(2) YA Divine Traitors series. Seventeen-year-old Faron is the Childe Empyrean, blessed five years ago to wield the power of her island's gods. Now that San Irie's war against the colonizing Langlish and their dragons is won, Faron uses that ability to show off with classmates. Faron's sister, Elara, has no such blessings beyond the regular magic of islanders to summon ancestor spirits, but she wants to build a name for herself beyond her family's status, and to keep Faron, their country, and the island's young queen safe. When Elara unexpectedly discovers she's a "dragon Rider," the sisters and their friends are pulled deeper into machinations between the political powers and the gods. Cole's writing is vivid and rich; the depth and care placed in the world- and character-building make the novel a delight to read. The story, set years after war, feels rich and lived in. The characters have foibles, backstories, traumas, and nuances that make them as sympathetic as they can be frustrating, and their believable flaws directly fuel the narrative elements that lead toward peril. The romances the characters explore -- sapphic and demisexual -- hold charm and tension, helping to propel this magic-infused, Jamaican-inspired tale, and a cliffhanger ending with gripping plotlines yet unresolved will leave readers eager for the projected sequel.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(3) PS Illustrated by Udayana Lugo. An encounter with a dragon serves as a thoughtful metaphor for the need to ask for help when something is wrong. Told in second person, the text encourages building a strong support network: “You have a lot of friends now, and you understand how to work together. Even if the dragon does return, you’ll never have to face it alone.” Not-too-scary illustrations use varied perspectives.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Blythe Russo. In spite of their differences, Drag, a relaxed, spontaneous dragon, and Rex, a more serious and somewhat stiff dinosaur, are the best of friends. When they make a snowbear together, Drag accidentally melts it by breathing fire a bit too close; but then Drag encourages Rex to recover from disappointment and skate on the ice that forms. Later, Rex, wearing a button-down shirt and a sweater with elbow patches, helps Drag, in his T-shirt and jeans, calm down enough to notice that the scary story he is reading can't actually be too scary, since it is about a dragon. The book is divided into three sections, and each section is further divided into three chapters. The stories have plenty of humor; in "Snow Day," readers may empathize with the friends' exhaustion when they finally conquer all the buttons, zippers, buckles, and laces involved in getting dressed to go outside -- and instead they take a nap. Russo's lighthearted cartoon-style illustrations on every page and the abundance of white space and attention to layout all work well together to make the book approachable for young chapter-book readers. Give this to fans of Cordell's Cornbread and Poppy (rev. 3/22) and Snyder's Charlie and Mouse (rev. 7/17) and their sequels.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) 4-6 Cohen reimagines Japan two decades after World War II, with a fantasy twist. All humans have a ryū, a dragon companion, a whiskery creature born of rain and mist and small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. Kohei loves his smart, linguistically gifted Yuharu, but he also has a seemingly impossible memory of big dragons, the kind he thinks his grandfather, Ojiisan, once watched with joy. Now Ojiisan is bitter and given to drunken rages, and Kohei's widowed mother can only say, hollowly, "It's okay." Kohei teams up with his Japanese Jewish American friend Isolde (whose ryū speaks Yiddish) to find a big dragon that might heal Ojiisan's anger. The two travel deep into the sea to the palace of dragons, where Kohei gains new understanding of his family's--and his nation's--past. Cohen interweaves Japanese dragon imagery, history, and post-war culture in a story that muses on the legacies of emotion and family experiences in shaping identity after war. She blends her fantastical imagery with historical fact and realism, ­bringing readers commentary and questions on cultural identity, racism, friendship, and political activism.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(3) K-3 Young Owl has what seems like an impossible dream for a wee bird: to be a real knight. But when knights start mysteriously disappearing, Owl is accepted into knight school and graduates with honors. Assigned to patrol the castle walls at night (“Night Knight Watch”), he meets a dragon, who threatens to eat him. But Owl outsmarts the dragon (by offering him pizza to eat instead of his own scrawny self, “all feathers and fluff”); and, bonding over everything they have in common (e.g., they both hatched from eggs), the two become friends. The heartwarming story is accompanied by art that varies from intimate and humorous to sweeping and atmospheric. One double-page spread, in a palette of dark blues and grays, depicts a nervous Owl peeping over a parapet as a huge shadow is projected onto the castle wall; another, all golds and bronzes, shows Owl in a crowd scene, dwarfed by a host of (human) knights. Entertaining, kid-pleasing wordplay (involving the homonyms who and whooo) adds to the book’s charm.