman's Library Children's Classics Series

Author Philip Pullman
Illustrated by Peter Bailey
Hardcover
$25.00 US
Knopf | Everyman's Library
6.31"W x 8.29"H x 0.58"D  
On sale Mar 04, 2025 | 176 Pages | 9780593992180
Grades 9-12 + AP/IB
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A must-have for every child's library: two enchanting tales by the bestselling author of The Golden Compass, in a special hardcover omnibus edition with newly colorized illustrations

In The Firework-Maker’s Daughter, young Lila has learned from her father almost all there is to know about his profession—but he insists upon holding back the final secret. With the help of her friend Chulak, Lila discovers that anyone who wants to be a true firework-maker must face down the Fire-Fiend of Mount Merapi. It is only after Lila has set off on her quest that Chulak discovers the other half of the secret—and without it, Lila will perish. In the company of Hamlet, a talking white elephant, Chulak sets off to find Lila before it's too late.

Clockwork or All Wound Up features an apprentice clockmaker who is tempted to sell his soul. As the townspeople of Glockenheim gather on the eve of the annual unveiling of a new figure for the town clock, Karl, the apprentice, confides to Fritz, a storyteller, that he has failed in his task to create one. Fritz, in turn, has no idea how to finish the new story he has begun concocting, which he calls “Clockwork.” He begins to tell it anyway, only to see its dangerous antagonist materialize in front of the two boys and offer Karl a Faustian pact. Real life and storytelling merge, and destruction must be narrowly averted, in this unusual and suspenseful tale of the power of creativity.

Everyman's Library pursues the highest production standards, printing on acid-free cream-colored paper, with full-cloth cases with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, silk ribbon markers, and European-style half-round spines.
© Bryan Appleyard
Philip Pullman is one of the most acclaimed writers working today. He is best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass), which has been named one of the top 100 novels of all time by Newsweek and one of the all-time greatest novels by Entertainment Weekly. He is also the author of another trilogy set in the same world, The Book of Dust (La Belle Sauvage, The Secret Commonwealth, and The Rose Field) as well as numerous other much-loved novels, a collection of fairy tales, and a volume of essays and speeches on writing. He has won many distinguished prizes, including the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread (now Costa) Award, Parents’ Choice Gold Awards, and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Pullman was knighted for services to literature in the New Years Honours 2019. He lives in Oxford, England. View titles by Philip Pullman
Peter Bailey is a British illustrator, educated at the University of Brighton's School of Art, who has illustrated over 140 books, including Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials and Tony Mitton’s books The Storyteller’s Secrets and Tale of Tales. He lives in Merseyside, England, with his wife and fellow illustrator Sian. View titles by Peter Bailey
"Exciting, scary, romantic, and deliciously readable." —The Guardian

"Crackles with Pullman's usual flair." —Publishers Weekly

About

A must-have for every child's library: two enchanting tales by the bestselling author of The Golden Compass, in a special hardcover omnibus edition with newly colorized illustrations

In The Firework-Maker’s Daughter, young Lila has learned from her father almost all there is to know about his profession—but he insists upon holding back the final secret. With the help of her friend Chulak, Lila discovers that anyone who wants to be a true firework-maker must face down the Fire-Fiend of Mount Merapi. It is only after Lila has set off on her quest that Chulak discovers the other half of the secret—and without it, Lila will perish. In the company of Hamlet, a talking white elephant, Chulak sets off to find Lila before it's too late.

Clockwork or All Wound Up features an apprentice clockmaker who is tempted to sell his soul. As the townspeople of Glockenheim gather on the eve of the annual unveiling of a new figure for the town clock, Karl, the apprentice, confides to Fritz, a storyteller, that he has failed in his task to create one. Fritz, in turn, has no idea how to finish the new story he has begun concocting, which he calls “Clockwork.” He begins to tell it anyway, only to see its dangerous antagonist materialize in front of the two boys and offer Karl a Faustian pact. Real life and storytelling merge, and destruction must be narrowly averted, in this unusual and suspenseful tale of the power of creativity.

Everyman's Library pursues the highest production standards, printing on acid-free cream-colored paper, with full-cloth cases with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, silk ribbon markers, and European-style half-round spines.

Author

© Bryan Appleyard
Philip Pullman is one of the most acclaimed writers working today. He is best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass), which has been named one of the top 100 novels of all time by Newsweek and one of the all-time greatest novels by Entertainment Weekly. He is also the author of another trilogy set in the same world, The Book of Dust (La Belle Sauvage, The Secret Commonwealth, and The Rose Field) as well as numerous other much-loved novels, a collection of fairy tales, and a volume of essays and speeches on writing. He has won many distinguished prizes, including the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread (now Costa) Award, Parents’ Choice Gold Awards, and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Pullman was knighted for services to literature in the New Years Honours 2019. He lives in Oxford, England. View titles by Philip Pullman
Peter Bailey is a British illustrator, educated at the University of Brighton's School of Art, who has illustrated over 140 books, including Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials and Tony Mitton’s books The Storyteller’s Secrets and Tale of Tales. He lives in Merseyside, England, with his wife and fellow illustrator Sian. View titles by Peter Bailey

Praise

"Exciting, scary, romantic, and deliciously readable." —The Guardian

"Crackles with Pullman's usual flair." —Publishers Weekly

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