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Dragonsdale

Salamanda Drake

Fiction (Series)

Ages 9 to 12

Scholastic, 2007, 0-439-97173-5

  Cara’s father runs a dragon breeding, training and riding school. Not surprisingly Cara spends most of her time caring for the dragons in her father’s stables. What she doesn’t get to do is to ride any of the dragons. When she was just a little girl Cara’s mother had a riding accident and was killed. Since then her father has refused to allow his daughter to so much as get on the back of a dragon. Not surprisingly Cara finds this enormously frustrating, especially when she has to watch all her friends preparing for the Island Championships which she is not allowed to enter.

  It is especially hard for Cara because there is one dragon in the stables that she is particularly close to. Skydancer was born in the wild and was brought to the stables as a baby when his mother was killed by wild animals. He refuses to be ridden by anyone but Cara knows that if she were allowed, she would be able to ride him. She has sat on his back and she just needs to be given a chance, and she will be able to make a great riding animal out of him. There finally comes a time when Cara cannot help herself and she secretly begins to ride her beloved Skydancer.

  The situation at the stable gets really uncomfortable when Hortense, the daughter of Lord Torin starts to throw her weight around. Not only does Hortense refuse to take care of her dragon, but she is an awful rider. Being a terrible loser she blames her mount and everyone else for her failings. She particularly likes to torment Cara and when Cara fights back, Hortense decides to have her revenge. Hortense is going to do whatever she can to strike back at Cara through Skydancer.

  Written by the author when she was just sixteen, this book is sure to delight girls who not only like dragons but who also have fondness for riding. Readers will love the idea of a riding school for dragons, and will find the descriptions of what it is like to ride a dragon quite captivating. If only there was a dragon riding school around the corner which one could go to. 

 

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