Tag: dragons

Posted in Animal Fiction, Early Reader, Fantasy, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Storybook Knight: Great messages on many levels!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

storybookThe Storybook Knight, by Helen Docherty/Illustrated by Thomas Docherty (Oct. 2016, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $16.99, ISBN: 978-1-4926-3814-8

Recommended for ages 4-8

Bookish Leo would love to sit and read all day, but his parents insist that he must fight – he’s a knight, after all. Saddling up his horse, Ned, with books and sandwiches, Leo heads out into the world to find a dragon in need of taming, and encounters a host of other storybook beasts, all of whom learn that sometimes, a good story is the best diversion of all!

The Storybook Knight is written and illustrated by the same duo that gave us The Snatchabook, now an award-winnign storytime standard. Kids will love the rhyming text and fantastic story of a gentle knight who finds a less violent way to bring peace to a nearby village. There’s a sense of excitement as Leo embarks on his quest, where he proves, time and again, that a good book can remedy most ills. It’s a gentle story that makes for a great bedtime, storytime, or anytime story.

Thomas Docherty’s acrylic inks and watercolors, on hot pressed watercolor paper, provide a real fairy tale look and feel to the artwork, with pastoral scenes and fantastic creatures. I love his griffin (even if he is a bit vain), and the dragon is big, orange-red giant with a heck of a temper. When Leo finally arrives at his destination, he discovers a huge mess, with dragon poop-lined streets that will get the kids giggling even as they cringe at the stinky destruction wrought by the fiery brute. Mr. Docherty has a gift for wonderful facial expressions – we see the grouchy dragon soften immediately, once Leo threatens to toss a book with lots of dragons into the trash unless he cleans up his act. The griffin and troll each start out fierce, but turn into smiling, even preening, gentlemen once presented with a book starring someone like them.

And that’s the final gift that Storybook Knight gives us: it shows readers how wonderful it is to find yourself represented in a book. In its own way, The Storybook Knight is a fantasy championing of the need for diversity in children’s lit. Read this book with your fantasy books – maybe Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great or If I Had a Gryphon – and display books for your community nearby, so kids can find pictures of families that look just like theirs.

Great addition to storytime collections!

Helen Docherty’s author website includes free, downloadable resources that work with many of her books. You can also learn more about school visits and author talks, and find more information about her books.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, mythology, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Zaria Fierce returns in the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Shoes!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

zariaprologue-360x570Zaria Fierce and the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Shoes, by Keira Gillett, (Jul. 2016, Keira Gillet Books), $14.99, ISBN: TK

Recommended for ages 10-13

Keira Gillet’s Zaria Fierce trilogy comes to a huge conclusion with the final book in her adventure, Zaria Fierce and the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Shoes. Picking up where Zaria Fierce and the Enchanted Drakeland Sword left off, Zaria and her friends need to rescue the Stag King’s son, Hart, stop Koll and his fellow dragons, and save Zaria’s birth mother, Queen Helena. No pressure, Zaria.

Zaria also feels the crushing weight of these responsibilities – and the part she played in them, when tricked by the dragon, Koll – and it’s taking its toll on her. Thankfully, her friends aren’t going to let her confidence flag; they’re there for an adventure, and they’re not going to let anyone, be it a dragon that personifies fear, or a fierce water-wyvern, stop them.

That’s the great thing about the Zaria Fierce trilogy: adventure is fast, furious, and loaded with Norse mythology, but the friendship between Zaria and her group of friends is the heart that drives this story. They won’t give up on Zaria, even when she’s ready to give up on herself; in turn, she will do anything to keep her friends safe. Even fight a dragon.

There are so many wonderful moments in this book, but to start talking about them would lead to spoilers. Suffice to say that Keira Gillett takes us on a hero’s journey, in the guise of a young girl whose entire life is upended one morning as she crosses a bridge to get to school. Zaria Fierce and the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Shoes brings us to the end of one story, and a wish to return to this universe soon.

Recommended for middle grade collections where fantasy is popular. I’d book talk this with other hero’s journey tales like CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia and Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson/Magnus Chase series; they’ll have a firmer frame of reference when you present the series with these popular fantasy tales. Talk up Zaria as a strong female character who overcomes her fears and self-doubts to outwit monsters, and save herself and her friends!

