The first time Minton the salamander saw Hector, he was shooting out of a volcano! 
Hector is the hottest boy who ever lived.
Inside he burned like a bonfire.
When he sighed, the grass turned brown.
He lives near a volcano, with Minton for a pet. He eats mangoes and pineapples and there’s nobody to tell him when to go to bed! But he is very lonely.
One day there is a terrible storm and Hector and Minton are swept out to sea, still clinging to a tree. They drift until they arrive in a country of Vikings and freezing weather. The Vikings are afraid of Hector’s unusual heat (and red hair!), and start to blame him for the bad luck they have. Hector has to find a way to reach out to them so he can make a new home for himself.
The Hottest Boy Who Ever Lived is illustrated by Kim Gamble (Anna Fienberg and Kim Gamble work together on the Tashi books). The illustrations really help you to imagine how Hector feels as you read the story of his journey. (My favourite illustration is one of Hector holding a child who fell into the ice – you can see that he really cares, and just looking at it makes you feel warm!)
This is a good winter read!
The Hottest Boy Who Ever Lived, by Anna Fienberg, illustrated by Kim Gamble, Allen & Unwin, 2009 (first published 1993)
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