The Hunting of the Last Dragon (Hardcover)

by Sherryl Jordan (Author) "FEAR IS SOMETHING I am well acquainted with..." (more)
Key Phrases: bow fingers, goose farm, silken dress, Brother Benedict, Jude of Doran, Alfric's Cove (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7 In this multilayered tale set in an alternate 14th-century England, a British peasant lad and a Chinese orphan far from her native Hangchow set out to kill the last fire-breathing beast to survive a systematic extermination. Deeply traumatized after returning from an outing to find his village a blackened ruin and his family dead, Jude is picked up by a traveling fair. His job is to tend to "Lizzie," a young woman with bound feet who is exhibited in a cage as a freak. Amid news of more destroyed settlements, Jude and Jing-wei (her real name) grow close, then escape together, fetching up in the cottage of an ancient Chinese herb woman. She convinces them to take on the dragon, arming them with both practical lore and a goodly store of gunpowder. Grieving for his family, and frequently quarreling with his vexingly strong-minded companion, Jude makes an engaging, reluctant hero. Through his eyes, readers will find Jing-wei admirable, too; not only is she definitely the brains of the operation, but she also has courage enough for two. She's also crazy about Jude, as everyone but he can plainly see. After a close, brutal battle reminiscent of Aerin's fights in Robin McKinley's Hero and the Crown (Greenwillow, 1984), the two repair to a monastery to heal. Jordan shoehorns in yet another plot line by framing Jude's tale as a monk's word-for-word transcription including general banter and complaints about a monastery guest who has become a suitor for Jing-wei. By the end, the scales have fallen from Jude's eyes, and his tale makes absorbing reading despite the narrative artifice. -John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 6-10. In this story within a story, Jude, a young, illiterate peasant at a monastery in 1356 England, unsparingly dictates to Brother Benedict the events that occurred during a journey taken with a young Chinese noblewoman, Jing-wei. Having rescued Jing-wei from a band of traveling performers who were showing her as a heathen freak, Jude and the woman elude their pursuers, only to be driven off by superstitious villagers. It is Lan, a wise old Chinese woman (reputed to be a witch) who straightens Jing-wei's bound feet and reveals Jude's destiny: he must kill the last dragon, which has been terrorizing the people of St. Alfric's Cove, with Jing-wei's help and with Lan's knowledge, for the battle involves things known in China but not in England. As the journey progresses, the growing relationship between Jude and Jin-wei is beautifully realized in all its thorniness and mutual concern, as is Jude's being forced to fight his internal dragon, fear. Appropriate to the telling, the writing is mannered yet lyrical as the rich tale spins out into a lovely combination of fantasy, historical fiction, and romance. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060289023
• ISBN-13: 978-0060289027
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,360,869 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jordan crafts another winner, December 6, 2002

By	Kirsten A. Edwards "kannealmstedt" (Duvall, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As the story opens, our heroes, Jude and Lizzie (aka Jing-wei) are nerving themselves to take on a fire-breathing monster. How they got into (and out of) this predicament makes for an engaging adventure tale. The conceit that the illiterate peasant lad Jude is relating his story to a kindly monk for posterity ratchets the suspense down a notch (we know he will survive the story's hair-raising episodes), but Jordan keeps the page turning as we wonder how he will manage this, as well as creating a mysterious and sympathetic character in Jude's companion, Jing-wei, who he rescues from a horrid life as a freak exhibit in a traveling fair. The gentle teasing by which Jude ends each chapter on a cliff-hanger ("I don't want to make you late for prayers, brother!") is amusing and serves to draw the reader into the surprisingly authentic medieval world. Although I enjoyed the well-realized setting, fast moving plot and touches of humour, I found that the tender relationship between the two friends gave the book its heart. Once again, Jordan has crafted a winner.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sherryl Jordan writes another spell-binding winner, July 25, 2004

By	Laraine A. Barker "Laraine A Barker" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Hunting of the Last Dragon (Paperback)

"The dragon came nearer, its head moving low along the ground, side to side, sniffing. Every time it breathed, it scorched a trail of fire across the earth. Its neck was long, graceful, and glittering like gold. Its wings were folded close against its brilliant body, the wing sections shiny and ribbed like fish fins, the fine bones ending in sharp hooks. The long barbed tail was bent, the bones set crookedly, yet it coiled and uncoiled as slowly and smoothly as a snake. All the dragon's movements were smooth, fluid and fascinating, almost spellbinding in their beauty and their deadliness."

Everyone thinks dragons are extinct--until a fierce flying beast swoops upon the village of Doran, leaving it in flames. Young Jude survives only because, on the fatal day, he went to Rokeby to buy himself a new bow and arrows. Homeless, desperate, and wracked with grief and guilt, Jude joins a travelling fair, where he meets a young Chinese girl, caged and displayed as a freak. Jing-wei, in spite of her humiliating plight, is strong-willed, brave and cunning. She has her own plan for hunting the last dragon. But will it work? What if the dragon lands up merely wounded? Can she help Jude conquer his fear in time to save their world from destruction?

It is Jude himself who tells the story, set in 1356. And this is where problems arise. Jude is an ordinary villager (or peasant) and therefore cannot read or write. Sherryl Jordan's solution is to have Jude relate the story to a monk, who writes at his dictation. Unfortunately, this poses another problem. All Jude's greetings and asides to Brother Benedict are included, which tended to jerk me out of the story because, although they do add background flavour and an extra dimension to the story, their presence felt most unnatural in that Benedict simply wouldn't have been able to write fast enough to get everything down, especially since he would be continually having to refill his quill. But in the face of such powerful story-telling, not to mention the sheer beauty of Sherryl Jordan's prose, to complain about this seems like nit-picking.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watch out, the dragons' coming!, November 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Hunting of the Last Dragon (Paperback)

A Review by Tanner

The two main characters are Jude and Lizzie. Jude is an average boy and Lizzie is a freak from the circus. Jude and Lizzie go on a quest to kill the last dragon. They go because the dragon has burnt down a bunch of towns, including the town of Doran, where Jude used to live. On their way they encounter weird people like an old lady that is crazy, the dragon and other exciting things. Also, Jude and Lizzie need to find stuff to eat, drink and a place to sleep every night of their thrilling journey to kill the last dragon.

The thing I liked most about the book is the ending and how the author makes the whole story lead up to the ending. The author's choice of words are really good, like this sentence in the book, "I froze like a hare when it first hears the hunter." The coolest part is when the author described the dragon, it made you feel like you were in the story. Another thing I liked was the detail and how the author didn't leave anything out. The way the chapters end make the book really interesting. At the end of every chapter it would be almost impossible to stop reading because the author made you sit at the edge of your seat guessing what would happen next. There wasn't one part in this book that I didn't like.

I would recommend this book to people who like adventure, excitement and a bunch of action. There isn't anybody that wouldn't like this book. I sure hope the author makes a sequel to this amazing story. Everybody should give "The Hunting of the Last Dragon" a try.