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) YA In this sequel to Tess of the Road (rev. 3/18), Tess must get her beloved quigutl friend, Pathka, to the Polar Serpent for healing. She's also on a spying mission for her Goreddi monarch, so she insinuates herself into a Ninysh voyage of scientific discovery aiming to find the Serpent. The journey progresses through a vast archipelago colonized by the Ninysh, who have displaced and tried to crush the varied cultures and knowledges of the islands' many indigenous peoples. But Tess's quest depends on the expertise of many of those peoples, and both she and the voyage's aristocratic scientist leader are forced to examine their imperialist complicity as they learn to heed indigenous voices and claims. This is but one of many currents in this timely, challenging work, with its vital questioning of cultural superiority and of assumptions about heterogeneity--in culture, gender, and physicality. Conceptually rich, serious, emotionally complex; a worthy addition to Hartman's already considerable achievement.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Anna Cunha. Anita, a dark-skinned young girl living in the Dominican Republic, and her family are immigrating to an unnamed country where they will learn English and have easy access to conveniences like "hot water and a real dryer." Imagining she is a brave princess bound for a new palace in a distant land, Anita sadly bids goodbye to her "royal subjects"--her abuela and neighbors--and then it's time for one of the ferocious "dragons" (really airplanes) that soar above their seaside village to take her and her family to their new home across the ocean. Anita has never been afraid of the dragons, but each step away from her beloved island and toward the unknown requires more courage than she's ever had to muster. Ultimately, Anita channels her inner dragon to conquer the fears that inevitably arise so that she can embrace the new experiences awaiting her. The impressionistic illustrations, while beautifully textured, place the story sometime in the vague and distant past (i.e., some characters are barefoot and dressed in stereotypical peasant garb), in contrast with context clues in the text that indicate a relatively more modern mid-twentieth-century setting. Nevertheless, this is a creative addition to the canon of immigration narratives that could be well paired with Malaika's Winter Carnival by Nadia L. Hohn or Greetings, Leroy by Itah Sadu.

Reviewer: Summer Edward | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) 4-6 Autumn's twin brother Winter has been missing, presumed dead, for several months, but Autumn can feel he's alive. The Hollow Dragon in the Gentlewood may have eaten him, but if so, why was one of his boots found in Inglenook, the magicians' school where Autumn and her family work as beastkeepers? Then one day Autumn sees Winter trapped in a pane of glass; she vows not to rest until she's rescued him. Her ally in this endeavor is Cai Morrigan, Inglenook's star pupil, who has approached Autumn for help with his own problem. He's been prophesied to slay the Hollow Dragon before the first snow of his thirteenth year, but he's twelve now and still faints whenever he gets near a dragon. As a lowly servant, Autumn initially feels unworthy of the famous (though endearingly modest and helpful) Cai, but their friendship blossoms as they each discover previously unknown facets of their own identities, search for Winter together, and practice exposing Cai to dragons. With delicious personal interactions, an adventure that gets deeper as the tale progresses, and a setting that Hogwarts fans might like to climb into, this familiar-yet-original fantasy hits all its marks.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) 1-3 Fox & Rabbit series. Illustrated by Gergely Dudás. Fox and Rabbit are back in their third series entry with five new stories, most of which center on throwing a ­birthday party for Sparrow that involves making "the biggest, roundest, yummiest pizza in the world." Animal friends from the previous books return to help and partake in the festivities, including Tortoise, who always arrives too late for any ­activity. This volume introduces a surprising new ­creature as well--Dragon--whom Fox and Rabbit nervously visit when they need help cooking that giant pizza. This large, purple fire-breather turns out to be harmless and lonely. Dragon has never even been to a birthday party, a situation immediately remedied. Each chapter is full of amusing situations and appealing characters taking care of one another and getting themselves into trouble despite their best intentions. Bright colors and soft, bubbly shapes make every creature, even the dragon, seem cuddly and soothing. The idyllic community offers a pleasant cartoon landscape to visit, where there is always a welcoming friend, something special to do, and something good to eat.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(3) K-3 Kasha tells an encouraging story about being brave and conquering anxiety in service of being true to oneself. "The king and queen hoped their child would be a proper princess," but princessing isn't for Small Knight ("...not that being a princess is bad..."). Taking "Proper Princess Lessons" distresses the young adventurer, though, and their parents are cluelessly dismissive: "One day a brave knight will save you!" Use of nonbinary they/them pronouns for Small Knight adds another layer of meaning to the narrative. The emotionally charged illustrations effectively depict Small Knight's worries about parental disappointment as a creature-shaped mass of angry sharp lines. In the end, a wise dragon provides the key: "What you should do is look inside yourself."

