TUESDAY: The Dragon Players (Knights of the Lunch Table)

Artie is back and this time he is trying to prepare for the Dragon Duel - a robot duel taking place at the Dragon Day fundraiser for his school.The Evil Horde has forced one of Artie's friends to help them win the contest, but Artie wants to win to help pay off the $300 they owe the principal for an unfortunate accident with a bowling ball. Artie ends up not only wrestling with the construction of a robot, but wrestling with dragons of the internal sort. Should he do the easy thing to win the duel, or should he do what he knows is right? Artie's friends, Gwen, Percy and Wayne are back, as are Mrs. Dagger the principal, Mr. Merlyn the science teacher and locker number 001XCL.

I may have said before that I don't always enjoy graphic novels. Some, honestly, give me a headache. But this series is a delight to read. (targeted to ages 9-12) The illustrations are colorful and enhance the story. The look of the book caught my son's eye and he keeps asking what the story is about. I think he is almost ready for these. I enjoy Artie and his friends and I look forward to reading more of their adventures. Be sure to check out the author's blog here.