The Great Phoenix of London
Galvin’s extraordinary novel about the 1666 Great Fire of London, a boy and a phoenix, has all the hallmarks to become a children’s classic. The author mixes a forensic breakdown of the fire over the four days it raged, destroying much of the city, with an imaginative magical twist.
It begins in 1664 when a comet, a harbinger of doom, streaks over London. A ball of rock lands near nine-year-old Gil in Pudding Lane and is kept by his family. When the fire breaks out, Gil ends up with the rock in his satchel. As he flees smoke-choked streets the ball explodes – revealing the phoenix of myth. The bird bonds with Gil, but a supernatural creature seen at an extraordinary time causes fear amongst ordinary Londoners. Worse, Gil’s mother is French, a xenophobic point against him. He is forced to flee a mob, and a man determined to get his hands on the bird. Who is the man, and can the pair get away?
The book, recommended for 9 to 12-year-olds, features real historical characters including King Charles II and diarist Samuel Pepys, along with the imagined Jennet, a boatman’s daughter who befriends Gil.
Among the many things I loved about this book were the illustrations, including maps showing the fire’s spread each day and descriptions of Guild members descending on St Paul’s cathedral to store belongings in what they hoped was the safety of the stone crypt. Bucket chains were formed to throw water from the Thames onto the fire, and there was frantic digging to uncover the underground Fleet River for another water source. The latter two failed, of course. The ending is emotional and stunning.
