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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Dallas Public Library | + FICTION - HARRISON | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Silver Falls Library | JF HARRISON v.1 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A group of friends set out to save magical creatures from a cruel queen and her wicked soldiers in the first book in the brand-new Secret Rescuers chapter book series.
When Sophy finds a little lost dragon named Cloudy, she knows he's in danger. It will take all the courage she can muster--and a little bit of magic--to keep the baby dragon safe. But what if there are other creatures in danger? It looks like Sophy's going to need some friends to help her with her secret rescues...
Author Notes
Paula Harrison began inventing stories and writing them down as a child, including one about a magical land inhabited by talking bookworms. She lives with her husband and two children in England.
Sophy Williams is the illustrator of the Secret Rescuers series. Visit her online at SophyWilliamsIllustrator.com.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-This is an endearing story of Sophy, an orphan girl who is reminiscent of Cinderella, who works as a maid at Greytowers Castle. One day while picking apples, she investigates a loud crash in the orchard and discovers a baby dragon, a magical creature she had only heard stories about. Unfortunately, Sir Fitzroy and the queen want to rid the kingdom of all magical creatures, so Sophy acts quickly to protect the baby dragon, Cloudy, when she hears soldiers coming. Tension mounts as Sophy bravely tries to help Cloudy get home and avoid those who hunt him. Readers will quickly turn the pages to see if Sophy can elude danger and save Cloudy. Charming black-and-white illustrations complement the story. Chapter length and vocabulary are just right for intermediate elementary readers. VERDICT A lighthearted, magical story that is sure to delight young fantasy fans. A supplementary purchase.-Laura Fields Eason, Parker Bennett Curry Elementary School, Bowling Green, KY © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A castle maid hides an injured dragon.When the staff clears out the deceased king's belongings, blonde, pale-skinned orphan Sophy finds a bag of strange rocks, one of which magically gives Sophy the ability to communicate with the baby dragon that crash-lands in the orchard. But there's not much time for Sophy to chat with storm dragon Cloudythe ill-tempered knight Sir Fitzroy despises magical creatures, and he's on the prowl, looking for the crashed dragon. After the knight nearly catches them (storm magic and billowing royal underpants in the laundry play a role in their getaway distraction), Sophy and Cloudy steal away to safety and find the magic plant that will heal his wing. Soon, he rejoins his dragon family, and Sophy starts to miss himbut not for long. Harrison's series opener treads familiar territory, the third-person narration liberally dotted with exclamation marks and the dialogue positively festooned with them. The essential conflictthe adults' dislike of magical creatures ("I've never liked magical animals. How can you trust a creature that breathes fire or sings to the stars?" the queen complains)feels wholly plot-driven and fails to give all but the most credulous readers genuine stakes to care about. Williams' illustrations depict the people with uniformly light skin and the dragon as adorable. An old-time-y fairy tale for dragon lovers; here's hoping subsequent volumes offer more meat. (Fantasy. 6-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Sophy, an orphaned servant girl, lives in a world in which magic and magic-wielding animals are feared. One day while tending apples, a small purple dragon falls out of the sky. With the help of some magic stones she found the queen throwing out, Sophy discovers, to her surprise, that she can talk with magic animals. The dragon, named Cloudy, is just about the sweetest creature Sophy's ever met, so she decides to hide him from the royal guard until she can find special herbs to heal his broken wing. Of course, chaos ensues as she tries her best to hide a puppy-sized dragon from the rest of the castle's staff, especially one with a very dragon-sized appetite. This delightful start to a new magical animal series features black-and-white illustrations of the adorable characters throughout, which add even more life to Harrison's characterizations of Sophy and Cloudy. A great new series to add anywhere magical animal series are popular, and perfect for readers making their way into longer chapter books.--Tomsu, Lindsey Copyright 2017 Booklist