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Humor, Preschool Reads

There’s a Sword in the Stove! But who left it there?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

sword1The Sword in the Stove, by Frank W. Dormer (May 2016, Atheneum Books for Young Readers), $17.99, ISBN: 9781481431675

Recommended for ages 4-8

Harold the Knight runs off to the bathroom as his buddy heads to the kitchen for some dinner. He peeks into the stove, only to find – HOLY HADDOCK! There’s a sword in the stove! Who would put a sword in the stove? The knight and the chef run through questions and scenarios as they uncover more armor hidden in the stove, leading up to an answer that is as hilarious as it is morbid. This lends itself to a wonderfully loud screwball storytime with knights, dragons, and cookery. Bonus points for introducing kids to words like “rapscallion” and phrases like “Holy Haddock!” and “Wobbling Wizards!”

Watercolor cartoony art and a nice large font, with illuminated manuscript-type emphasis on the first letter in each exclamation makes this a fun read-aloud for readers and audiences alike. Make it silly, make it fun!

Frank W. Dormer has an author website where you can take a look at more of his art, check out his Tumblr, and get in touch. Take a look at some more of the art from The Sword in the Stove, below.

 

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Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Tween Reads

Dragons vs. Drones: D&D fantasy meets today’s tech

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

dragons vs dronesDragons vs. Drones, by Wesley King (Mar. 2016, Razorbill), $16.99, ISBN: 9781595147974

Recommended for ages 9-12

In a land called Dracone, Dree labors away as a welder. Her family was once nobility; her father, a dragon rider, until their fortunes reversed. Now, dragon riders are considered traitors, dragons hunted for their fangs and scales, and Dree’s father spends his day as a shadow of the man he once was while Dree and her mother work to scrape together a living for their family.

In our world, Marcus, the son of a CIA analyst who disappeared when he was only 4 is desperate to find out what happened to his father. He’s told by the government that his father was a traitor; his mother died when he was a baby. Raised by his father’s best friend – who seems to know more than he’s letting on – Marcus has been studying weather patterns that may lead to some answers. The only problem is, he’s being watched by government drones.

When Marcus breaks a code that sends him into an alternate world, he meets Dree and discovers a world like nothing he’s ever known. But the drones have followed him and are wreaking havoc on the Draconian citizens. Can Dree and Marcus forge a peace between humans and dragons to save themselves from an evil plan to destroy the land?

Dragons vs. Drones is a fantasy novel that’s part fantasy and part tech/sci-fi thriller. It’s been called “Eragon meets Transformers”, which is a pretty accurate description. We’ve got dragons, and we’ve got codebreaking. STEM fans, there is some pretty intense discussions of welding/metalworking and coding/hacking here, so it’s a good book to give the kids in your life who love to play around at the computer, fool around with their own Raspberry Pi, and dream about dragons, swords and magic. Magic and science co-exist here, broadening the audience, and there are both male and female main characters, for anyone who still flinches at “boy books” vs. “girl books” (I’ve got a few in my library).  There’s quite a bit of world-building on both worlds, and the ending provides a promise for a sequel.

Some timely topics to discuss in a group setting include government surveillance, deforestation for industrial progress, and ethics of hunting/endangered species.

A good addition to science fiction and fantasy collections.

Posted in Animal Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Intermediate

The Dragonsitter is adorable fantasy for young readers!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

dragonsitterThe Dragonsitter, by Josh Lacey/Illustrated by Gary Parsons (Sept. 2015, Little, Brown), $15, ISBN: 978-0316298964

Recommended for ages 6-10

Eddie’s got a huge problem. He and his mother agreed to watch Uncle Morton’s pet dragon, Ziggy, while he was away, but the dragon is causing all problems – the curtains are on fire, the neighbor’s cats are under attack, and let’s not even talk about the poop. Eddie’s trying to get in touch with Uncle Morton to find out what to do, but he’s not hearing back – and Eddie’s mom is getting fed up! Will Uncle Morton have any advice that can save the day? Will he even get in touch with Eddie?

Told via e-mails (mostly Eddie’s), The Dragonsitter is an adorable beginning chapter book for readers ready to graduate from easy readers. It’s a sweet introduction to fantasy, with a churlish pet dragon and a hapless young petsitter who’s doing his best. The tone of the e-mails goes from nervous to frustrated to exasperated, with more and more laughs as the story progresses, and the black and white illustrations by Gary Parsons add even more humor to the story. We get steaming piles of dragon poop, angry mom holding up receipts for the damage Ziggy’s causing, and profile photos on the emails flying back and forth that tell a lot more of the story.

The Dragonsitter is the first in the Josh Lacey’s Dragonsitter series. You can check out Josh Lacey’s author page for information about the other books in the series, including a sixth one that will come out in 2016!

