Last month I reviewed the first DRAGON RIDER book. This second installment took more than a decade to arrive and what I found reflecting back on both books is a passionate love of animals, the good in people, and the beauty in our world. The length of this one might scare away some young readers, but the message coming out of the story is one they shouldn’t miss.

Real and mythical creatures take center stage with their human counterparts. Dragon rider Ben is back, along with  a few new characters. An additional twenty plus pages was added as a glossary with descriptions of the people and places in the story.

Adventure seekers will rejoice at having a new addition to their reading list. The worldwide locations from Norway to the Himalayas make the tale an epic one.  But in the end it’s the love between a boy and a dragon. The last pages hinted maybe this story isn’t complete. Let’s hope it doesn’t take as long for the next DRAGON RIDER to be released.

PUBLICATION DATE: 2018   PAGE COUNT: 432

THE PLOT

It’s now been two years since Ben and Firedrake defeated Nettlebrand and rescued the silver dragons. Both boy and dragon have finally found homes, but they must live hundreds of miles apart and can only see each other every once in a while. During one such visit, news reaches Ben, the Greenblooms, and their friends that the last Pegasus in the world has been discovered. The legendary horse has three unhatched eggs with him, but the only way they’ll ever hatch — and continue the survival of this incredible magical species — is to place them under a griffin’s feather. But griffins are the most dangerous creatures in the world, and their mortal enemies are dragons…Ben has vowed not to tell Firedrake about his quest, to protect him. But as he and the Greenbloom team set off for a remote island where the terrible griffins are rumored to live, he may just need the help of his best friend and dragon…

FIVE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT:

DRAGON RIDER—THE GRIFFIN’S FEATHER

1. Each chapter begins with an author’s quote from one of their books. It had me making a list of several I wanted to pursue further.
2. The beginning made me smile when we get an update as to what Ben has been up to the last two years since his adventure in the first book ended.
3. Fanciful drawings of creatures and locations appear in every chapter. It made my imagination grow even more.
4. The theme of respect all creatures. It would make our world work so much better.
5. The climatic battle had me on the edge of my seat. Superb writing that has high expectations for young readers.

FAVORITE LINE:

“Maybe we should choose our friends not by our species but by what their hearts are like.”

A QUOTE FROM AUTHOR Cornelia Funke:

I love being an author, because … … I can be a million different creatures and at a million different places with my stories – and that I come to countries for the very first time to find my stories have been living there for years in thousands of heads and hearts …that is the ultimate magic.

For more of her likes and dislikes visit Cornelia’s website.

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Make a comment if you have time. I enjoy reading all of them. Click on the comments link below.