Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher [Paperback]

Bruce Coville (Author)

Book Description

If Howard Morton and Freddie the Frog Killer were trying to hold you down so that Mary Lou Hutton could kiss you, you might run as fast as Jeremy Thatcher did the day he stumbled into Mr. Elives' Magic Shop.

And if you stumbled into that strange shop, you, too, might be asked to make a choice. What would you buy? The Chinese rings? The Skull of Truth? Or the dragon's egg?

And if you did buy the dragon's egg, what would you do when you found out you were supposed to hatch it?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jeremy forms an unexpected bond with Tiamat the dragon in this sequel to The Monster's Ring. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7-- In this entertaining fantasy readers will soon realize that things are not always as they seem. Jeremy Thatcher is plagued with all of the problems of a 12-year-old plus a few extra. He is pursued by Mary Lou Hutton, whom he detests, and is constantly put down by his art teacher for reasons he does not understand. One afternoon, in an effort to escape Mary Lou, Jeremy runs through alleys, side streets, and byways and finds himself in a part of town he has never seen before. He enters a small magic shop where he purchases a strange egg. A dragon that only Jeremy and Mary Lou can see enters the picture. The book is filled with scenes that will bring laughter and near tears to readers. Jeremy and his friends are believable characters; their actions and reactions are typical of the children's age. Once again, Coville offers a fantasy that younger readers can handle easily, and one in which dragons really exist for a little while. --Kenneth E. Kowen, Atascocita Middle School Library, Humble, TX
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (February 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671747827
• ISBN-13: 978-0671747824
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Nothing You Love is Lost", February 3, 2004

By 

R. M. Fisher "Raye" (New Zealand = Middle Earth!) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher (Paperback)

For kids that are too young for the complex "Harry Potter" series, and yet interested in fantasy stories, then Bruce Coville's Magic Shop books might be the thing to hook them up with. Each book is based on a basic premise: a young child with the usual kid problems (home trouble, bullies, crushes, angry teachers, etc) stumble across Mr Elives' Magic Shop, and leave with an unusual purchase that creates more trouble for them, but ultimately teaches them important lessons.

In this case, Jeremy Thatcher escapes two bullies, the resentful nature of his art teacher and the unwanted affections of Mary Lou by ducking into the Magic Shop, where Mr Elives gruffly allows him to take home a strange glistening sphere with a sheet of mysterious instructions - it would seem Jeremy is about to hatch a dragon's egg! With the tiny dragonlet Tiamat born, but growing steadily by the day, Jeremy gains more confidence against the problems in his life, as well as more creative flair with the inspiration that Tiamat magically places in his mind's eye.

Obviously, a baby dragon in the house is not as easy as it sounds, and even though only Jeremy can see her, Tiamat is still able to manipulate circumstances around her with her fiery breath. But Tiamat must eventually return home to her own world, and along with the mysterious, beautiful Miss Priest and Mr Elives, Jeremy participates in the ritual to send her to the "dragon-world". Despite the loss however, Jeremy has found a new outlook on life, had old friendships tested and new ones forged, and come to understand a spiteful teacher better.

With little dashes of real dragon lore mingled in with his own creative liberties, Coville makes the world natural enough for belief to be suspended, although as an older reader, I would dearly like to know more about the Shop, its owner and its associate Miss Priest. Who are they really? How do they pick the children they give gifts to? How does the Shop move around? If he wished, Coville could make these short but sweet stories into something much more deep and interesting.

As I said, the Magic Shop books are great for younger readers, with enough of the every-day troubles to relate to, and enough of the fantasy elements to fire their own imaginations.

Its also worth mentioning that if you're a part of a country that recieves the Great Britain copies of these books, there are some wonderful new covers to behold by the artist Tony Diterlizzi, best know for his illustrations in the "Spiderwick Chronicles", that beautifully capture the children's personalities and their magical companions.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great family reading, February 5, 1999

By 

"rpesa" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher (Paperback)

I read this book aloud with my 9 year old daughter, and she gave it the ultimate compliment: 'I wished it would never end'. I must admit, I did too. A very heartfelt and magical book about friendship. I would recommend it to any parent who likes to read with their kids.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Old Favorite, July 13, 2005

By 

Alyson Murray (Mechanicsburg, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher (Paperback)

"Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" was undoubtedly my favorite book as a child...and now, thirteen years after I first read it, it still occupies a special place in my heart. I honestly think that it is one of the best written children's books of the last fifty years; I still read it from time to time, and my old copy is so beat up (the cover fell off long ago) that I'm thinking of buying a new one--hardback this time. It's that good. I'm excited to think that one day I'll be able to read this to my own children. The characters are so well-drawn and believable, and the plot moves along so well, that I'm pretty sure even most adults (though they might not admit it) would be sucked in. This book is perfect for kids who have been introduced to fantasy through Harry Potter; it is, in fact, the book that first introduced me to fantasy all those years ago. I read "The Hobbit" in third grade because Bruce Coville makes a passing reference to it in "Jeremy Thatcher."

This isn't just a story about a boy and his dragon--though, if it were, and told by Coville, it would still be appealing enough for children. It also deals, very effectively, with the issues that Jeremy faces as he enters adolescence--a girl with a crush on him, an inexplicably hostile teacher. Jeremy grows up quite a bit over the course of the story--and Coville is never preachy, as he sometimes (much as I love him) is in other books ("My Teacher Flunked the Planet," anyone?).

This is a fantastic story told by a fantastic writer working at the top of his game. I highly recommend it to anyone.