Two Tales of Adventure

Two Tales of Adventure

The Emperor’s Ostrich, by Julie Berry (Roaring Brook Press), begins with a farmgirl looking for her runaway cow, and ends up as a story of growth, adventure and friendship. Tossed in with that set up is a touch of supernatural in the form of ancestor spirits, who...
Knights, Castles, and Dragons, Oh My!

Knights, Castles, and Dragons, Oh My!

Thomas and the Dragon Queen, a lively middle-grade novel, has knights, castles, mighty war horses, princesses and dragons. The reader starts out thinking they know what they are getting from a book with those ingredients, but Crum turns almost every one of those...
Dragons, Chocolate: A Great Combination

Dragons, Chocolate: A Great Combination

After reading Dragon with a Chocolate Heart and The Girl with the Dragon Heart by Stephanie Burgis, I wonder that there aren’t more books that combine chocolate and dragons. That’s a winning and — to my mind — unique combination. Burgis does a great job creating...