Three woodland animals take a journey to bring a baby dragon back to his home.
When Twig, a chipmunk, left home with his adopted baby dragon and found a ship-in-a-bottle that could be reassembled outside the bottle (Brambleheart: A Story About Finding Treasure and the Unexpected Magic of Friendship, 2016), he set off bravely for parts unknown. Now Twig, his best friend, Lily (a rabbit), and their enemy-inexplicably-turned-friend, Basil (a weasel), are sailing down a river, trying to bring baby dragon Char back to his home—with no hint where that may be. Fragile Char’s susceptible to hunger and cold; he understands when the animals talk to him, but he doesn’t reply, not even when he revives after eating fish that Lily catches by weaving a net. The adventure goes from river to open ocean to island. They find Char’s family and an old enemy finds them, clarifying (grimly) an emotionally confusing event from Brambleheart. Dangers are all overcome, either with ingenuity and teamwork or with help in the form of a beaver, a sea turtle, or an adult dragon appearing exactly when needed. Cole’s pencil drawings appear on almost every spread, earnest, immediate, and expressive. They help with storytelling, as when readers can discern that a mysterious, ship-blocking wall is a beaver dam several pages before the text says so.
Animal fantasy adventure with a gentle feel. (Fantasy. 6-10)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-224551-9
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
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Drake has been selected by the king to serve as a Dragon Master, quite a change for an 8-year-old farmer boy.
The dragons are a secret, and the reason King Roland has them is a mystery, but what is clear is that the Dragon Stone has identified Drake as one of the rare few children who have a special connection with dragons and the ability to serve as a trainer. Drake’s dragon is a long brown creature with, at first, no particular talents that Drake can identify. He calls the dragon Worm. It isn’t long before Drake begins to realize he has a very strong connection with Worm and can share what seem to be his dragon’s thoughts. After one of the other Dragon Masters decides to illicitly take the dragons outside, disaster strikes. The cave they are passing through collapses, blocking the passageway, and then Worm’s special talent becomes evident. The first of a new series of early chapter books, this entry is sure to attract fans. Brief chapters, large print, lots of action, attractive illustrations in every spread, including a maplike panorama, an enviable protagonist—who wouldn’t want to be a Dragon Master?—all combine to make an entertaining read.
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-64624-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A group of talking farm animals catches wind of the farm owner’s intention to burn the barn (with them in it) for insurance money and hatches a plan to flee.
Bond begins briskly—within the first 10 pages, barn cat Burdock has overheard Dewey Baxter’s nefarious plan, and by Page 17, all of the farm animals have been introduced and Burdock is sharing the terrifying news. Grady, Dewey’s (ever-so-slightly) more principled brother, refuses to go along, but instead of standing his ground, he simply disappears. This leaves the animals to fend for themselves. They do so by relying on their individual strengths and one another. Their talents and personalities match their species, bringing an element of realism to balance the fantasy elements. However, nothing can truly compensate for the bland horror of the premise. Not the growing sense of family among the animals, the serendipitous intervention of an unknown inhabitant of the barn, nor the convenient discovery of an alternate home. Meanwhile, Bond’s black-and-white drawings, justly compared to those of Garth Williams, amplify the sense of dissonance. Charming vignettes and single- and double-page illustrations create a pastoral world into which the threat of large-scale violence comes as a shock.
Ironically, by choosing such a dramatic catalyst, the author weakens the adventure’s impact overall and leaves readers to ponder the awkward coincidences that propel the plot. (Animal fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-33217-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
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