Rise of the Earth Dragon (Dragon Masters Series #1)

by Tracey West, Graham Howells (Illustrator)

Overview

The DRAGON MASTERS series is "How to Train Your Dragon" meets the DRAGON SLAYERS' ACADEMY!

This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!

DRAGON MASTERS has it all! Dragons, a Dragon Stone, a king, a wizard, and magic! In the first book in this fully-illustrated series, 8-year old Drake is snatched up by King Roland's soldier and taken to the castle. He is to be trained as a Dragon Master. At the castle, he is joined by three other young Dragon Masters-in-training: Ana, Rori, and Bo. The Dragon Masters must learn how to connect with and train their dragons--and they must also uncover their dragons' special powers. Does Drake have what it takes to be a Dragon Master? What is his dragon's special power?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545646239
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/26/2014
Series:	The Prince Warriors #02 , #1
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	1,701
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	510L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Tracey West has written more than 200 books for children and young adults, including the following series: Pixie Tricks, Hiro’s Quest, and Dragon Masters. She has appeared on The New York Times bestseller list as author of the Pokemon chapter book adaptations. Tracey currently lives with her family in New York State’s Hudson Valley. She can be found on twitter at @TraceyWestBooks.

Graham Howells is a children’s book author and illustrator. He also produces artwork for games, television, and film. Howells won the 2009 English Tir na n-Og Award for his book MERLIN’S MAGICAL CREATURES.



 

Editorial Reviews

Praise for BRANCHES books:
"These books should be considered for larger libraries wanting to enhance their easy-reader collections." -SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"Plenty of drawings assist readers with plot development." -SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"A nice stepping stone to more advanced chapter books." -BOOKLIST

"We are absolutely desperate for these books. Thank you for recognizing and addressing [this] monumental gap in the market." -Andrew Medlar, Youth Materials Specialist, Chicago Public Library

From the Publisher

Farmer boy Drake is whisked out of his onion patch by an armored knight and into a new life in the castle as dragon master for King Roland. As one in a group of child dragon masters charged with training dragons for the king’s army, Drake must first name his dragon and then discover his dragon’s secret power and use it for the king. Unfortunately, the dragon reminds Drake of a worm and so Worm he becomes. Worm does not have the powerful gifts of the others: he does not breathe fire, he does not fly, he cannot spout water or shed light, but he has a secret gift. It seems that he can speak without words and through dreams. When the schemer Rori decides she wants to take the dragons out at night, Worm is reluctant. However Drake brings him with the others to discover a threatening floating red orb that shatters the tunnel around them. The children and the dragons are trapped. Worm uses his mental power to remove the rock fall and create an exit path. The last chapter ends with the promise of a new threat from the red orb, but meanwhile Drake may have discovered a new mission. He is a dragon master and not certain that dragons should be kidnapped for the king. This book seeks to include many contemporary issues in a light-hearted fantasy. In a nod to diversity the dragon masters include two boys and two girls, one schemer and one kind person, one Asian from the eastern kingdom and one dark skinned girl from the south. Drake is torn from his family as the dragons are torn from their tribes. Drake cannot read and is tutored by his friend Bo. This book will be interesting for its readers and could excite some classroom or family discussion of character and decision-making. Reviewer: Elisabeth Greenberg; Ages 6 to 8.

Children's Literature - Elisabeth Greenberg