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) K-3 In this gently funny and fantastical picture book, readers are introduced to a quiet village, to a "modest dojang...a school of martial arts," and to Sunny, the dojang grandmaster's small daughter, already a black belt. As Sunny proceeds through the activities of a typical day in the dojang (helping the other students, sweeping the floors, practicing with her nunchucks), readers are exposed to some of the basic elements and vocabulary of Tae Kwon Do. When the students practice their kihaps--"a breath, a shout; power from the belly through the mouth!"--dragons from nearby mountains awaken and attack the dojang. The students defend themselves, but the fight is derailed by "the biggest enemy of all--their growling stomachs," and the combatants call a truce and share a snack. The text is soothingly rhythmic, with lots of alliteration and onomatopoeia. The color palette is warm and comforting, with the soft orange of the nearby persimmon trees and the sunset conveying calm. A brief summary of the principles of Tae Kwon Do is appended, but this is less an informational book than a whimsical slice of life that will appeal to many small warriors.

Reviewer: K Rachael Stein | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) PS Illustrated by Shanda McCloskey. In Barton's Shark vs. Train (rev. 7/10), the rivals faced off against each other in a series of contests, and this companion book initially appears to follow the same playbook. The title and front cover tease an epic beast/machine showdown, but "it might surprise you that a fire truck and a dragon can in fact be good friends." So, sitting around a campfire, the dragon puts on a shadow puppet show to accompany the fire truck's scary story. And the pals bring "free-range potato salad" and "my famous firehouse beans" to a barbecue. Throughout, an audience of three kids has high hopes of seeing sparks fly and water blast; they're repeatedly left bemused and disappointed by the pair's camaraderie. Barton's speech-bubble text works exceptionally well with McCloskey's animated mixed-media illustrations, setting up our expectations before throwing us a curveball. The kids never say a word, but their actions and reactions are abundantly clear in the energetic art. "Wait. Do you think they'd be interested in that new thing we've been doing?" "Oh yeah! Where the two of us go head-to-head!" Finally! Or...not. A staring contest is not what the kids had in mind. But there's one last curveball in store, and it's definitely worth the wait. The visual humor will have listeners clamoring for re-matches, er, -readings.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020

(2) K-3 Ellie discovers Scratch, a tiny dragon, atop a carton of eggs in the grocery store. He fits perfectly into her toddler hand. Taking him home, she cares for him tenderly, providing a matchbox bed in her dollhouse and a diet of "nasturtiums, chilis, burnt toast, and charcoal briquettes." Years go by, and girl and dragon grow up together. Scratch is a hit at birthday parties and good company at a sleepover. The sweet child-pleasing secret of the story, obvious throughout, is that adults are oblivious; they don't see Scratch at all. Inevitably and poignantly, as Ellie becomes a teenager, the two grow apart. Scratch is now too big for his corner of her room, and he longs to fly out the window. Ellie's focus shifts to her human friends. Scratch "fades." This shift is signaled by a change in style as Graham's busy cartoony pictures morph, for one spread, to a dark, quiet, impressionistic night-sky cityscape, gemmed with lights and stars. There's a bigger world out there for both of them. The setting here is signature Graham (Home in the Rain, rev. 9/17, and many others)--joyful and messy with vibrant urban street life, domestic catastrophe and clutter, parents with scruffy beards and bed-heads. A fine addition to the rich tradition of imaginary-friend literature.