Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Dragon Rider
Fiction
For ages 9 and up
Scholastic, 2011 ISBN: 978-0545316484
When Firedrake the dragon and Sorrel, his young brownie friend, set out seeking a safe heaven for their dragon friends, they have no way of knowing that their journey is going to take them to the Himalaya mountains, thousands and thousands of miles away from their home . On their quest they meet, joined and even aided by by an unlikely cast of characters.
There is Ben, a human boy who has no home or family and who joins Firedrake and Sorrel on their journey. Soon Twigleg, a very small "manikin," becomes one of their party. The group soon realizes that they have a very fearsome enemy pursuing them, a golden dragon called Nettlebrand who seeks to fight and destroy every living dragon who remains on earth. They must find the last remaining refuge of the dragons and yet at the same time they must not lead the golden dragon to it. Squabbling, developing odd friendships, and making remarkable discoveries which link them to a wonderful past, the adventurers make their way across the world.
Throughout this book there are wonderfully rich and complex characters whose personalities practically burst off the pages. With an extraordinary collection of creatures, humans, and animals popping in and out of the story, this is a tale that will delight and enthrall its readers. Cornelia Funke has created a masterpiece that is hard to put down and we come to appreciate that our lives would indeed be very dull if we did not have fantastical and mythical creatures to read and talk about.
