Children of the Dragon [Mass Market Paperback]

Rose Estes (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

In the mythical kingdom of Gallardia, the Dragonlord's three children must fight to save themselves and the one remaining egg of the guardian dragon.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8 Estes' idea is a good one, but her writing is stiff, and her characterizations lack subtlety. Three children escape into a dark underground labyrinth beneath a dragon's cave with the last of three dragon eggs which Iestyn, a greedy and vindictive blacksmith, is trying to steal. During their quest, 11-year-old Lydia learns to temper her anger and stubbornness, while Daniel, 13, struggles with his feelings of ineptitude. The youngest, Max, 8, reaps the reward of his love for the great dragon by bonding with the new dragon when it hatches. Self-revelation comes too easily, and characters' reactions are shallow or inconsistent. Max is the most realized character; his relationship with the dragon is touching. Unfortunately, the plot often sets up elements that might have been intriguing but which are never developed. There is some gruesome violence in the dragon's cave, yet the children seem strangely untraumatized by it. There are events that are illogical, and incongruous moods are mixed in the same scenes. The ending is abrupt, inconclusive and unsatisfactory. Annette Curtis Klause, Montgomery County Libraries, Md.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 183 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (June 12, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394864336
• ISBN-13: 978-0394864334
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,212,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a really great book, August 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Children of the Dragon (Hardcover)

I read this book in a library several years ago and I loved it. It's about three children trying to save a dragon's egg. The dragon had been the protector of the city that the children lived in, and the people would pay taxes of gold (for its hoard) and the Dragonmaster (who is also the 3 kids father) would care for and handle it. But then one day the dragon laid eggs, and the citizens were furious about the raise in taxes that would mean. They went up to its cave, killing the dragon and smashing its eggs... exept for one. The three kids (two boys and a girl) grabbed a small blue egg during the attack,and escaped through a tunnel with it that led deep into the mountains full of tunnels and monsters, where most of the story takes place. Theres also the question of who will be the new Dragonmaster when the egg hatches. the oldest feels it should be him because he is the oldest and male, the girl thinks it's about time they had a female dragonmaster, and the youngest just wishes they'd stop fighting. This is a really great book, my one and only complaint is that it left off in such a way that there should have been a sequel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wheres the ending?, March 22, 2005

By 

Kurt Morris "Kurt" (Sandy, UT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Children of the Dragon (Hardcover)

Like the rest I to would have given this book 5 stars except for one thing. What the hell happened at the end? It completely leaves you hanging, and I've been looking all over for a sequel which evidently doesn't exist. My theory is that the writer had every intent on writing a sequel, but I guess, the book must have done so poorly in the stores that it persuaded her not to do a sequel.

3.0 out of 5 stars Why no sequel?, February 9, 2004

By 

W. F. Knight "aeryn18" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Children of the Dragon (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book back in Junior High, and I loved it so much that I've been looking out for a sequel ever since. (I am now years past Junior High...) Why wasn't there ever a sequel??