THE DRAGON AND THE GIRL

The fates of a girl and a dragon intertwine in this middle-grade fantasy.

In the kingdom of Morganshire, 12-year-old Eliana Fallond longs for adventure while helping her family tend the farm. She’s the dependable child between her sister, 14-year-old Alethia, and their 7-year-old twin brothers, Sage and Rowan. As Eliana feeds the chickens one morning, she spies a “flash of vivid turquoise” in the nearby forest. When she enters the dense wood, she encounters a dragon “about as big as a draft horse.” Drawn by his beautiful colors and shy nature, she touches one of the creatures who she’d been taught were hunted to extinction. In doing so, she understands his rumbling speech. Winston is his name, and he’s a young dragon of only “thirty springs.” When Eliana’s mother, Glenna, calls her home, she and Winston agree to meet in the same spot the next day. Meanwhile, at Morgan Castle, someone has stolen the kingdom’s treasure. King Halwyn cannot pay the annual tribute to the Overking of Canting Castle. Counselor Margred suggests that Halwyn use a dragon to locate the missing treasure, as it’s the beasts’ “special talent.” And so Doryu the Dragon Speaker must once more lend his gift to the kingdom to find one of the rare, grand creatures. In this series opener, Evans parcels out the drama among her cast in perfect measure. Winston isn’t merely a fantastic beast to enable Eliana’s growth, but a creature with yearnings similar to her own. Morganshire’s backstory is epic yet contained, revealing a generational conflict between humans and dragons. Gorgeous prose highlights some sinister aspects of the tale, as when the “long, pale hand” of Margred “emerged with a sigh from her silken midnight blue robes and swept like a white moth in an arc.” Alethia’s mentor, Bedwyr, is a master mapmaker, and his enthusiasm for his work will enchant young readers. One key depiction is that of Halwyn’s father, Chares, who aged prematurely because he “suffered from the hatred that burned inside him.” As the narrative’s mystery wraps up, the characters are on excellent footing to face greater dangers in subsequent volumes.

A charming, smartly crafted fantasy world that readers will want to linger in.