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) YA It's 1957, and Sarah Dewhurst's father has hired a dragon to work on their farm despite his prejudices against them. That's not really big news; in this alternate universe, humankind has maintained an uneasy peace with dragons for centuries. But, as Sarah learns, dragons are more complex than she'd imagined--and the situation is more perilous: a cult of Believers, who worship the magical creatures, has sent a teenage assassin to the United States in an attempt to start a prophesied war (though he's been told his mission is to stop one), a war that will directly affect Sarah and everyone she loves. Nothing is quite as it seems in this imaginative novel. Timelines fluctuate, characters change species, and genres tangle together. However, the plot is solid enough to ensure that, with a healthy suspension of disbelief, readers will follow the story with ease as the stakes get ever higher. Ness's (The Knife of Never Letting Go, rev. 11/08; Release, rev. 9/17) engrossing historical-­fantasy adventure is at once accessible and complex, tackling both human issues--racism (Sarah is biracial; her love interest is Japanese American), war, religion--and grand fantasy action with skill.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Pascal Campion. Daniel usually stays home and sleeps when his parents go to work as night janitors for a corporation, but when one evening his babysitter can't come, he must go to work with them. They try to keep sleepy Daniel entertained by telling him that the office is a Paper Kingdom: the conference room is a "throne room"; the bosses are a king and queen who send paper to everyone in the kingdom and preside over the dragons, who are "small and friendly" but very messy. Daniel's parents hope he will someday become a king who will "tell the dragons to be nice and neat." The boy rapidly intuits the power imbalances and questions why some people make messes that others must clean. Campion's colorful, impressionistic illustrations, awash with warmth and light, show paper drifts, messy kitchens, and dragons hiding behind bathroom stalls. Subtle facial expressions convey the family members' closeness (and, via the sweat on Mom's brow, their hard work), while creative use of shadow and perspective captures the largeness of the space and the intimacy of imaginary play between parents and child. As his mom and dad busily clean their way through the office spaces, Daniel's wide-eyed, feet-planted observation invites readers to likewise contemplate the hierarchies and invisible labor of spaces they inhabit.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Colin Jack. In this Dragons from Mars follow-up, young Nathaniel informs the two mythical visitors to Earth that it's their first day of school, too. Once again, Aronson's rhymes are rock-solid ("Maybe they've never seen dragons before. / What if they're frightened and run for the door?"), and the dragons, given an appealingly cartoonish mien, can stand in for anyone with new-situation anxiety.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 1-3 Warren & Dragon series. Illustrated by Mike Malbrough. Warren and his stuffed-animal best friend, Dragon, covet a fancy volcano-making kit but can't afford the steep price tag.  Warren's machinations to raise money for the purchase lead to a charity bake sale and magic show with his sister and a friend. It's a great success, despite Dragon's interference. Black-and-white cartoons add humor to the lighthearted text.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(2) 4-6 When her storm-beast egg hatches into a dragon-like lightning beast, Mina's family thinks there must be a mistake--introverted Mina is nothing like the reckless, impulsive children who usually hatch lightning beasts. The political ramifications of Mina's discovery--that her society's weather manipulation has dangerous effects on those outside the community--are laid out straightforwardly, allowing readers to come to their own moral conclusions.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by B Geneva. This Dragons in a Bag sequel alternates between Jaxon, Bag's protagonist, and Kavita, sister of Jaxon's best friend, Vikram. After she steals a dragon from Jaxon, Kavita has a problem: her dragon won't stop growing. She soon learns that there's a gate that will get the dragon back to the realm of magic--but the gate is open for only a short time. Meanwhile, Jaxon and Vikram look for Kavita so they can get the dragon back. Fast-paced, suspenseful, and entertaining.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(2) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old Min has a powerful secret: she's a fox spirit disguised as a human; she can shape-shift and use magic to alter others' perceptions. Min enthusiastically wields these powers when she ditches her "dismal life" on the barren planet Jinju to track down her brother Jun, a Space Forces cadet who's gone AWOL. Lee's richly detailed, cohesive, original vision is a lively mash-up of outer-space sci-fi and Korean culture and folklore.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019