Purportedly the first in a trilogy; the next is eagerly awaited.
Many adolescent girls will see themselves in protagonist Jules, a petulant 14-year-old who resents her twin brother Dari and longs to show everyone just how special she is.
Unlike other girls her age, though, Jules has bursts of rage that often manifest in various things around her catching fire. Dari is a quiet sort who fares better in the company of animals. Jules longs to hone their skills at a famed university of wizardry, but when one of them fails the admissions test, both twins find themselves relegated to accompanying Mom to the school where she teaches. There, they meet Lance, a sleepy-eyed runt dragon who's failed an important test of his own, now sentenced to apprenticeship by a disapproving father. Lance is beaten down by his "runt luck" and decides to hide his dragon nature in order to avoid further shaming himself and his kind. At first, Jules is wary of the little creature, suspecting him of being a bit of a prankster, but after warming to him, they embark on a fantastical adventure. Hill's irritable heroine is wonderfully rendered, and he effectively uses her disagreeable temperament against her, leading both Lance and herself to change as they learn to trust one another and work together to impede a kidnapping and ruin a plan by nefarious dragons–making papa dragon proud in the process.
Purportedly the first in a trilogy; the next is eagerly awaited. (YA)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2004
ISBN: 1-890611-37-9
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Purportedly the first in a trilogy; the next is eagerly awaited.
Many adolescent girls will see themselves in protagonist Jules, a petulant 14-year-old who resents her twin brother Dari and longs to show everyone just how special she is.
Unlike other girls her age, though, Jules has bursts of rage that often manifest in various things around her catching fire. Dari is a quiet sort who fares better in the company of animals. Jules longs to hone their skills at a famed university of wizardry, but when one of them fails the admissions test, both twins find themselves relegated to accompanying Mom to the school where she teaches. There, they meet Lance, a sleepy-eyed runt dragon who's failed an important test of his own, now sentenced to apprenticeship by a disapproving father. Lance is beaten down by his "runt luck" and decides to hide his dragon nature in order to avoid further shaming himself and his kind. At first, Jules is wary of the little creature, suspecting him of being a bit of a prankster, but after warming to him, they embark on a fantastical adventure. Hill's irritable heroine is wonderfully rendered, and he effectively uses her disagreeable temperament against her, leading both Lance and herself to change as they learn to trust one another and work together to impede a kidnapping and ruin a plan by nefarious dragons–making papa dragon proud in the process.
Purportedly the first in a trilogy; the next is eagerly awaited. (YA)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2004
ISBN: 1-890611-37-9
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An amusing adventure story with a few flaws but great empathy for kids’ feelings.
A boy with problems gains a helpful green dragon friend in this debut middle-grade novel.
Narrator Domingo “Ding” Diaz, 11, of South Los Angeles is finding life difficult lately. He wants to stay away from trouble but a gang is pressuring him to join its ranks; he’s been getting into fights; and his schoolwork has suffered. Far worse than any of this, Ding’s mother died and the boy blames himself. Running heedlessly away from a doctor’s appointment, Ding is hit by a bus—and finds himself in a strange world. He’s been saved from annihilation by a small, raspy-voiced dragon called Green Flash, who welcomes Ding to “Dragon Central,” a planet in a parallel universe. But Ding might be stuck there forever unless he can get back to the Gateway Tree, which he ran from against Flash’s advice. Now the tree, Ding’s only ticket home, is being guarded by a dangerous dragon. Also perilous are the cannibalistic humanoid Droods. Ding and Flash journey in search of a way home and meet Dunya, a girl from a tribe of ancient Sumerians. Complications arise when a dragon hatchling mistakenly imprints on Dunya—infuriating the creature’s actual mother. To return home, Ding must use his wits while also working through guilt and grief over his mother’s death. In his book, retired pediatrician Briley uses his background to bring a good deal of sympathy and understanding to Ding’s burdens. The boy very much wants to be cool and tough, but covers it up with bravado: “No one and nothing dings Ding,” he yells—while running away. The pace is a bit slow, and the humor can be heavy-handed, as when Flash can’t explain the phrase “in a nutshell” in a nutshell, or when Ding and Flash exchange needling banter. Dunya begs them to “stop carping at each other,” a sentiment that readers may agree with. Debut illustrator Durand brings characters and settings alive with his well-drafted, black-and-white drawings.
An amusing adventure story with a few flaws but great empathy for kids’ feelings.Pub Date: Nov. 20, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-63490-896-2
Page Count: 206
Publisher: Booklocker.com, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Dec. 9, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
