Review – Dragon Masters #1: Rise of the Earth Dragon by Tracey West, Graham Howells (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Children’s
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 96 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Release Date: August 26, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-0545646239
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Dragon Masters series
Source: ARC through Amazon Vine
Rating: 4/5 stars
I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. This is the first book in a new children’s beginning chapter book series. Me and my seven year old son both read this book separately, so I included both of our perspectives in the below review.
Eight year old Drake lives on a farm but gets taken away from his home to a castle where he finds out he has been chose to train as a dragon master. Drakes’s dragon ends up being a rather pitiful Earth Dragon. Of course as things progress you find out that the dragons aren’t necessarily at the castle by their own will. You also find out that the Earth Dragon is not as weak as he first seems.
This is a well done fantasy book with some nice little life lessons. This is just the start and introduction to this world. The story will appeal to younger children, probably in the 1st to 3rd grade age range. It’s a great book for children who are ready to move on to chapter books, but not quite ready for middle grade level reads.
As far as reading difficulty this book is very similar to the Secrets of Droon series by Tony Abbott. So it’s a bit easier than the Magic Treehouse books. The easier reading level means sentences are shorter and characters sound a bit choppy when then they talk (just because words of lower reading level are used).
The storyline is very simple and easy to follow. There is some magic and wonder as Drake discovers that he is supposed to bond with and train with a Dragon. Although there is an immediate problem that is solved in this book, it looks like this is just part of a much larger story.
My seven year had the following to say about the book. He really liked it and enjoyed reading about a character close to his age. He thought Drake was starting a fun adventure and he enjoyed that. He thought it was an easier read than the Secrets of Droon books but more exciting than the Magic Treehouse books. He still prefers the Secrets of Droon series to this one, but wants to read more of this series as well.
Overall this is a great beginning chapter book for kids who are ready to move on from picture books. It’s a fun and simple story. While not necessarily recommended for adults, I would recommend for kids in the 1st to 3rd grade age range. I would also recommend checking out the Secrets of Droon series by Tony Abbott and the Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist series by RL LaFevers.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
