City of Fire by Laurence Yep is an exciting, adventurous read for children ages nine and up. Set in the 1940’s, our heroes journey across the Pacific ocean from San Francisco to the Hawaiian Islands meeting shapeshifters, dragons and even the ancient goddess Pele who has disguised herself as a vagabond, but controls the land and the sea through her mystical enchantments.

Magic is part of this fantastical world and our hero, twelve-year old Scirye, will come face to face with evil and her own abilities to overcome it. She will find friendship in a young boy, Leech, who she first mistrusts, but then comes to understand that he is also on a journey of self-discovery. Leech must find out about his own mysterious past and make the decision to do good or evil.

Gaining the trust of her traveling companions, Scirye, sets out to avenge the death of her sister caused by the evil dragon Badik and the powerfully evil Mr. Roland. Each of her companions have their own personal journey in finding the powers within them that will help them stop the diabolical Mr. Roland from stealing the Five Lost Treasures of Emperor Yu and giving him ultimate power over the world.