Dragonbreath #2: Attack of the Ninja Frogs [Hardcover]

Ursula Vernon (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 4, 2010 | Age Range: 8 and up | Series: Dragonbreath (Book 2) | Lexile Measure: 700L (What's this?)

Danny Dragonbreath knew girls were trouble. But the new foreign exchange student, Suki the Salamander, is beyond trouble. Not only has she reduced his best friend, Wendell, to a blithering, lovesick tadpole, but she?s apparently the object of an elaborate ninja frog kidnapping plot. Danny is never one to pass up an adventure (especially one involving ninja frogs), and so he and Wendell and Suki set out on a dangerous quest through the mythical Japanese bamboo forests to find out what these fearsome frogs want. Danny may not be able to breathe fire like a normal dragon, but he and Wendell have watched lots of kung fu movies and can totally take on a bunch of ninja frogs. Or, um, so he hopes . . .

Using her trademark hybrid style of comic-book panels and text, Ursula Vernon has packed this second book in the hilarious Dragonbreath series with lots of kung fu, a little bit of loooove, and plenty of everyday school drama. A perfect fit for fans of Wimpy Kid and Bad Kitty.
 

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4 Danny Dragonbreath's love of ninja comic books and movies not only fills his imaginative play, but also assists him when he is confronted in real life with ninja frogs that attack his friend Suki, an exchange student from Japan. This attack causes Danny and his friend Wendell to take her on a bus ride to mythological Japan to seek out Danny's wise great-grandfather to assist with their situation. The spirited illustrations, done in green and black with touches of red, capture the humor of the characters' adventures. This delightful easy chapter book could tempt reluctant readers into turning another page. Nancy D. Tolson, Mitchell College, New London, CT
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About the Author

Ursula Vernon lives in Pittsboro, North Carolina.

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Dial; Ill edition (February 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803733658
• ISBN-13: 978-0803733657
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.8 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Explore the World > Asia
  • #98 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Dragons

More About the Author

Ursula Vernon is the author and illustrator of "Nurk," "Digger," "Dragonbreath" and a number of other projects. The daughter of an artist, she spent her youth attempting to rebel and become a scientist, but eventually succumbed to the siren song of paint (although not before getting a degree in anthropology, because life isn't complete without student loans, right?). Her work has been nominated for an Eisner award, "Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition" and a number of Webcomics Choice Awards.

Ursula grew up in Oregon and Arizona, went to college at Macalester College in Minnesota, and stayed there for ten years, until she finally learned to drive in deep snow and was obligated to leave the state.

Having moved across the country several times, she eventually settled in Pittsboro, North Carolina, where she works full-time as an artist, writer, and creator of oddities. She lives with her boyfriend, his beagle, a small collection of cats, and a large collection of Indonesian masks, all of which mostly contrive to keep her out of trouble.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable and smart enough for kids, wickedly dry and smart enough for grown-ups! March 4, 2010

By homeschool mom

Format:Hardcover

My title says it all - kids will love the Dragonbreath books, and their parents can love them, too. These are some of those rare books that, when your child asks you to read them aloud for the umpteenth time you'll say, "Okay!" We've known and loved Ursula's work for years and when we heard she was writing a childrens book series we were thrilled. Her written flights of fancy on her LiveJournal narrating her art are some of the funniest things I've ever read - I knew a kids book would be fabulous. I was not disappointed :)

I must stop a moment before I go on about the *books* and talk about Ursula's art (all illustrations in the book are her own). Her art is the essence of whimsy and hyperbole with a big dash of the slightly twisted. Her paintings run the gamut from cute and fuzzy to laugh-till-you-cry funny, to OMG I don't want to hang that on my wall! But all of her art embraces the absurdity of life, of anatomy, of nature's little jokes at every species's expense and at the misguided idea that we're ever in control of anything. The art in Dragonbreath follows her style with an added dose of hilarity. The expressiveness of the simply drawn animals manages to be both human and completely reptile. The anthropomorphizing of, well, everything cracks you up because yes of course, that's exactly what potato salad would look like if it aged so long in the school cafeteria that it evolved into sentient (and evil) life.

