WEREWOLF VERSUS DRAGON

Nefarious doings call for heroic behavior from a young werewolf and his sparkly fairy sidekick in this easy-reading series kickoff. Resident at the shelter run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts, Ulf makes himself useful by tending to the injured or displaced trolls, phoenixes, “wartolumps,” “biganasties” and other supposedly mythical creatures on the grounds. Trouble arrives with the discovery of a baby dragon’s corpse and the appearance of a mysterious Inspector, who announces that an unknown criminal is setting up a “Ring of Horrors” in which stolen beasts will fight each other to the death. Highlighted by a gory dragon autopsy but hampered by a skimpy set of illustrations, the tale rolls along to an exciting climax and just deserts for all. The Bad Guy turns out to be the fiendish son of the RSPCB’s founder; though carried off by a dragon here, he returns for more evildoing in Book Two, Sea Monsters and Other Delicacies (ISBN: 978-1-4169-8650-2). Fans of Philip Ardagh’s yarns or Cressida Cowell’s dragon tales will happily sink their claws into these. (Fantasy. 9-11)