Tears of the Salamander

By Peter Dickinson

Alfredo, a choir boy in 18th-century Italy, loses his family in a fire, and his mysterious Uncle Giorgio spirits him away to their ancestral home below a volcano. There he learns that Uncle Giorgio is the Master of the Mountain; he can control the volcano. He is also an alchemist, able to make gold from the tears of the fiery salamander he captured from the heart of the mountain. Alfredo is his heir, the next Master; and as Alfredo learns the history of his family and its power, he begins to suspect that his uncle is actually a fearsome sorcerer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: May 14, 2009
• ISBN: 9780307547934

Peter Dickinson

Peter Dickinson is one of the most acclaimed and respected writers of our time and has won nearly every major literary award for his children's novels. THE KIN, his first book for Macmillan, was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 1999, as was THE ROPEMAKER in 2001. Peter is currently writing the sequel to THE ROPEMAKER, due October 2006. His most recent book for Macmillan, THE GIFT BOAT, was described by Books for Keeps as 'a masterpiece, gripping, the work of a major writer at his very best.' Peter was one of the three shortlisted candidates for the first Children's Laureate. He lives in Hampshire.

Reviews for Tears of the Salamander

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oh, gorgeous. Alfredo, who only wants to sing and to tend the ovens in his family's bakery, has his life upended - and then again. And again. He's suddenly orphaned, then taken by his uncle (who he's seen possibly twice in his life before) to Etna - where he finds his family has a long history of power over the mountain and the salamanders that live within its fire. The more he learns about his uncle's lifestyle, the less he likes it - and when he finally figures out his uncle's plans for him, he's pushed into action. I love the actions he does take - not seizing power for himself, but undoing his uncle's evil (and in the process, undoing his uncle - fair enough). It has Dickinson's usual rich characters and complex plot - it's not particularly obscure, but the motivations are not obvious either. Great story.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dickinson has an amazing imagination. I'm thinking this is pretty intense for children, and so I disagree with my library for not putting it on the YA shelf despite how short it is (putting it instead in juvenile, which is usually browsed by 6-10 year olds). It's also richer than the somewhat simple storyline might make you imagine - it's deeper and more resonant, which I hope you'll see when you read it carefully for yourself.

[satyridae · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Formulaic and predictable, though well-written. A young man comes into his magical heritage, smites evildoers, & grows up. I'm not sure why he didn't rescue a princess, but perhaps there's going to be a sequel.