Dandelion Fire

Dandelion Fire: Book 2
of the 100 Cupboards
by N.D. Wilson

DANDELION FIRE by

Category:

Horror

Age Recommendation:

Grades 6+

Release Date: 2/24/09

Publisher: Random House

Reviewed by:

Rating:

5 Stars

Only a couple of weeks have passed since Henry York and his cousin, Henrietta, had their adventure in the

mysterious cupboards adorning the wall of Henry's attic room.

Since he'd come to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousins in Kansas, Henry discovered the hidden wall of cupboards

accidentally, and learned that each one leads to a different time and place. Built by their grandfather, who listed the

combinations to the different worlds in his journal, the cupboards can only be traveled through via the large cupboard

in Grandfather's room, which had been locked tight until the battle with the witch of Endor.

Henry's aunt and uncle receive a letter from his parent's lawyer saying that Henry must return to Boston in two weeks.

Henry can't stand the thought of going back, especially now that he might have more of a history in one of the

cupboard worlds than he'd ever imagined, and he grows desperate to escape through the door to Badon Hill, which

calls to him in his dreams.

Henrietta, who'd stolen the key to Grandfather's bedroom so that she could explore the cupboards on her own, finally

relents, and she and Henry go behind the barn to retrieve the key. While Henry keeps watch in the growing storm and

Henrietta digs, he spots a curious dandelion that appears to glow. Reaching for it, Henry sees a flash of light and is

knocked unconscious, with only a dandelion shaped burn on his hand to indicate what happened.

After a stranger visits him in his dreams, and he awakens blind, Henry knows that he must escape into the cupboards

to find a better explanation of what's happening to him. Unfortunately, less compassionate forces are already

interested in his growing abilities...

I must admit that I liked this book much better than its forerunner, 100 CUPBOARDS, if only for the fact that I felt

much more involved with the characters and that we find out more about the history of the cupboards. Everything

comes together in this volume, and, taken as a whole, this original concept makes for an interesting, action-filled story

that will keep horror and fantasy lovers on their toes.