THE DRAGON AND THE GIRL

In Evans’ middle-grade fantasy novel, a tween and her friends hope to show their dragon-fearing world that the scaled, feathered beasts are no danger.

Twelve-year-old Eliana Fallond only just learned that she’s a rare Dragon Speaker. She has befriended Winston, a dragon who, along with his parents, stays hidden from humans. But some people in the medieval-like kingdom of Southern Land have seen the dragons, refuting the conventional wisdom that the creatures are extinct. Now Eliana and others, including her Dragon Speaker mentor, Doryu, want to take Winston and his parents to Denross, the Overking of the Southern Land; if they can prove to the king that the dragons are benevolent, humans surely won’t see them as a threat. Meanwhile, at the Overking’s castle, a 13-year-old Shadow runs into a few suspicious individuals who each crave a mysterious item, from an old parchment to a glowing orb. It seems something nefarious is afoot, and Winston, upon reaching the castle, is unnerved by the possible sighting of a villain everyone believed was long gone. Taking place about a week after the events of the previous book in the series—True North: The Dragon and the Girl, Book 1 (2021)—the author’s second installment hits the ground running. Evans skillfully mingles returning characters with new faces, including Shadow, whose self-imposed name befits her nature of avoiding attention. The story keeps the huge cast in check with quick, helpful reminders of names and titles. Most of these characters are good company; bighearted Eliana, for example, simply wants others to see how virtuous and downright lovable Winston is. Even the villains, at least for a time, are more ambiguous than explicitly malicious. Throughout, the pithy prose packs details into breezy, memorable passages: “...beside him was a short, frazzled-looking man with a slightly tarnished crown perched askew on his fluffy gray hair.”

A feel-good, enthralling fantasy that adults and children alike will savor.