RISE OF THE EARTH DRAGON by Tracey West

Drake is taken from his family home to be a dragon master. But his dragon can't do what the others do. Bo's dragon is Shu who can spew water. Ana's dragon is Kepie who emits light. Rori's dragon, Vulcan, is huge, strong and spits fire. Drake's dragon, Worm, looks like a snake and doesn't fly or anything.  But Drake may be more powerful than any other dragon master and Worm has secret of his own, too.

I enjoyed this addition to the Branches line of colorful, illustrated transitional chapter books for developing readers. I believe my students will enjoy this one - a great dragon story for readers not quite ready for the Wings of Fire series. Essentially, this is a pet story, and it's a great one. Book 2 releases in November 2014 and Book 3 releases in February 2015.

4 out of 5 stars

   

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

THE BRIGHTEST NIGHT by Tui T. Sutherland

I've got a couple extra reviews this week and next - there have been some great new releases lately and I don't want to wait to tell you all about them!

Book five of the Wings of Fire series starts with Sunny's kidnapping (this was part of the teaser in book four) and keeps the action focused on Sunny for most of the book. A lot happens in this story - and I don't feel like I can tell you much because I don't want to give anything away! Some old "friends" re-appear in this book and some more questions are answered - questions about Sunny as well as questions about the larger story. Frankly, this book could almost be the end of the series, and it would be a very satisfying end. But the author has promised 5 more books, so there are still questions of prophecy, leadership, and the future to be answered by the dragons of Pyrrhia. Sunny really comes into her own in this book in a very satisfying way. This was a fantastic piece of the larger story. I'd say book three and this book have been my favorites.

If you haven't read this series, I would definitely recommend starting with book one. I think readers will appreciate the insight into each dragon that comes from discovering the stories in order.

Five out of five stars
No AR quiz at this time

DRAGONS LOVE TACOS by Adam Rex

This was one of the picture books in the fall Scholastic Book Fair we held at school a couple months ago. I fell in love with this book and started reading it to every group that finished looking around the fair early. This worked for my younger students in kindergarten and first grade as well as my older students in third and fourth grade (the older kids NEVER finished looking around the fair early).

Readers of this book will learn how much dragons love tacos and how much they HATE spice salsa. They will also see the consequences when you don't read the fine print on your salsa and discover there are jalapeno peppers in it!

Five out of five stars
AR reading level of 3.1

THE DARK SECRET by Tui Sutherland

Starflight has been taken through the secret passage to the Nightwing Kingdom. Morrowseer is as abusive as ever, belittling not only Starflight but also the "back up" set of dragonets they are hiding. Starflight wars with his timid nature as he negotiates the Nightwing Kingdom without Tsunami or Clay to take the lead or fight the battles for him. Is Starflight strong enough to rescue the Nightwing's prisoners, face his family and save his tribe? And does he even want to?

This was a great, meaty story full of information on the Nightwings. There were excellent surprises and reveals about the Nightwing Queen and the prophesy. I missed the camaraderie of of the Dragonets of Destiny as Starflight was away from them for so much of the story. There's a teaser at the end that sets up the next book as Sunny's story. There are also peeks into the other dragon kingdoms as the various queens express their annoyance at the Dragonets of Destiny and their desire to kill or capture them. All of this promises that book 5, The Brightest Night will be an exciting story! Book 5 has a release date of April 28, 2014.

4 out of 5 stars
No AR reading level at this time

Recommended for: Fans of this series. I believe this book will not make much sense if readers start with this book rather than starting at the beginning. I think this book is a good fit for older elementary and middle school students as there is some violence - they are dragons, afterall, and they are at war.

CHAPTER BOOK: Wings of Fire - The Hidden Kingdom by Tui Sutherland

It's Glory's turn to find her tribe and find out where she comes from. After hearing about the "lazy Rainwings" all her life, she's disappointed to find out that the label is based somewhat in fact. It's not so much that they're lazy, but they need sleep - in the sun - to regenerate and build their strength. And they are completely disinterested in the war, the outside world or any goal-oriented or driven behavior. It's just not their nature. As Glory gets to know the tribe, the dragonets stumble into trouble - first a mystery of missing Rainwings and then secret passages to distant parts of Pyrrhia (like the Icewing kingdom and the Nightwing kingdom....) - and that's only the beginning of their discoveries.

The third entry in this series about a dragon world at war was outstanding! By now it's pretty obvious to readers that each book will focus on one of the dragonets and one of the dragon types. But this volume delivered so much more, with hints and glimpses at two tribes we've not seen much in the previous books. This whet my appetite for the next book more than either of the first two books did (and I really enjoyed those books). This will not disappoint series fans!!

