J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic 1938 children’s book, The Hobbit, is well known for the villainous character of Smaug—a fire-breathing dragon who jealously guards a massive treasure. Similar creatures have been a staple of fantasy tales ever since. There are other kids’ books, including Cressida Cowell’s How To Train Your Dragon (2004) and its sequels; YA novels, such as Christopher Paolini’s bestselling Inheritance Cycle; and countless works for adults by such acclaimed authors as Anne McCaffrey and George R.R. Martin. Here are four more dragon tales for a range of audiences, all recommended by Kirkus Indie:
In Katie Weaver’s lively picture book Uh-Oh! My Dragon’s Hungry!, illustrated by Caner Soylu, a young girl gets worried when her pet dragon’s stomach grumbles; when he gets too hungry, he spits fire. It’s up to her to feed him, and she assumes he won’t want food that she doesn’t like, such as casseroles or brussels sprouts. Instead, she proposes wilder and wilder sweets, including “mountains made of pancakes.” However, the girl’s pet dragon prefers somewhat healthier fare. Our reviewer praised Soylu’s “vivid, idiosyncratic” illustrations and how Weaver “wraps this quirky fantasy around a good message for picky eaters.”
The middle-grade fantasy novel The Dragon and the Girl: True North, by Laura Findley Evans, features 12-year-old Eliana Fallond, who meets a young, horse-size dragon in the woods near her farm. She soon finds that she can communicate with the newcomer, whose name is Winston; before long, the pair embark on a quest to find a king’s treasure and Winston’s missing father—a giant dragon named Raiden. It all takes place in “a charming, smartly crafted fantasy world that readers will want to linger in,” says Kirkus’ reviewer.
Blake and Raven Penn’s YA fantasy series starter, Dragon Thief, received a Kirkus star. Its story revolves around teenage Asher’s quest to keep a valuable dragon egg from falling into the hands of the Black Valkyrie—the Mage Hunter who murdered his magic-using mother. The complex worldbuilding features Dragon Wars in the past, a part-dragon people called the Drekai, and, of course, dragons themselves, including Asher’s flying “wyvern and best dragon-friend,” Thorn. Our reviewer called it “an exciting fantasy adventure and a great start to a promising new series.”
In James Turner’s graphic novel Dragon Garage, 20-something archeology student Zach Vandermeer finds an ancient statue at a flea market near the lost city of Erkund. Back home in San Francisco, he incorporates the object into a session of Heroic Journeys, a Dungeons & Dragons–like role-playing game he regularly plays with his friends. Later that same night, he finds that his garage has become a portal to a land called Arthea, a fictional place he and his brother created long ago that features wraiths, goblins, and other fantasy creatures—including dragons. In fact, he almost immediately finds a dragon egg, which hatches later on. In Arthea, Zach and his pals become the powerful heroes they always imagined themselves to be. Kirkus’ reviewer noted that the characters are “delightfully nerdy and bursting with love—love they have for each other and love the author clearly has for them.”
David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.
