Description
From School Library Journal Gr 4-6-Katie and Kevin Tsang's (the team behind the "Sam Wu" series) first in a new middle grade fantasy trilogy offers readers a fast-paced plot and dragons, but without much substance. When 12-year-old California surfer Billy Chan gets sent to a language and culture summer camp in rural China, he has no idea he's in for the adventure of his life. Billy and three of his campmates discover four dragons who've been trapped in nearby Dragon Mountain, unable to defeat the dark magic that is destroying both the dragon and human realms. Billy and his friends must decide if they are willing to risk everything to help save both worlds. Readers will enjoy new dragon lore, such as each dragon having a heart that matches a human's. And most won't be able to resist the predictable cliffhanger at the end of each chapter. However, they may also find the characters one-dimensional and the plot full of unexplained conveniences. Most alarming is the abrupt end of the book just as the action starts to build. Readers will have to wait for the rest of the story in the second installment. VERDICT A sure pick for Tui T. Sutherland's "Wings of Fire" readers, and those who just need to get their hands on every dragon book out there.-Hillary Perelyubskiy, Los Angeles Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. "The Dragon Realm features magical elements drawn from Chinese and European folktales, including winged dragons and rock trolls. A sequel is promised with a cliffhanger ending.xa0A high-interest read."— Kirkus "Fast paced and engaging, this tale emphasizes adventure over complexity, easily appealing to a young audience.”— Publishers Weekly “ Dragon Mountain is a joy to read—adventurous and enchanting, with a heart of gold. It will make you relive the moment you first looked at the sky and longed to see a dragon looking back.’xa0—Samantha Shannon,xa0international and New York Times best-selling author of Priory of the Orange Tree and The Bone Season series xa0 “Brimming with warmth and originality, Dragon Mountain combines edge-of-your-seat adventure, laugh-out-loud humor, and hugely exciting dragons to create a sweeping fantasy that will captivate readers of all ages.” —Catherine Doyle,xa0author of The Storm Keeper’s Island series “ Dragon Mountain has all of my favorite things! A rich mythology and a tale of friendship, snarky dragons, and daring deeds . . . this is the kind of breathless tale that leaves you hungry for the next installment.”xa0—Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of Aru Shah and the End of Time “ Dragon Mountain is a joy to read—adventurous and enchanting, with a heart of gold. It will make you relive the moment you first looked at the sky and longed to see a dragon looking back.’xa0—Samantha Shannon,xa0international and New York Times best-selling author of Priory of the Orange Tree and The Bone Season series xa0 “Brimming with warmth and originality, Dragon Mountain combines edge-of-your-seat adventure, laugh-out-loud humor, and hugely exciting dragons to create a sweeping fantasy that will captivate readers of all ages.” —Catherine Doyle,xa0author of The Storm Keeper’s Island series “ Dragon Mountain has all of my favorite things! A rich mythology and a tale of friendship, snarky dragons, and daring deeds . . . this is the kind of breathless tale that leaves you hungry for the next installment.”xa0—Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of Aru Shah and the End of Time "A high-interest read."xa0— Kirkus “A sure pick... [for] those who need to get their hands on every dragon book out there.” —School Library Journal "The Dragon Realm features magical elements drawn from Chinese and European folktales, including winged dragons and rock trolls. While the story contains enough excitement to maintain readers’ attention, solutions sometimes seem to present themselves too conveniently along the way. A sequel is promised with a cliffhanger ending...A high-interest read."— Kirkus “Fast paced and engaging, this tale emphasizes adventure over complexity, easily appealing to a young audience.” — Publishers Weekly Katie and Kevin Tsang met while studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Kevin works as a healthcare technology consultant, and Katie writes YA as Katherine Webber. Together, they have also co-authored the Sam Wu Is Not Afraid chapter book series. They currently live in London and can be found on Twitter @kwebberwrites and @kevtsang. Read more
Features & Highlights
- From the authors behind the critically acclaimed Sam Wu books, a thrilling new fantasy series about friendship, courage, adventure, and dragon magic.
- When 12-year-old Billy Chan finds out his parents are sending him to a language and culture camp in the middle-of-nowhere China, he can’t imagine anything worse. He’s not expecting to become friends with fellow campers Dylan O’Donnell, Charlotte Bell, and Liu Ling-Fei. And he’s definitely not planning to meet any dragons. But when the four kids accidentally open a crack in an ancient mountain, they become involved in an ages-old struggle of good versus evil. Now it’s up to them to save the Dragon Realm—if they don’t, the world as they know it might disappear forever.
