Audun is on a quest to find Princess Millie, and to become human in order to win her heart. But The Dragon King has set out a number of tasks Audun must perform before he is permitted to even try to woo Millie...and each one is filled with E. D. Baker's signature adventure and hilarity as this dragon-turned-human-turned dragon and back again battles sea witches and warlocks both familiar to readers of the series, and altogether new. A fantastic stand-alone fairy tale that brings new life to this wonderful series.
Children's Literature - Summer Whiting
Audun is a young dragon who is in love. Typically, dragon love lasts forever. This time, however, Audun has not chosen to love a dragon, but a human princess named Millie. His family does not support his quest to pursue this princess. Undeterred, Audun breaks his allegiance to his loved ones and sets off to profess his unwavering love to Millie. Once, many years back, Audun had become trapped inside the walls of an ice castle. It was Millie who had freed him and he never forgot it. Miraculously, Audun is elated to find that she reciprocates his feelings. Her family is disinterested in the growing attraction between Audun and Millie and decides to intervene. Millie's mother casts a spell and they are gone instantly. Audun is left with the understanding that if he wants to be with Millie he will surely find a way. And so begins his adventure as he searches for his one love. Baker creates an exhilarating series of events that follow. Readers will be enraptured from start to finish and reluctant readers will be drawn in immediately. Middle school language arts teachers will find this novel useful in highlighting positive character attributes. Dragons cannot lie, and the reader will be amazed at Audun's choices as he makes decisions that will affect his future. Reviewer: Summer Whiting
School Library Journal
Gr 3–5—Baker has lost momentum since The Frog Princess (Bloomsbury, 2003), the first book in the series. This installment revolves around the dragon Audun, who wants to become a human so that he can woo Millie, his sweetheart from the previous book—a human who can turn into a dragon. It seems that each of their families harbors prejudices against the other life-form. To gain the knowledge he desires, he must undertake a series of quests for the dragons of his own kingdom: fetching the fertile egg of a desert-dwelling bird, exchanging it for a flute that's held by a sea witch, and so on. The quests seem never-ending, and become tedious and regrettably predictable. An evil sorcerer, spied in passing early on, comes in view again and again, until he is revealed to be Audun's most formidable antagonist. Of course, every good deed the dragon performs, no matter how inadvertent, influences his progress toward his goal. All ends happily, with a dragon kiss, if readers care enough to read that far.—Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
From the Publisher
High-spirited romantic comedy. . . . Fans of Gail Carson Levine's Princess Tales should leap for it.” —Kirkus Reviews on The Frog Princess“As magically adventurous as fantasy can get.” —VOYA on Dragon's Breath
“Baker's vividly imagined fantasy world . . . [is] irresistible and loaded with humor.” —VOYA on Once Upon a Curse
“Kids will get a kick out of the hip Shrek vibe that Baker creates in this updated fairy tale.” —School Library Journal on No Place for Magic
“High-spirited romantic comedy. . . . Fans of Gail Carson Levine's Princess Tales should leap for it.” —Kirkus Reviews on The Frog Princess
“Kids will get a kick out of the hip Shrek vibe that Baker creates in this updated fairy tale.” —SLJ on No Place for Magic
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