DIGORY & THE LOST KING

Propelled from idle layabout to reluctant knight in Digory the Dragon Slayer (2006), the peace-loving lad—who, as the author puts it, is “just a bit older than you”—sets out along with intrepid best friend Princess Enid to recover the suddenly vanished King Widget. Having warned readers that “things don’t always turn out the way you expect,” McAllister trots in a hatchling dragon that imprints on Digory’s ancient plow horse/steed, a second vanished king, an organized mudslinging match between rival teams the Filthy Wenches and the Mucky Maidens and similar quirky elements. This all culminates in a confrontation with another giant dragon even more dangerous than that in the previous episode. Cutting an engaging, though not particularly knightly, figure in Beck’s frequent pen drawings, Digory proves by the end that having a head on one’s shoulders—plus a magic sword—is all a hero really needs. Fine fare for fans of Cressida Crowell’s Viking farces and other Brit-flavored tales of derring-do. (Fantasy. 9-11)