The Short:
Raising Dragons
Dragons in Our Midst,
Book 1
By: Bryan Davis
5/5 Stars
What: A boy finds
out that he has dragon blood—but he has no idea the trouble it will bring him.
Recommended to those
who like: Christian, fantasy, middle grade
The Long:
I had a harder time reviewing this
book than I thought I would. This is the book that was responsible for getting
me hooked on dragons—a momentous happening, considering probably about ¼ of the
books on my shelf involve the mythical creatures. I read it close to 10 times between middle
school and high school. The pages are dog-eared, and my friends and I discussed
it in spurts over our lunch breaks. It was one of my favorite stories I had
ever read, but I hadn’t read it since probably a year or so before I went off
to college.
I approached it with a load of
excitement, expecting to dive into one of my favorite stories and come out with
a new, fresh perspective on it, the same way that I have with A Wrinkle in Time or The Lord of the Rings.
That didn’t happen.
It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy the
book—it was still a good story. It just…isn’t one of my all-time favorites anymore.
That hurt a bit. I can’t relate to Billy and Bonnie the way that I used to, my
inner editor found some storytelling styles that are perfectly fine for the middle
grade audience (but not appealing to my current self), and I left feeling happy
that I’d reread it, but oddly discontent.
Alright, enough of me being
nostalgic. Let’s get on with the actual review.
Billy Bannister is your normal
young man. He attends school, goofs off with his best friend, and seems to
always get up too late for breakfast. That all changes in one shocking week,
when he accidently sets off a fire alarm with nothing but his breath. The
resulting chain of events reveals secrets that nearly everyone has been keeping—from
his principal and parents to the mysterious orphan who sits next to him in
history class. Everyone has their inner dragons, whether figuratively or startlingly
literally. Can he and his friends escape those who will stop at nothing to
destroy him?
The resulting tale is likely to
resonate most strongly with middle-grade readers, but people of all ages can
easily enjoy this fantasy story. The characters are quite vibrant and likable
and the premise of the story is intriguing.
The Christian element to this story
is definitely strong, but certainly not overwhelming.
The Bottom Line: This Christian, middle-grade story has great
characters and an intriguing premise, making it a worthy pick for fantasy fans
of all ages.
Dude I so totally read this when I was younger! I don't remember much of the plot to be honest. It's too bad it wasn't how you remembered it, that's always upsetting to a certain degree.
ReplyDeleteI mean, I still enjoyed it, but...it just wasn't the same. I have a few more books left to read in one of the companion series, so I'm going back and refreshing myself on some of the smaller plot points.
DeleteThanks for the comment!