Dragon Rider

This summer, part of my reading time was devoted to reading through children's and young adult's fiction that I hadn't previously read, to get an idea of some of the more recent books that we had in the school library.

Just in case I was helping a child find a book, I wanted to actually have read the book in question that might be recommended.  I figured the fastest way to lose credibility with a kid was to have no idea what I was talking about with the books.  So I'm making the extra effort to try and read (or know that I already have read in a lot of cases) just about every fiction book in the library.

It's a dauntingly large task, but will serve me well in the long run, I think.

Plus, it's been so long since I've read some of the classics of children's literature, that I wanted to go back and re-read a few of those as well.  (Or perhaps it is just my excuse to re-read Wrinkle in Time and Little House on the Prairie.  As if I needed an excuse.  LOL)

One of my favorites has been Cornelia Funke's Dragon Rider. It is a superbly crafted story about a silvery dragon named Firedrake, his furry cat-looking brownie friend named Sorrel, a young orphan boy named Ben, and their adventures along the way on a quest that is a race against the humans threatening a dragon settlement, a number of mystical beings and an evil entity named Goldeneye.

I absolutely loved the book.  And I loved that the characters were drawn as real, imperfections and doubts and all, and not just as perfect cardboard stand-ins that you often find in children's books.  Really well done on the character development.

Moreover, I loved that the main characters learn to work together, and that they recognize and are profoundly grateful for the help they receive along the way.  There is a lot of serendipity woven into the tale, but that's also how it weaves itself into our day to day lives -- learning to recognize it and be grateful is one of the things that makes life bearable, I think, on our bleaker days.


This is going to be a highly recommended read for the 4th through 6th grade readers.  Although I have to say that our daughter, who is a voraciously reading 3rd grader, has begun devouring this with relish once she finally pried it out of momma's hands, so precocious readers who love fantasy may be ready for it earlier as well.

Here is another review of the book.  And here is some background on Cornelia Funke.

I have yet to read her Inkheart series, but I hear that it is fab (and comes highly, highly recommended from one of my nieces in Arizona, too).  Next up from her will likely be The Thief Lord because we have that one in the library.

I regret that I cannot devour all the good books at once, but one does what one can.  If folks have suggestions on what I should read next, or what really ought to be in an elementary school library, I'd love them.  Am always looking for that next great book to share...