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Are you prepared to be Fablehaven’s newest Caretaker?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

caretakersguideThe Caretaker’s Guide to Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull (Oct. 2015, Shadow Mountain Publishing), $24.99, ISBN: 9781629720913

Recommended for ages 8-12

Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series is one of those series I can’t keep on the shelves. My middle graders love these books; they’re constantly checked out. When I mentioned to a few of my regulars that there’s going to be a new Fablehaven series coming out next year, there was chaos, especially when I had to explain that no, I couldn’t put the books on reserve for them now.

But I can get them this newest book that links the new Fablehaven series with the existing: The Caretaker’s Guide to Fablehaven is an exhaustive, beautiful book that offers pictures and descriptions of every artifact, creature, demon, dragon, location, and wizard in Fablehaven, as well as details on other magical preserves. Quotes from Fablehaven characters, particularly Grandpa Sorensen, and a comprehensive index rounds out this must-have for series fans.

If the kiddos in your life or library haven’t discovered Fablehaven yet, no worries: this book is a perfect companion for newcomers to the series, who could use a guide to flip through and refer to places and creatures he or she discovers along the way. The guide is comprehensive and includes clues to artifacts and creatures they’ll discover in the new Fablehaven series, Dragonwatch – and since the book isn’t due out until Fall 2016, it serves as a sweet tease to get readers excited about the book. (Reader’s Advisory tip: steer them toward Brandon Mull’s Spirit Animals series in the meantime.)

I enjoyed the Caretaker’s Guide – I’m a fan of these resources, because it makes introducing the series easier on newbies, who may be a little cowed by starting an established series like Fablehaven. The bite-sized descriptions and illustrations are perfect for quick look-ups, or getting someone acquainted with the world they’re about to enter.

There’s a great Fablehaven Preserve online, offering games and downloads for visitors. Brandon Mull’s author page also has a great Educators/Parents section with videos, educator guides, and book recommendations from Mr. Mull.

Introduce your fantasy lovers to this series! Shadow Mountain prides themselves on exciting, positive content that will appeal to your fantasy fans and keep your more conservative parents happy. I’ve been really happy with the books I’ve read coming out of Shadow Mountain thus far.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Mysteries of Cove, Book 1: Fires of Invention – a new sci-fi/steampunk adventure for middle graders!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

coveMysteries of Cove, Book 1: Fires of Invention, by J. Scott Savage (Sept. 2015, Shadow Mountain Publishing), $17.99, ISBN: 978-1629720920

Recommended for ages 10-14

Steampunk meets dragons in this new sci-fi series from author J. Scott Savage! Trenton is a young teen living in the city of Cove – a city created over a century before by a civilization fleeing environmental destruction. He’s got a knack for anything mechanical, but in the city of Cove, technology, creativity, and inventing are against the law. In fact, to call someone an inventor is akin to being cursed with the worst of slurs. Kallista Babbage is also a teen living in Cove. The daughter of a notorious inventor, Leo Babbage, who died in an explosion caused by his own creativity, has been scapegoated by Cove leadership as proof of the dangers of technology and forward thinking.

Trenton discovers strange pieces of tools hidden in Cove, which leads him to Kallista. Could these tools be part of a secret message to Kallista from her father? Working together, Trenton and Kallista follow the clues Babbage left behind; on the way, they uncover all of Cove’s secrets. But will the leaders of Cove allow them to share what they’ve learned, or imprison them for retraining?

The Cove series reminds me very much of the City of Ember series in that it involves a teen boy and girl, living in a hidden city because of an environmental cataclysm, and discovering the truth about the city’s history. The sci-fi twist that we get in the last third of the book is a pleasant surprise and will perk readers up as they head into the first book’s conclusion. There’s a lot of storytelling here, with in-depth character development, and plenty of action and adventure.

I’d include this book in a maker collection to spur imaginations and – GASP – creativity!

J. Scott Savage is the author of the hugely popular Case File 13 series. You can follow him on Twitter @jscottsavage, or visit his author site to check out his blog and learn more about author visits.

Salt Lake City readers, want a shot at being in the book trailer? Details are on the Shadow Mountain Facebook page! They’ll be shooting the Fires of Invention trailer on Thursday, July 2nd, in Salt Lake City, and you and a friend can enter to win spots as extras! Like and Share the Shadow Mountain Facebook post, and check out the rules. Open only to US residents. Not affiliated with Facebook or MomReadIt. The trailer will be shown at SLC Comic Con and will be a lot of fun to make!

