Illustrated by Laura Catalán
For ages 7+
About the book
🌱The Last Firefox, the 1st book in this series, was one of my favourite books of 2022, so I was really looking forward to the sequel. One of the things that works so very well and brings this story to life for the reader are the illustrations, which are plentiful and so expressive; there are even double spread detailed illustrations! This aside, it’s great to be back in Wales with Charlie, his dads, his adopted lively baby sister Edie who comes as a package with her comfort toy Madam Sugarpuff, and his magical pet fire fox, Cadno.
🌱After defeating the awful shape-shifting otherworldly monster, the Grendilock, in the last story, the family and Charlie’s friends Lippy and Roo find themselves grappling with the possibility of another quest for Fargone. There’s a terrible darkness called the Draig spreading through the magical land and after the Grendilock’s defeat, Charlie is now VERY famous. The creatures and people of Fargone are looking to him to save them and rescue the missing Princess!!
🌱As the protagonist, Charlie is a worrier, finds it hard to come out his shell, but is actually a great leader when he has the support and kindness of his friends and family, especially if Cadno is by his side - they build him up to have an inner faith and bravery that he struggles with on his own. A powerful deer-like creature from Fargone joins them on their quest, they name her ‘Blodyn’ (Welsh for ‘flowers’). As featured on the cover artwork, she’s a beautiful representation of nature and is the key to defeating the terrible foe. The final new member of the daring quest party is a sword-wielding Princess who becomes Lippy’s sweetheart by the end of the story.
🌱This is a ‘St George and the Dragon’ legend-like adventure with lots of imaginative twists and turns, some very amusing talking animals with attitude, truly nail-biting moments, and an authentic representation of same-sex parenting, plus a normalisation of LGBTQ+ tween relationships. Book 3 is out in Spring 2024!
About the creators
Lee Newbery (author)
Lee Newbery lives with his husband, son and two dogs in a seaside town in West Wales. By day, he helps vulnerable people look for jobs and gain new skills, and by night, he sits down at his laptop to write. Lee enjoys adventuring, drinking ridiculous amounts of tea and giving his dogs a good cuddle - or a cwtch as they say in Wales.
Laura Catalan (illustrator)
Laura Catalán is a children’s books illustrator who loves a good story, one that grabs you from the neck and doesn’t let you go until you finish it. She has illustrated about a dozen fiction books and plenty of educational material for Spanish, UK and US publishers.
Key themes
adoption
same-sex parents
LGBTQ+
bravery
fantasy
adventure
friendship
empowering girls
finding your voice
adventures with animals
looking after nature
Welsh history, legends and culture
Buy the book
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Publication date: 27 April 2023
Format: Paperback
Also available in this series:
Book 3 to follow!!
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