Standard fare for a children's adventure story
A jolly children's book that adults can enjoy too - if they accept the book for what it is (a book aimed at children) & don't expect what it isn't (the next classic, or something like Inkheart).
Nobody complains that the Hardy Boys are flat & lack character development or follow a troupe (though all those are true) Nor are similar complaints lodged against the Redwall series. For these are books designed for children. Indeed Dragon Rider could be straight from Redwall - make the dragon a badger, the human a mouse, and the brownie a mole & you're practically there, for it is the Redwall kindof troupe that is followed: lots of excitement, seeing new places, a villain that isn't too scary, & quest fulfillment. The length (500 odd pages) goes by quickly. This would make a great read aloud book. I prefer the Redwall books to this one simply because Redwall lacks humans & is easier to believe than placing the fantasy squarely in our world. This book may be nothing to write home about, but it sits squarely in the vein of adventurous children's literature.
The fold out map is neat, but does include all of the markings the map they used in the book, which was a disappointment.
A note for parents who care - humans at large are seen as bad, though some, the creatures realize, are not bad at all. Also, reincarnation is postulated as a plausible possibility, though it and the afterlife are not a focus of the book - the mention is more of a side note.
A jolly children's book that adults can enjoy too - if they accept the book for what it is (a book aimed at children) & don't expect what it isn't (the next classic, or something like Inkheart).
Nobody complains that the Hardy Boys are flat & lack character development or follow a troupe (though all those are true) Nor are similar complaints lodged against the Redwall series. For these are books designed for children. Indeed Dragon Rider could be straight from Redwall - make the dragon a badger, the human a mouse, and the brownie a mole & you're practically there, for it is the Redwall kindof troupe that is followed: lots of excitement, seeing new places, a villain that isn't too scary, & quest fulfillment. The length (500 odd pages) goes by quickly. This would make a great read aloud book. I prefer the Redwall books to this one simply because Redwall lacks humans & is easier to believe than placing the fantasy squarely in our world. This book may be nothing to write home about, but it sits squarely in the vein of adventurous children's literature.
The fold out map is neat, but does include all of the markings the map they used in the book, which was a disappointment.
A note for parents who care - humans at large are seen as bad, though some, the creatures realize, are not bad at all. Also, reincarnation is postulated as a plausible possibility, though it and the afterlife are not a focus of the book - the mention is more of a side note.
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