I'm a mom of 3 kids, and I love to read and watch movies, and I'm picky about what my kids read and watch.

Friday, February 25, 2011

BOOK: Here, There Be Dragons (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica)

Here, There Be Dragons
by James A. Owen

My expectations were fairly low for this first "real" novel by a graphic novelist.  But I was pleasantly surprised.  The author is a good story-teller, and though he borrows a lot from myths, legends, and classic literature, it's quite inventive.  Though the title suggests otherwise, I wouldn't classify this as "dragon lit," just a classic adventure story (with a few excellent pen-and-ink illustrations).

There is some violence (battles), but it's not graphic.  No "language" that I recall.  The story is compelling and kept me reading to find out what would happen next.  The heroes are all adults, so I was surprised to discover this is published under Simon & Schuster's children's division (it seems like children or teens are usually the heroes in books for children these days).  It is appropriate for children, and I'm sure my 11-year-old son will love it.  However, even though he is quite well-read for a boy his age, I don't think he will "get" the literary allusions, of which there are many.  Thanks to the internet, he can easily look them up.  (Honestly, I had to look up a few myself.)  I will definitely recommend this book for our school library.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series.  But just in case, I will keep my expectations low.  :)

Age recommendation:  10 and up

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