Garden of the Purple Dragon [Hardcover]

Carole Wilkinson (Author), tk (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

In the time of the Han Dynasty in ancient China, a young orphan struggles with her new responsibility. Ping has survived her days as a slave at Huangling Palace, but new challenges await her in the desolate mountains of Tai Shan. The aged dragon Danzi is gone, and now it is up to Ping to take care of the baby dragon, Kai. She does her best, but food is scarce, and she must be constantly on the lookout for her enemies. Things seem to get better when fate leads her back to the Imperial Palace, to the Garden of the Purple Dragon. Yet even within these hallowed walls, Ping and Kai are not as safe as they believe. 

This story of adventure, action, friendship, and loyalty will have readers cheering for Ping and the young dragon as they embark on their journey of faith and courage.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—In this sequel to Dragon Keeper (Hyperion, 2005), young Ping has rescued Kai, the baby purple dragon, son of Long Danzi, the last of the Imperial dragons, and hidden with him on Tai Shan, the forbidden sacred mountain. The old dragon appointed Ping as Dragon Keeper and entrusted her with the dragon stone, from which Kai has hatched. Ping has escaped the dragon hunter and the evil shape-changing necromancer once, but she knows she must keep Kai's existence secret or his life will be in danger. When the necromancer appears on Tai Shan, Ping must flee again. Aided by her pet rat, Hua, and by her ability to summon her qi power, she escapes, only to be captured by the Emperor's guards. Mistakenly thinking her previous friendship with the young ruler will keep her safe, she is betrayed by him and his obsessive search for immortality. She barely manages to save herself for another possible sequel. Ping is an appealingly feisty heroine, and the author paints a vivid picture of life in the Imperial Ming Yang Lodge. Readers should be warned that some of the necromancer's practices are horrifyingly graphic. The dragon's baby talk that Ping hears inside her head makes him seem more real, if a bit silly. References to events in the earlier book are sometimes confusing, but should inspire readers to explore Ping's earlier adventures. This believable fantasy should help fulfill the demand for dragon books.—Quinby Frank, Green Acres School, Rockville, MD
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About the Author

Carole Wilkinson was born in Derby, England, and moved to Australia when she was twelve. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and daughter. She is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 366 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (July 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423103386
• ISBN-13: 978-1423103387
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #733,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some reservations..., February 10, 2009

By 

A. Spencer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Garden of the Purple Dragon (Paperback)

I've just finished this book, the second in the Dragon Keeper series. They are well written, exciting stories with a wonderful heroine who overcomes both inner struggles and outside threats admirably.

That said, I would be cautious about giving them to your child to read. Another reviewer, Kidreads.com, alluded to this, but I thought I'd be more specific for parents who may be reading these reviews. There is some very graphic violence, including one of the characters having his liver cut out of him while he is still alive as part of a dark magic ritual.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Purple Dragon, August 1, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Garden of the Purple Dragon (Hardcover)

This book is adventurous,suspensful and exciting. In the first book Dragon Keeper, the first book in the series, Ping is the main character in the series who's faced Diao, (the dragon hunter), The Necromancer and other problems. In the first book Dan-Zi the wise dragon at Huang-Ling palace flew to the Isle of the Blest to heal his wounds and left Ping to take care of the new baby dragon. Ping killed Diao in a battle but she still has the The Necromancer to defeat. Will Ping know what to do with the baby dragon? How will she defeat The Necromancer? Read the book to find out!

5.0 out of 5 stars strong female lead for the genre and a great family read-aloud, January 12, 2012

By 

Mandy @ Living Peacefully with Children - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Garden of the Purple Dragon (Paperback)

In the second book in the Dragon Keeper series, Garden of the Purple Dragon,Carole Wilkinson takes the story of former slave turned dragon keeper, Ping, to a new level. Faced with the dessertion of Danzi and the responsibility of raising his son, Kai, Ping is forced to grow in new ways. As always, Ping represents a strong female character in the middle grade fantasy genre and Wilkinson's prose paints a beautiful picture of not only Ancient China but also of the diversity of human character. In my opinion, this is a buy-worthy series for families who enjoy reading aloud or individuals who enjoy reading on their own. All of my children have been excited over the series, and I like being able to share some books which portray females in strong roles, despite typical treatment of them in the era.