Our Brave Hero, Danny Dragonbreath, has an outlook on life that any child can relate to. Fanciful, whimsical, a tad bit jaded about adult expectations and utterly inventive. A fantasy life almost more real than reality is a concept that speaks to any child, and my kids loved it. This was the first chapter book that my youngest read entirely......and he read it cover to cover in one day. Took him all day! Then his pre-teen older brother sneaked away with it, zipped through it, and declared it awesome. In between times, I was picking up Dragonbreath whenever it wasn't actually in someone's hot little hands and reading it as fast as I could.

The whimsy that works for kids is just as appealing for adults, but there is also a wonderful dry irony that runs as an undercurrent through the Dragonbreath books. Ursula has not written talk-down-to-them lobotomized childrens books. She's written books from the point of view of a child and at a reading level a child can enjoy but with the writing sensibilities and sophisticated perceptiveness of an adult. Not too many authors can do that these days :) Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hillarious dragon fits for boys' reading February 8, 2010

By Charlotte Cecilia

Format:Hardcover

Danny Dragonbreath is one super funny dragonboy. From page 1 I have been hooked till I reach the end of the book. It's so hillarious and engaging.

There is a new girl in school and she is soo unlike other girls eventhough like other girls she wants to be a vet when she grow up. Suki is a smart exchange student from Japan. She loves reading comics and what's more, she is the reincarnation of a ninja queen! One day after school Danny and Wendell help her from two ninja frogs who want to claim her as their queen and so begin their adventure to rid of the ninja frogs once and for all!

The pictures in the book do enhance the story and instead of keep telling the storyline in words the writer switched to gorgeous pictures and thus avoiding the boredom of too many words and no pictures that plaque the kids in age range this book is intended.

I do love this book! It has engaging characters, great storyline, nice pictures, and deliciously hilarious. My ten year old boy has already read this book twice in two days and he's recomended the book to all his friends!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book is great for Boys... June 17, 2011

By Carol Salyer

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am constantly looking for books that will keep my eleven year old son entertained. He really loved the Diary of a Whimpy Kid books so when I purchased these books I was looking for a series of fun and entertaining books for him to read this summer. Well needless to say; these books were so entertaining that my son has read the entire series in less than a week. If you have a son or daughter ages 9-12 they are sure to really enjoy this series. The DragonBreath series is cute and very entertaining.The books have some pictures which my son really enjoyed looking at. I highly recommend this series especially for boys and girls that are into the Wizard 101 internet games.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Coffeechug Book Review - www.coffeeforthebrain.blogspot.com January 2, 2011

By A. Maurer

Format:Hardcover

I have previously read another book in the series dealing with the Were-Weiners(book 3) and my sentiments towards that book are pretty much the same as with this book(book 2...I am reading in reverse order)

I really don't think I needed the other books for this novel to make sense. This is a novel series that does not really need each book to wrap things up. Each book stands on its own. How can one not love the concept of a dragon that can barely breath fire and an iguana who is his friend? To make it even better, there are ninja frogs and all sorts of weapons and cool other characters.

The setup for these books are essentially the same in every series, but just different characters and plot line, bu the stories move along at the same pace, system, and style. Which is perfect for a younger audience that likes that consistent tone(hello, Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew for us older people).
This book is geared for a younger audience for sure. I breezed through this book and did not really have to focus too hard to understand the plot. I can see some of my sixth grade students really gravitate towards this book. I found it funny and engaging to hold my interest despite the fact that I like more gritty novels. The images and flow of the book worked really well. The addition of the graphic novels panes helps to really keep the story moving very fast. Add in some action and some humor and you have all the ingredients for a hit series. All in all, this was just a fun read. The whole element of martial arts, ninjas, and the addition of a girl character made this book an enjoyable read.