Dragon's Egg

January 1, 2008
Gr 4-6-Twelve-year-old Mella is a dragon keeper; she has the gift of soothing and communicating with the domestic dragons that her family keeps for their eggs, which are a popular menu item at their inn. Thinking that wild dragons are things of legend, she and the other residents of her small town are surprised when a knight arrives at the inn seeking signs of just such a beast. She discovers a mysterious object in a cave, which turns out to be the egg of a true dragon (the large, fearsome, and wise kind). When the dragon is mortally wounded by the knight, she promises the creature that she will return the egg to its hatching ground in the distant Dragontooth Mountains. She and Roger, the knight's page (who has a secret of his own), embark on a dangerous quest. A dragon-hating enemy, a difficult journey through the wilderness, and of course the majestic dragons add lots of excitement to this fast-paced adventure. Mella is a likable character who gains the self-confidence and strength needed to keep her word. This book is sure to be popular with fans of Emily Rodda's "Deltora Quest" series (Scholastic) and other dragon fantasies."Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2007
Mella is 12, young to be a dragon keeper, but she is gifted beyond her years at caring for the common dragons that folk in her kingdom cultivate as domestic creatures. A strange visitor comes to her familys inn, a knight defender whose job is to keep the kingdom safe from true dragons, the enormous speaking cousins of Mellas charges, who long ago menaced the kingdom. Through chance circumstance, a dying true dragon gives Mella the task of delivering a dragons egg safely to the Dragontooth Mountains. Young Roger, the defenders squire, joins Mella in her quest. Reminiscent of both McCaffreys Pern books and Alexanders Chronicles of Prydain, this lively adventure will be just the thing for dragon lovers too young for Christopher Paolinis Eragon (2004). Mella and Roger are sympathetic, distinctive characters, and Thomsons richly descriptive writing creates a fantasy world readers will want to revisit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)