"Wars are not won without loss of blood."
When it comes to dragons, Bryan Davis' Raising Dragons is full of surprises. First, there's William Bannister--Billy for short. Billy is an artsy nerd prone to doodling school monsters, wrestling with his dad, and getting picked on by bullies. He also has a secret: scorching breath that grows hotter every day, and terrible dreams about a dragon hunter after his blood. When Billy befriends Bonnie Silver, a new girl with an oversized backpack, he is thrown into an ancient war that sounds like a fairy tale. Suddenly, the two are head-to-head with a dragon slayer whose ultimate goal is the total destruction of wyrms and their offspring. But when dragons wear human skin, finding them is tougher than it sounds. And their children are about to fight back.
Davis' take on dragons is enthralling. Thanks to a wizard and a prayer, these enormous beasts appear human. Their children, however, bear dragon-like traits they must conceal to survive. These come in handy when sword-wielding fiends kidnap friends, shoot loved ones, and otherwise threaten to wreck the lives of everyone they care about, but there is more to this conflict than tooth and talon versus blade and shield. Billy and Bonnie must use their wits, talents, and faith to defeat the evil dragon slayer who hunts them. And as the situation grows darker, the last of these becomes more and more important.
The characters Davis presents are very relatable. Billy is constantly bullied in school, framed for pranks as a result of his breath. Yet, unlike many heroes in children's and young adult books, his family is intact. His mother is compassionate, his father wise, his cat absolutely adorable. This makes him sympathetic to those readers who don't come from broken homes, as well as setting up the stakes. Bonnie, on the other hand, is an orphan struggling to find her way in the world. As she fights alongside her new friend, she quickly works her way into the Bannister clan. In the end, it is the Bannisters who stand the most to lose, even as they support each other during the trials around them, and that loving foundation is one of the main things that carries this story through.
Language isn't a problem in Raising Dragons, but there are a few other things to look out for. While the violence is usually fairly straightforward, Billy and his friends take quite the beating, some of which are described rather graphically. This isn't gore so much as it is attention to detail, and is scattered thinly throughout the novel. Christianity is also a big deal, more so than in some of the author's other works. There is no slamming of other faiths or atheism; however, much of what happens could not be accomplished without prayer and trust in God, and Billy struggles with his own faith throughout the tale. Although the writing style is very flowery at times, almost too elegant for its own good, it rarely gets in the way of the story.
I would recommend this book to tweens interested in a story of dragons, dangerous enemies, and forgiveness. Raising Dragons is the first in a four-part series chronicling two kids' quests to save the dragon race. There are strong characters, fiery dragons, and evil slayers around every turn, set against stakes that feel very real and a world that could easily be next door. Bryan Davis has crafted a great story with Billy's tale, which is definitely worth picking up from the library. It deserves four stars.
The characters Davis presents are very relatable. Billy is constantly bullied in school, framed for pranks as a result of his breath. Yet, unlike many heroes in children's and young adult books, his family is intact. His mother is compassionate, his father wise, his cat absolutely adorable. This makes him sympathetic to those readers who don't come from broken homes, as well as setting up the stakes. Bonnie, on the other hand, is an orphan struggling to find her way in the world. As she fights alongside her new friend, she quickly works her way into the Bannister clan. In the end, it is the Bannisters who stand the most to lose, even as they support each other during the trials around them, and that loving foundation is one of the main things that carries this story through.
Language isn't a problem in Raising Dragons, but there are a few other things to look out for. While the violence is usually fairly straightforward, Billy and his friends take quite the beating, some of which are described rather graphically. This isn't gore so much as it is attention to detail, and is scattered thinly throughout the novel. Christianity is also a big deal, more so than in some of the author's other works. There is no slamming of other faiths or atheism; however, much of what happens could not be accomplished without prayer and trust in God, and Billy struggles with his own faith throughout the tale. Although the writing style is very flowery at times, almost too elegant for its own good, it rarely gets in the way of the story.
I would recommend this book to tweens interested in a story of dragons, dangerous enemies, and forgiveness. Raising Dragons is the first in a four-part series chronicling two kids' quests to save the dragon race. There are strong characters, fiery dragons, and evil slayers around every turn, set against stakes that feel very real and a world that could easily be next door. Bryan Davis has crafted a great story with Billy's tale, which is definitely worth picking up from the library. It deserves four stars.
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