George Goodwin is no dragon slayer. At least that’s what he believes at the start of this engaging fantasy. George is 12-years-old and a dedicated boy scout. He lives with his police officer mother and still deeply misses his dad who was killed along with ten other coal miners in Big Mountain, West Virginia. The town blames George’s dad for the disaster but the young scout is going to prove them wrong.

On a camping trip with his Scouting troop George recruits his best friends on a mission to find proof of a treasure. Doing so could save the dying town and show everyone that his Dad was not the cause of the accident.

Using skills learned through their earned scouting badges, the group enters the forbidden mine. What they never expected to find was a huge people hungry dragon inside Big Mountain, along with collapsing tunnels, ruthless thieves, and dynamite traps. Courage along with George discovering himself as a dragon slayer is their only hope for survival.

Thirty chapters written in third-person are often page turning with a several laugh out loud moments, but also a few scary ones. The adventure has many twists and turns both inside and out of the mountain. There are many action and dangerous scenes that might scare those not use to these types of stories. GEORGE GOODWIN DRAGON SLAYER is the first book in a series and young readers who like longer books will have a great summer read in their hands.

BOOK BIRTHDAY: May 5, 2026 PAGES: 336

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: GEORGE GOODWIN DRAGON SLAYER by Candace Lee & Eric Newman

1. Each of the chapters has an image at the beginning with black and white art work. They are well done and hint at the action and danger forthcoming.
2. The loyalty the friends showed toward each other and George’s bravery is what stands out the most in this fantasy.
3. Scouts and former scouts (like myself) will appreciate the references to scouting throughout. There’s even a few tributes to the Boy Scout founder.
4. I always hope the climatic ending of a story I enjoy will not be disappointing. Thanks to the authors as the last chapters were fantastic.
5. I hate to see books sitting their without a reader so I always pass along my copy to a young reader. I gave it to a 12-year-old boy who is also a scout and his parents said he has been glued to the book for days. That alone says it all to me about the appeal of this story.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Candace Lee & Eric Newman love to tell stories. From Disney+ to NBC Universal, they’ve written for Emmy-winning series, produced movies and music, and collaborated with stars like Bear Grylls, Andrea Bocelli, and Larry the Cucumber. Along the way, they landed on the New York Times bestseller list with their friend Max Lucado. But their favorite adventure of all? George Goodwin, Dragon Slayer—a creative quest they began long before they each started raising little dragon slayers of their own. Candace studied film and television production at New York University, while Eric focused on writing at Oral Roberts University. Goonies at heart, they dig deep for stories of truth, wonder, and redemption. Their vision for the Order of the Dragon Slayer series is to inspire a generation to be prepared—mentally, physically, and spiritually—to slay life’s dragons.

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