Friday, February 12, 2021

Dragon titles! - 2.12.21

 A very popular series with readers is the "Wings of Fire" series.  Kids love reading books with dragons, and I have discovered I don't have too many dragon books.  Once the kids finish "Wings of Fire" (and they've gone through both the prose books and graphic novels), they are at a standstill as what to read next.  Here are some suggestions I have found!

The Coldfire Curse by Jordan Quinn
Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly: The Coldfire Curse
by Jordan Quinn
I'm really excited for this graphic novel series - books one and two just recently published.  It's a novel adaptation (from the UK), but unlike the other books I'm covering this week, the characters are all dragons.  
Here's a post that tells more about the series.

Dragon Mountain, Volume 1 by Katie Tsang
Dragon Mountain
by Katie and Kevin Tsang
The first in a trilogy, this MG is perfect for 3rd-5th grade readers.  A perfect size - only 250ish pages and a trim size book - this book will be well loved by readers who are looking to go on an adventure with a dragon.  Featuring 4 kids and 4 dragons, readers will have a hard time putting this adventure down.  Each of the 4 kids have come to a youth camp in the mountains of China to be surrounded by the culture and language of China.  What they don't realize is they are the 4 perfect hearts to open Dragon Mountain.  After bonding with a dragon, they agree to help protect the human and dragon world from the Great One (dragon) and her army of nox-wings.  Twists and turns keep you reading until the very end and leave you with wanting book to publish NOW (but we have to wait until Sept. 7th, 2021 for Dragon Legend, book 2).  The dragons in this story do have a talking part, despite humans also being characters.  This is a definite add to libraries!

The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao
The Dragon Warrior
by Katie Zhao
This one is based upon Chinese mythology, where dragons are revered and are very important to warriors.  
Faryn is a member of the Jade Society in San Francisco's Chinatown.  She has been trained as a warrior, she just wasn't so sure she would actually have to fight so soon.  Her younger brother and her live with their aging grandfather.  Their mother died very young and their father never returned from a quest.  Faryn and her brother, Alex, are looked upon poorly by other members of the Jade Society because of the family's status.  But when Faryn is shown to be the Heaven Breaker and is deemed to go on a quest to prove her worthiness to the gods, she ends up getting help from unexpected people.
The dragons in this story are minor parts, other than one human who turns into a dragon in certain scenes.  For readers who are looking for stories ABOUT dragons, this one my interest them or it simply might not be enough dragons!  
The story is rich in Chinese culture and mythological gods and was tricky at times to follow.  There is a glossary in the back that gives some help, but other times I was having to research to figure certain people and words out.  The book ends with a cliff hanger and it's exciting enough I am planning on reading book 2.
Hand this one off to readers who like the Rick Riordan books, especially his newer imprint stories that feature mythological stories from other cultures.

Dragon Ops by Mari Mancusi
Dragon Ops
by Mari Mancusi
This book is perfect for gamers and dragon enthusiasts!  Heavier on the gaming side than dragons, but with all of the adventure, this is one exciting ride!  Siblings Lilli and Ian are traveling with their uncle and cousin Derek to an island that is getting ready to open as an immersive experience of their favorite video game.  LIlli and Ian can't wait to get started but Derek, not a gamer, is less than willing.  As soon as they put their goggles on and get in the game, things change.  Derek is taken by a rogue dragon and now Lilli and Ian have a quest that must be completed.  Unable to remove themselves from the game, Derek and Lilli must become actual gamers defeated dragons and other creatures in order to win the game.
This book was nonstop adventure!  They were constantly fighting battles and figuring out their next steps while completing mini-quests.  Gamers will enjoy the little name drops of gaming trivia and I enjoyed the name drops of Disney Parks references! (this series originally published with Disney Hyperion, but has since switched to Little Brown)  Out of all the titles covered in this post, this book is the longest (377 pgs), so will make a good ladder book for Wings of Fire readers.
Book 2 publishes June 8th!


And I'll add one picture book!

Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Kat Zhang
Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon
written by Kat Zhang
illustrated by Charlene Chua
I love the Amy Wu books for the themes and lessons it quietly teaches readers.  In this story, Amy and her friends are invited to create a dragon after reading a variety of dragon books during story time.  Amy's dragon is a little different than her friends' and they question the validity of her dragon.  Some readers may realize Amy drew an eastern-style dragon, one that does not have wings and has a longer body.  Amy and her friends go back to her house and her grandmother tells stories of dragons that are a bit different than the ones that are typically told in the United States.  Amy remembers that she has part of a dragon costume in the attic.  She gets an idea to use the existing costume and add on to the dragon and bring it to school.  Amy's dragon ends up being a mix of eastern and western style dragons.
I love in the backmatter there is additional information about the differences of western and eastern dragons.


This summer I covered these dragon stories.  They are quicker stories, perfect for readers who will be reading the Wings of Fire series in another year or so.

Dragons in a Bag (Dragons in a Bag #1)
by Zetta Elliott

The Dragon Thief (Dragons in a Bag, #2)
by Zetta Elliott

I have not read the Anya and the Dragon series by Sofiya Pasternack or Ellen Oh's The Dragon Egg's Princess yet.  If I should add them to my reading list, let me know!

Hope you found a new book for your dragon readers!

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