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Dreamwalker: Red Dragon Academy, Book One – a new fantasy series for middle graders!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

dreamwalkerRed Dragon Academy, Book 1: Dreamwalker, by Rhys Bowen and C.M. Broyles (2014, Red Dragon Press) $10.97, ISBN: 978-150-31025-7

Recommended for ages 10-14

Addison’s mom has just died, leaving her in the care of her workaholic aunt, who sends her to boarding school in Wales. But the Red Dragon Academy isn’t a “normal” boarding school, and more and more, Addison realizes that she and her fellow students aren’t run of the mill students. She’s having strange dreams – she rode a dragon! – and she’s discovered some crazy hallways and mirrors in the school. The teachers seem to know what’s really going on, but aren’t very forthcoming. What is Red Dragon Academy? And what secrets do they know about Addy and her friends?

This is a new fantasy series from an indie publisher, by a mother-daughter duo. There’s some great Welsh mythology woven into the story, and a series of mysteries that reveal themselves just enough as the story proceeds. Yes, this is a magic school. No, it’s not that magic school. This is a storyline that stands on its own, with its own mythos and antagonists. I’m looking forward to seeing what else the authors give us.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate, Middle Grade

Give The Magical Animal Adoption Agency a home on your shelves!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

cover53711-mediumThe Magical Animal Adoption Agency: Clover’s Luck, by Kallie George (Feb. 2015, Disney Book Group), $14.99, ISBN: 9781423183822

Recommended for ages 8-12

Clover feels decidedly unlucky, despite her name. One day, walking through the woods, she comes across a cottage in the woods – it’s an animal adoption agency! It’s not just any adoption agency, either – it’s a magical animal adoption agency, and Clover manages to convince the owner to let her work there as an assistant this summer. When the owner has to leave unexpectedly, Clover’s in charge – and finds herself faced with a very strange customer. Can Clover make sure the animals are safe, and manage to find some of them good homes?

This book is perfect for kids just stepping into chapter books. Aside from being one of the sweetest books I’ve read lately, The Magical Animal Adoption Agency is fun. Where else can you find out about the care and feeding of unicorns and baby dragons? The story is well-paced, sets up what promises to be a fun series, and has enough drama to get readers’ attention, without dipping into bleaker territory.  Add Alexandra Bolger’s adorable artwork, and you have a fully engaging story.

I’m looking forward to seeing what other magical animals come through the doors of the Magical Animal Adoption Agency. In the meantime, this one will be a fun addition on my Intermediate shelf.

There’s a great Magical Animal Adoption Agency website, where you can submit a wish for a magical pet of your own, draw pictures of your magical pet – or print out Lost! posters, if you should misplace yours, and even adopt a magical pet of your own. Send your stories and artwork in – the site publishes contributions!

Posted in Fantasy, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Frostborn – Family Intrigue, Frost Giants, and Dragons!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

frostbornFrostborn, by Lou Anders, (Aug. 2014, Random House Children’s). $16.99, ISBN: 978-0385387781

Recommended for ages 10-13

Take one firstborn son, heir to a large, multi-generational family farm. Add one half frost giant-half human girl, whose mother’s past is shrouded in mystery. Place in a backdrop of a Norse mythological world, and add dragons, and you have the potential for a fantastic adventure. This is the world of Lou Anders’ Frostborn.

Karn is the son of a landowner, expected to take over the family farm one day. He’d rather just play Thrones and Bones, a board game of strategy. Thianna is a half-human frost giant, an outcast of sorts, never quite belonging to their world; her human mother’s origins lay wreathed in mystery. When the frost giants and the humans in Karn’s father’s tribe gather for their annual trading meeting, Karn’s traitorous uncle sets plans into motion that send Karn and Thianna on the run for their lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; fans of mythology-based fantasy will, too. Anders is a Hugo Award-winning editor; this is his first book, and kicks off a promising fantasy series that will appeal to boys and girls alike. I love that Karn is a “gamer” – and so are other characters in the book, which will appeal to gamer boys and girls out there, who try to explain to their disapproving parents that games help sharpen their mental acuity. The characters have rich backgrounds, with the promise of more to be revealed in future books, and Anders’ description of various terrain is so vivid, I could feel the chill of the frozen land of the frost giants.

If you’ve got middle graders looking for a fantasy series along the lines of Kelley Armstrong’s Blackwell Pages, this is a great place to steer them. The book hits stores today – go get your copy!