The Reluctant Dragon Book Review

By Kenneth Grahame
Illustrated by E. H. Shepard

****

One night a shepherd spots a scaly creature sleeping in a cave nearby his flock. He arrives home in a panic to tell his family, at which his son replys, "It's all right, father. Don't you worry. It's only a dragon. And I'll stroll up to-morrow morning--no, in the morning I can't, I've got a whole heap of things to do--well, perhaps in the evening, if I am quite free, I'll go up and have a talk to him, and you'll find out it'll be all right." When the boy goes up to see the dragon, he finds that he is quite agreeable to get along with and even writes poetry.

But what happens when the people of the village find out about the creature living in the cave? They create horrible stories, and call for Saint George to defeat him in a fight! St. George isn't fond of killing, and the boy wants to help his friend, so together they devise a plan to please the crowds as well as stay true to who they really are.

Author The Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame creates another fantastic tale of friendship and love in The Reluctant Dragon. The language is very English and intellectual, so this book is best for children of the mid-upper grades. Ideal for children who love fairy tales and stories from the middle ages. The Reluctant Dragon has such lovable characters with the most simplistic of titles, such as boy and dragon. Once you are introduced to them, you will be turning page after page to find out how they can stick together is such a tricky situation. Although it is a slim book, that certainly doesn't reflect the value of it's content.

The Wish Giver Book Review

By Bill Brittain

****

What would you say if you could get you anything you asked for in exchange for 50 cents? At the Coven Tree Church Social, three children and one man meet a strange little man named Thaddeus Blinn who gives them this offer. Upon giving Thaddeus Blinn their 50 cents they are each handed a card with a red spot in the middle. They are instructed to place their thumb on the spot and make their wish, only one, and they would never see Thaddeus Blinn again.

Each child makes a wish for something they want, they do get their wish, but not exactly in the way that would be expected. Newbery Award Winner The Wish Giver is a childlike spin off of the old horror classic The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs. It is a fun, thrilling, fast read appropriate for mid-grade children. It teaches the lesson of 'be careful what you wish for' as well as other moral lessons about how children should behave and to be grateful. Unlike The Monkey's Paw, The Wish Giver has a positive (yet predictable) ending.

Ideal for the lovers of Goosebumps and other children's chillers. There are some scary ideas and situations in this book, so it is not a suggested for the easily scared or nightmare prone. The Wish Giver is told in a series of short stories that are intertwined together. Once you read one story, you won't want to wait to hear what the next child wishes for. This is a fabulous adaptation of a horrific classic that has become appropriate for children.