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Macedonian Cover of FIREFLY by Philippa Dowding |
"Gloria! You are HILARIOUS!" one of the ladies laughs, then they all grab a lobster costume. One of them sees me watching and says, 'We're a vocal quartet!' I just cannot imagine what kind of party they are going to dressed as four singing lobsters. It takes a certain self-confidence to go to a Halloween party dressed as one quarter of a lobster quartet.
This idea actually makes me quite happy. I'm perilously close to giggling." --From FIREFLY, p. 103
Ever wondered what Halloween in a costume shop might be like?
Firefly knows. She lives in the Corseted Lady costume shop with her Aunt Gayle, which is much better than the park where she used to live. But it takes some getting used to, especially around Halloween. Singing lobster quartets, medieval warriors, Gorilla Suit Guy, that's just the start.
Here's a YouTube clip of me reading this chapter:
Halloween is coming! Spend some time with Firefly in her Aunt's costume shop, based on a real costume shop in Toronto, run by my extended family. ENJOY!
All Posts About FIREFLY on this blog
The appeal of Firefly, like so much of Dowding's work, isn't limited to young readers. Her nuanced depiction of trauma, the search for identity, and the desire to define what "family" means will resonate with readers of all ages."
A lovely review and excerpt of FIREFLY, on OPEN BOOK, thank you!.
Here's the whole review plus: Read an Excerpt of FIREFLY
The good news for FIREFLY just keeps coming!
"This book deals with the heavy topics of homelessness, addiction and PTSD in a gentle and accessible manner, making the book a great introduction to these topics for children...
The author does a great job in expressing how simple things, such as taking a bath or drinking hot chocolate, are earth-shattering to Firefly who has been living outside by herself...
Even though the topic is heavy at a glance, there is a lot of lightheartedness as readers get to experience life inside a busy costume shop and all the quirky characters that go along with that."
--CM Reviews, April 2021
4/5 Stars, Highly Recommended | Ages 10-13 | Grades 5-8
What a fantastic review for FIREFLY, thank you to Canadian Materials Review. It's so important for an author to get reviews for their books, it's how libraries and schools decide what to purchase with their small book budgets, so I'm very thankful to them for helping get the word out about FIREFLY. And if you loved a book, please consider reviewing and spreading the word on social media or on Goodreads or a bookselling site, your favourite authors will thank you.
My motto hasn't changed: We can't hold each other right now, but it may help to hold a book.
Go read the whole review, the reviewer has more lovely things to say!
