The New Kid at School (Dragon Slayers' Academy, No. 1) [Paperback]

Kate McMullan (Author), Bill Basso (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

The Dragon Slayers' Academy is back-and it's bigger and better than ever! The books have new covers and are now 112 pages long. Expanded from the old 96-page format, they now feature a fun Dragon Slayers' Academy Yearbook at the end of each story, with funny profiles of the faculty, the staff, and, especially, the students of D.S.A. All the things kids want to know about their favorite characters are revealed: their silly nicknames, inner secrets, wildest dreams, and lofty plans for the future!

When a traveling minstrel foretells that he is to become a hero, Wiglaf sets out to fulfill his destiny: he signs up at the Dragon Slayers' Academy. But how can he ever hope to be a dragon slayer when he can't even stand the sight of blood?

Illustrated by Bill Basso.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4AA fantasy adventure for beginning chapter-book readers. Wiglaf, the would-be hero, lives with his large, brutish family in abject poverty. Their hovel smells worse than their pigsty. Though Wiglaf is the smallest member of the family, he is made to do all the work, and is constantly picked on by the others because he is reluctant to kill any living thing. A traveling minstrel tells Wiglaf's fortune; it shows that he can improve his lot by performing a gallant act. The boy decides to sign up at the local Dragon Slayers' AcademyAit guarantees to make him a hero. However, he finds life at the run-down school as difficult as it is at home, and he protests when he is sent out to slay the local dragon on his first day. When his magic sword doesn't work, he switches to another strategy. He has learned that the dragon can't stand bad jokes so he tries a few and, as predicted, the dragon expires at his feet. Wiglaf is a hero without spilling a single drop of blood. The fast-paced, snappy text is filled with jokes and insults; the accompanying black-and-white illustrations are dark and cartoonlike. The tone and style suggest Saturday-morning animated films and will appeal to the same audience. For humorous adventure fantasy that is better crafted and more nourishing, try Jon Scieszka's Knights of the Kitchen Table (Viking, 1991) and other works in the "Time Warp Trio" series.AVirginia Golodetz, Children's Literature New England, Burlington, VT
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

In this first of the Dragon Slayers' Academy series, Wiglaf, the put-upon sensitive son in a family of louts, heads off to school along with his faithful pet pig, Daisy. On the way, he meets a wizard who gives him a magic sword, although he has forgotten the magic words to make it work, and gives Daisy the power of speech (in pig latin). Once at the Academy, Wiglaf discovers that it's not all it's advertised to be, and his first chance to slay a dragon comes all too soon. This lightweight, amusing adventure rattles right along, without pretensions and with, given the series title, a resolution that cleverly avoids violence--Wiglaf slays the dragon with bad jokes. An entertaining confection. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 7-10) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap; First Scholastic edition (May 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0448431084
• ISBN-13: 978-0448431086
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > First Day of School

More About the Author

Kate McMullan is the author of many books for young readers, including I Stink!, winner of a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor; I'm Mighty; and Meg's Prairie Diary, a historical fiction trilogy set in St. Louis and Kansas in 1856. She has been fascinated by the Lewis and Clark Expedition since the age of ten, when an uncle told her about an ancestor who had gone on the expedition. That ancestor was sixteen-year-old George Shannon. Ms. McMullan lives in New York City and Sag Harbor, New York, with her husband and collaborator, noted illustrator Jim McMullan, their daughter, two cats, and a dog.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insired a school to read more..., October 29, 2001

By 

Robert Cookson (Alpharetta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragon Slayers' Academy 1: The New Kid at School (Paperback)

My son and I discovered this whole series of books when he was a first grader...perfect for him to read as a second grader now. In the spirit of Harry Potter and the Hobbit but not so complex that kid's lose the story line. Full of jokes and adventure, I cannot recommend these any more strongly for the 7 to 10 age group (depending on reading ability). We've had two impressive endorsements:

When we first began reading about Wiglaf, it was on a plane to Colorado. As I read to my son, I realized that other children were tuning in to the story. Several parents asked for the book titles and the author when we landed.

Also, late last year I read books 1-3 for a first grade class and have since read to the second grade. The library has been unable to keep two full sets in stock and the teachers have purchased their own sets. It has taken reading by storm as boys and girls strive to finish the series.

Oh yeah, and adults will get a private chuckle out of the humor and wordplay from time to time.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dragon Slayers' Academy: The New Kid at School, July 21, 2003

By 

Melanie A. Johnson "Melanie" (Sheppard AFB, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragon Slayers' Academy 1: The New Kid at School (Paperback)

I wanted to introduce my 5yr old(soon to be 6) son to chapter books. When I read him the introduction from the back of the book he was certain that this was the one he wanted. We started reading it on a Friday at bedtime and were finished by monday morning. We usually only read it at night but Sunday night we were just getting to the dragon slying scene and he could not wait until bedtime Monday night. We already have books 1-4 and he loves it so much that he is wanting all the books in the series. I am glad that he choose this series. The story draws you in and you cannot wait to see what is going to happen to Wiglaf next. It is complex enough to keep you interested, without being overcomplex for young children.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's Ok, April 13, 2007

By 

J. Lyon Layden "Author: The Other Side of Yore" (Savannah, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Kid at School (Dragon Slayers' Academy, No. 1) (Paperback)

Like Harry Potter, Wiglaf starts off in a less than favorable existence with surrogate parents and gets the fortuitous chance to leave home for an unconventional medieval-like school. The humor mostly centers around the headmaster of this Dragonslayer's Academy being greedy and saving money by feeding the kids eels, the absentmindedness of a wizard that Wiglaf meets along the way, and Wiglaf's fear of dragons and violence in general. The plot is mostly Wiglaf trying to figure out the weakness of a dragon that Wiglaf has to fight, and the revelation at the end that the weakness is no magic item or weapon but something rather silly and midly amusing. The books are basically modern style weekly cartoons in written form, which might be a good thing to start out reluctant readers on who have not yet tackled chapter books. However, I found the illustrations a tad low quality for the amount of focus placed on them and the 9 to 12 age group is kind of stretching it. It's better suited to maybe the 6 to 10 crowd.