No Such Thing as Dragons

by Philip Reeve

[sstaley]

I was really excited to read, "No Such Thing As Dragons" by Philip Reeve. It was an OK book for me. It is only 186 pages long and I felt that if it had been longer, the author could have made the story bigger and more interesting. The thing I loved most about this book is the cover. It is bright and cries out saying "Read Me".

Here is a short blurb about the story:

A dragon story with a brilliant twist from multi-award-winning writer, PHILIP REEVE. Ansel's new master slays dragons for a living. He says he's hunted the monstrous worms all over Christendom and has the scars to prove it. But is Brock just a clever trickster in shining armour? Ansel is sure there are no such things as dragons. So what is the man-eating creature that makes its lair in the crags of Dragon Mountain? Ansel and Brock must climb the ice face to discover the terrifying truth.

Let me say though, I think this book is a great book for ages 9-12 who want to read a dragon story. The plot is not complicated and pretty straight forward. There are a few scenes that could be considered scary to some kids. The Dragon makes a fine meal of a horse and it is described in some detail.

I really liked the main character, the boy Ansel. He has so many good qualities,he is honest, brave and loyal; you can't help but like him. Now the "Dragon-slayer" that Ansel is sold to, Brock, is somewhat of a boorish braggart. I am sure that Reeve wanted people to dislike him a little, so he was written that way.

If you love books about Dragons, you will want to read this one. If you don't, you need to stick with my favorite Dragon books, The Dragon Slippers series by Jessica Day George.