My daughter has been going through a dragon phase for the last two years--like most kids do. There's just something about dragons that captures the hearts and minds of middle grade readers. On our last trip to the library, my daughter left with a total of 11 different books, all about dragons.
She received and then devoured the Wings of Fire series for her birthday in June. She LOVED them! Write faster, Tui Sutherland.
Another favorite dragon story is the soon-to-be re-released series from Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell (authors of the Edge Chronicles), Wyrmeweald. My daughter could not put this one down, and I saw very little of my Kindle while she read it.
This is the series my daughter is currently reading and loving. Susan Fletcher is always a sure-fire hit!
No dragon post would be complete without Emily Rodda! She was my oldest son's VERY favorite when he was little and the reason he learned to love reading.
Dragonspell
is the first book in the DragonKeeper Chronicles series. There are 5
total, and I was so disappointed when they ended. This is my favorite
dragon series - no contest. Kale is a wonderful character, one you will
fall in love with immediately. Her dragons are adorable. There are
large dragons in this series, but Kale's are the size of kittens, and
they each have magical properties and personalities.
These
books can usually be found in the Christian fiction section of
bookstores. They have an amazing storyline with a powerful overall
message. But even better than that, THEY ARE AWESOME! Fun, playful,
totally addictive!
There is no shortage of great dragon books out there, and eventually, most MG readers find them -- Dragonbreath, The Dragon in the Sock Drawer, Dragon Rider, Dragon Slippers, and we can't forget Project Mayhem's own Dawn Lairamore's, Ivy's Ever After . . . What is your favorite MG dragon story/series?
I can say with a straight face that I've never read a book about dragons. Ever. I know, there's something wrong with me. Thanks for sharing, Shannon! Now I HAVE to read about dragons.
ReplyDeleteGah! Tracy, You MUST read a few dragon books! You haven't LIVED MG fully until you can say you've read about dragons. :)
DeleteHow To Train Your Dragon is one of my favorites, but I've found a few new ones on your list that I'm going to check out.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's a good one, too! :)
DeleteDragons are so awesome, even non-fiction books about them, like Dragonology, are spectacular!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I didn't mention Dragonolgy!! My daughter checked out a non-fiction children's book called Dragon Legends that is also very good.
DeleteHas she read the Enchanted Forest Chronicles? I think the first one is Dealing with Dragons. I still love dragon books. :)
ReplyDeleteOooo, the Patricia Wrede series! She's seen them, but has not read them yet. Good one, Myrna. :)
DeleteWhen I was younger I aspired to be a writer. My passion for writing has returned to me. As most kids I was in love with the idea of dragons, they have a way of capturing the imagination of not only children, but adults as well. This is a great post. I will be sure to follow more of your posts, as well as reading some of the books listed.
ReplyDeleteOh, you've mentioned a lot of good ones, Shannon! Your daughter might also like to check out MY FATHER'S DRAGON--a little on the young side, but a classic dragon tale!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read many dragon books, but I loved many a movie with dragons, one of my favorite books is "Dragon Rider" by Cornelia Funke. It was the second book by her I'd read after "The Thief Lord." I need to re-read it, first read it when I was 14, which wasn't all that ago from a historian perspective.
ReplyDeleteI know many Funke fanatics didn't like it, but for me, it was easier to get into than Inkheart, sorry Inkheart fans, I will say no more.
What I loved most about Dragon Rider was it avoided a lot of the cliches of dragon lore and was comfortable being its own thing.
I tried to write a dragon story once and it never came together. I blame my inexperience more than the story I attempted to tell. I need to be a better writer than I was at the time to pull it off.
I grew up with Dragon Riders of Pern and loved them! Recently I've read some great YA featuring dragons - namely the Firelight series. I'll have to look up some of these on your list!
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