Helpful Score: 1
My husband and FIL both liked it as well. I felt it was a little kiddish.
`Dragon Keeper' is the U.S. debut novel by highly successful Australian author, Carole Wilkinson, that has already won many prestigious Australian awards. It tells the wonderful story of a Chinese slave girl named Ping and her perilous journey to save the last imperial dragon, Long Danzi. In the beginning, Ping is a slave for the cruel, current Dragon Keeper, who neglects his duties and in so doing so causes the death of the second to last imperial dragon. In a startling amount of courage, Ping rescues Danzi and they set off for the Ocean which Danzi mysteriously insists on traveling to for the sake of a beautiful purple stone which he holds most important to the sake of all dragons. Wilkinson is a master of words, painting amazing scenes and the emotions of Ping as effortlessly as the artists of the beautiful traditional Chinese pictures that don every chapter opening. Ping was a three-dimensional, interesting main character. She realistically makes and learns from her mistakes, and therefore by doing so is relatable to all readers. The dragon Long Danzi was my favorite character. His riddles of wisdom hold lessons that Ping must take importantly if she is to outwit the many villains that chase them throughout the course of the novel and they also provide comical relief. Anyways, Ping's transition from a scared slave girl to the confident Dragon Keeper was a highly believable journey that left me on the edge of my seat. This novel is full of humor, lessons to be learned and shared, adventure, and sheer enjoyment that I'm sure it will also bring to eager readers everywhere. Highly recommended.
This is a good book for anyone who likes fantasy, especially Chinese fantasy. It's got a very good plot but the reading level is about fourth grade, so children can understand what's going on. That being said, readers of all ages will enjoy it. The characters seem very real.
I was surprised with how much I loved this story. Great book if you love dragons. This one is a little different for me because it is a story of Chinese dragons.
Daughter read this, so I don't have a "review", but here's what the back said:
Many years ago, one of the dragons had bitten an emperor, father of the current emperor, when he was a child. The child was afraid of the beasts. As soon as he came to poer, he had sent the dragson as far away as possible - to Haungling Mountain......
Many years ago, one of the dragons had bitten an emperor, father of the current emperor, when he was a child. The child was afraid of the beasts. As soon as he came to poer, he had sent the dragson as far away as possible - to Haungling Mountain......
