SEARCHING FOR DRAGONS

Sensible princess Cimorene meets sensible king Mendanbar of the Enchanted Forest, and they sensibly decide to get married— but not before each mistakes the other for those greatest of twits, the pompous hero and the simpering princess; they take a bumpy ride on a broken-down magic carpet to rescue Kazul, King of the Dragons; they meet Telemain, a research magician who never uses one word when ten will do; and they defeat the dastardly wizards attempting to suck all the magic from the Enchanted Forest. Then, to the joy of castle steward Willin (a pomp-loving elf), they exchange vows (almost certainly not including ``to obey''). This sequel to revisionist-fabulist Wrede's Dealing with Dragons (1990) is as sprightly as the original. Nothing much happens, but the wry twists are both fun and funny (e.g., Rumpelstiltskin's grandson appears as a beleaguered but sweet nanny to the many children he ends up with when the beneficiaries of his gold-spinning can't guess his name). A refreshing romp. (Fiction. 10+)