Children's Fiction Fantasy & Magic
The Dirt Eaters
- Publisher
- Annick Press
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2003
- Category
- Fantasy & Magic
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781550378078
- Publish Date
- Sep 2003
- List Price
- $19.95
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781550378061
- Publish Date
- Sep 2003
- List Price
- $12.95
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Out of print
This edition is not currently available in bookstores. Check your local library or search for used copies at Abebooks.
Description
When Roan’s parents and the people of Longlight perish in a raid, Roan is filled with rage. Torn between his desire for revenge and the legacy of peace he has inherited, he is taken in by a sect of warriors. Here he learns he has exceptional talent as a fighter. But Roan is haunted by visions he can’t understand. When he commits his first act of violence, he flees in disgust into the most wasted lands of all, the Devastation. It is only when Roan meets the strange girl Alandra that he begins to understand his life’s purpose and why the village of Longlight was destroyed.
Dennis Foon has created an immensely powerful and disturbing look at a wasted world. Through the character of Roan, hope and the promise of renewed life seem possible.
About the author
Dennis Foon was co-founder of Vancouverâ??s acclaimed Green Thumb Theatre and served as artistic director for twelve years. As a playwright, his body of plays continues to be produced internationally in numerous languages and he has received the British Theatre AWard, two Chalmers Canadian Play Awards, the Jesse Richardson Career Achievement Award, and the International Arts for Young Audiences Award. In 2007 he was made a lifetime member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada for his â??outstanding contribution to Canadian Playwriting and Theatre.â? His play Kindness received the 2009 AATE Distinguished Play Award. His newest play, Scar Tissue, premiered at the Arts Club Theatre.
Heâ??s won a Gemini, two WGC Awards, three Leos, and a Robert W. Wagner Award for his screenplays, which include Little Criminals, White Lies, Torso, and Terry. He is also the co-writer of Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity and A Shine of Rainbows, which won a Leo and received a Genie Nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. He wrote the screenplay for the feature Life Above All, Prix FranÒ«ois Chalais winner at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, 2011 Academy Award Shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film, and a Leo winner for Best Screenplay. His novel Skud (Groundwood Books, 2003) received a BC Book Prize, and his sci-fi/fantasy trilogy, The Longlight Legacy, has been published in five languages.
Editorial Reviews
“This outstanding first title in a trilogy should have readers eagerly anticipating the next installment. Foon lays the foundation for a compelling dystopia novel featuring Roan, a 15-year-old boy thrust into a hero’s journey after his peace-loving village is destroyed ... All in all, an entertaining and promising start.” —School Library Journal, *starred review
“This is a sure-fire seller. The book is full of treachery, betrayal, and lots of plot twists. It has lots of interesting characters ... [and] a pinch of mythology in it, too. I liked this book a lot, and highly recommend it.”—Nine-year-old Jonah for Publishers Lunch
“Despite the book’s rather unappetizing title, I found myself gobbling it up ... To my great surprise, I became engaged with this book ... it is important to note that stylistically, this is a sophisticated novel ... weak readers, therefore, would experience a number of difficulties in following the storyline.” —Resource Links
“Junior and senior fantasy fans will undoubtedly welcome this start to a new series and will wait impatiently for the next two volumes.”—VOYA
“... the pace and energy of The Dirt Eaters also benefits from Foon’sexperience as a playwright, with dialogue both quick and significant.” —Toronto Starn
“Foon’s writing is taut and powerful, and the fast paced, evocative and compelling tale is totally engaging ... Highly recommended.” —CM Reviews
“The plot is as varied as the terrain of the ruined world, and mystical moments are smoothly and plausibly integrated into the action ... Readers with a taste for both fantasy and science fiction will relish this savory mélange.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“An impressive debut for what promises to be an absorbing trilogy.” —Curriculum Connections