5 out of 5 stars
No AR rating at the time of this writing

Recommended for: Fans of the series (this is a series where it really helps to read the books in order), readers who enjoy fantasy and adventure stories or dragon stories.

Sneak Peak - Book 4, The Dark Secret, releases October 29th - I can't wait!!

TIGER TALES - PICTURE BOOKS: Soo's Boo-Boos by Tilda Balsley AND What Goes Up by Paula Bowles

It's Tiger Tales time again! Over the next few posts I'll be showing you the spring picture books from Tiger Tales publishing. Thanks to the publisher for all of the review copies of these books!!

Soo has boo-boos - ten of them to be exact. And she counts them out, one at a time, for her mother. Then mom takes care of each one so Soo can get back to playing.

This is a darling counting book with a great rhyme scheme that would make it fun to read out loud.

4 stars out of 5
AR reading level of 1.7

Martin the dragon tries everything to fly - being fluffy like a cloud or striped like a bee - but his wings are just too small. But maybe, with the help of his friends, Martin will see that what goes up doesn't have to come right back down.

Sweet story about perseverance and the help of friends.

3 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 2.6

CHAPTER BOOK: The Sasquatch Escape by Suzanne Selfors

Ben is stuck living with his grandfather over the summer while his parents work out "their differences." Ben's grandpa lives in a run down old town where the big excitement is pudding day at the senior center. Ben is sure this summer will be a total waste. But then he finds the dragon.

Buttonville may seem like a boring old town, but someone is using the closed button factory as a hospital for mythical animals. And Ben lets a huge, hairy sasquatch loose in the town. He'll have to track it down with the help of his new friend Pearl before the local busy-bodies catch on to what's really going on. This was a fun story and a great beginning to a new series.

3.5 out of 5 stars
No AR reading level yet.

Recommended for: fans of fantasy stories and fantasy creatures, fans of Suzanne Selfors' other books (like the Smells Like Dog series).

CHAPTER BOOK: The Last Heir by Tui T. Sutherland

Tsunami is finally where she belongs - in the SeaWing kingdom with her mother, Queen Coral. Shouldn't that mean she's happy and that she and her friends are finally safe? But things are never going to be that simple for the dragonets of prophecy. Too many dragons are power hungry and want to see the war swing in their favor. But Tsunami has more personal battles to fight - her feelings for a disgraced SeaWing, her loyalty to her friends vs her desire to fit in with her own kind, and the assassin who keeps killing off Coral's offspring - and who tries to kill Tsunami.

This is a great addition to the Wings of Fire series. I had to swat my students away as they tried to race off with my personal copy before Christmas Break (even though most places weren't selling the book until it officially released in January, Amazon shipped it to me in December when I ordered some other items).
Tsunami is a great character - nuanced and layered, dealing with her instincts and personality to act first and think later. She grows and matures during the story, working to exercise more self-control and learning to be a leader and protector. There's lots of mystery and treachery still developing in the larger story arc which will keep readers flying through the future books in the series. Book 3, The Hidden Kingdom, releases June 1, 2013.

You can read my review of book one here.

4.5 out of 5 stars
No AR level has been assigned yet

Recommended for: readers 4th grade and older, fans of the first book in the series, readers who enjoy books about dragons or fantasy/adventure stories

Cautions: some violence. Remember, these are dragons at war.

BOOK FAIR PREVIEW: Wings of Fire - The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland

In a world dominated by dragons (Mudwings, Skywings, Seawings, Nightwings, Sandwings, Rainwings, and Icewings) and war, a prophecy says five dragonets, taken from their homes as eggs, will end the war. But what can five young dragons hope to do against kingdoms of dragons at war?

I really enjoyed this one! I wasn't really in love with any of the titles Scholastic put into their preview packs this fall (especially compared to the great finds last year like Dog in Boots and The False Prince) when I first looked at them, but this turned out to be an engrossing story. The world is well-developed; the abilities and limitations of the different dragon types are well-defined and interesting, although it took awhile to get them straight in my head. (I still don't have all the alliances clear between the different types without having to look them up in the guide at the front of the book.) The group dynamics with the five dragonets are fascinating - each is dealing with his/her own fears and insecurities while also dealing with the big picture of the prophecy and their place in this world. There is a great set up in the epilogue, hinting at traitors and treachery, for the rest of the series. Book 2, The Lost Heir releases on January 1, 2013.

4 out of 5 stars
AR level of 5.0

Recommended for: readers who enjoy fantasy stories or dragon stories, readers looking for adventure stories

Cautions: some violence. Dragons are not sweet creatures in general and these dragons are at war.