In The Firework-Maker's Daughter, young Lila has learned from her father almost all there is to know about his profession-but he insists upon holding back the final secret. With the help of her friend Chulak, Lila discovers that anyone who wants to be a true firework-maker must face down the Fire-Fiend of Mount Merapi. It is only after Lila has set off on her quest that Chulak discovers the other half of the secret-and without it, Lila will perish. In the company of Hamlet, a talking white elephant, Chulak sets off to find Lila before it's too late. Clockwork features an apprentice clockmaker who is tempted to sell his soul. As the townspeople of Glockenheim gather on the eve of the annual unveiling of a new figure for the town clock, Karl, the apprentice, confides to Fritz, a storyteller, that he has failed his task to create one. Fritz, in his turn, has no idea how to finish the new story he has begun concocting, which he calls "Clockwork." He begins to tell it anyway, only to see its dangerous antagonist materialize in front of the two boys and offer Karl a Faustian pact. Real life and storytelling merge, and destruction must be narrowly averted, in this unusual and suspenseful tale of the power of creativity.
