The Fire Maker

by Guy Jones

Alex loves magic – its glamour, tricks and illusions.

He’s good at it, too: he’s reached the semi-finals of a prestigious competition for young magicians. But when he stumbles into eccentric Mr Olmos’s back garden while running from his former best friend, Alex sees something he can’t explain: three tiny flames floating in the air. Fire magic. Real magic. Soon, Alex and Mr Olmos are swept up in a great adventure of secrets, genies and an ancient, bitter rivalry ...

Genres: Middle Grade

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2019

Reviews

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A middle-grade read involving a young boy called Alex, who loves magic and is over the moon to participate in a national competition, run by his magic idol, until he runs into the back garden owned by Mr Olmos. He is a man holding many secrets and a dangerous mission to protect genies from evil. Soon, Alex finds himself questioning many truths, as well as dealing with his fractured relationship with his divorced father. I enjoyed the magic elements and plot twist with the genies, however, the pacing for me was a little choppy throughout. There were chapters in which I also felt a little confused regarding which character was who. Younger readers will love this book!

[BooksForTopics · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fire Maker is an enthralling, spine-tingling adventure full of magic, mystery and wonder.

From the moment the book is opened, the reader is completely immersed in Alex’s story. Alex is 11 years old and loves magic. He dreams of being a famous magician like his idol, Jack Keller. Unfortunately, Alex is often bullied because of his obsession with magic.

One night, while running from his tormentors, Alex’s life changes forever when he makes a momentous discovery. As he meets the mysterious Mr. Olmos, his life will never be the same again. Has Alex discovered that magic is real? Will his hero turn out to be everything that he imagined? Will he be able to overcome his problems and become a magician himself?

This is a wonderful story filled with vivid description that fully immerses you in the narrative. The characters are very relatable for today’s world, while also providing an exciting escape into a magical world. The plot is full of twists and turns and surprises. Once I started reading The Fire Maker, I couldn’t put it down and I know lots of children who will also love reading this book.

Many thanks to the publisher for sending a review copy of this book. You can see the full review on the Booksfortopics blog.

[Amy (Golden Books Girl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a boy named Alex- who is an aspiring magician- and what happens when he is swept into a magical adventure after a chance encounter with real magic in Mr Olmos` garden. Alex is a brilliant hero- I felt so much sympathy for him and loved how his becoming involved with the ifrit and Mr Olmos impacted him. I also absolutely loved Mr Olmos and Freddie, who are both hilarious in their own ways and add some comic relief to moments that would be super tense otherwise (though they are still totally heart-stopping, fear not!). I also thought there were some amazing reveals and twists throughout this, a lot of which took me totally by surprise and one of which that made me gasp aloud. I need to mention the worldbuilding too, because it was great. The magic relating to the jinn was so unusual and really interesting, plus it was so well explained and exemplified that it felt very plausible that you could encounter it in real life. A funny and exciting fantasy that feels fresh and different. 4.5/5

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant tale of magic, friendship, secrets and lies. Alex is having a tough time and all that’s keeping him going is his magic. His friends are non existent, he’s fallen out with one of his longest term friends and his parents aren’t really there. He finds that magic and one particular magician is about to change his life. Mr Olmos is just brilliant and I loved the exploration of jinn magic.

[Bookish Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute middle grade piece of fantasy with just enough friendship and family thrown in to make it a truly full bodied story. There were some good twists and pieces of character development and all in all, a lovely story for boys and girls alike.

[Emm Woodworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. A pretty fun book with some nice magic worldbuilding. I do think the blurb of the book gives away the twist if you're paying attention. I also thought the lead character, Alex, was a bit of a jerk... but such are tween boys I suppose haha

[Molly Tysle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I cared for the characters and felt quite emotional for the ifrits (jinn), especially for Sally and her bond with Alex. I really liked it.

[Mat Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son suggested I read this while I was quarantining with Covid. Great little book, nice themes and true characters.

[Isaac · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not interested the boy is a nosey Parker 😕🥺

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this with my 2 daughters for our bedtime story, lots of magic and mystery! My girls both loved it.

[Sarah Meng · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is good... that's all