Don’t miss out on the absolutely fantastic audio performance!
Content Qualities
| Author: Cornelia Funke |
| Genre: Fantasy |
| Interest Age Range: 7 – 13 |
| Optimal for Grades: 3 – 7 |
| Guided Reading Level: V |
| Questionable Content: (e.g. Profanity, Violence, Sex, Drugs) Mild violence: some men try to grab a boy to remove him from a building set for demolition, mentions of predator animals hunting, talk of sea serpent attacks, giant birds carrying prey to their young, the villain creature plans to eat his prey including a human boy (does not happen). Language: The villain monster creature calls his servants mildly insulting names like spider legs, bird brained, and other cartoonish things. One of the good characters refers to another as “little titch”, until she grows to accept him. |
| Scariness: 1 (Based on the average tolerance level of an upper elementary student) |
Key:
- 0 = virtually none
- 1 = very mild, some parts may be slightly frightening to the youngest readers
- 2 = some parts are frightening or distrubring to younger readers
- 3 maybe it’s time to hide under the covers with a flashlight, the most sensitive children may want to avoid this one
Fun Rating:
Summary
A beautifully simplistic, classic good versus evil tale full of heart, imagination, and wonder. To save the last remnant of dragons from the greed of humanity, a crew of unlikely heroes embark on an enchanted journey to find a mysterious and little-known sanctuary that lies atop a faraway mountain range. Led by a gentle but lionhearted young dragon named Firedrake, and a homeless orphan boy with a fierce spirit of adventure and a longing for family, the motley but lovable company makes their way eastward, pursued by the most vicious and rapacious of monstrosities, a golden dragon created to hunt natural dragons to extinction by a wicked, medieval alchemist. Along the way, the group encounters magical creatures of both light and darkness, an archeologist who longs for a son, and a repentant trader seeking a new life of forgiveness. In the end, a great enemy is vanquished, a race on the brink of extinction finds security and freedom, hearts are opened, characters are transformed, many lessons are learned, and the true meaning of home is discovered.
Note to Parents and Teachers
Dragon Rider is the ideal introduction to the fantasy genre for young readers. The quintessential example of traditional fantasy, full of charming talking critters, magical spells, anthropomorphized mythological creatures, enchanted artifacts, and more. It contains all of the elements a child could wish for as they explore the magic of literature. Additionally, Dragon Rider could be categorized in the enchanted journey subdivision of fantasy, as the story takes place in an augmented version of the real world, with a set of rules; for example, that one magical creature attracts another, and dragon fire mixed with brownie spit strip away all deception, revealing the truth underneath the magic. Furthermore, the protagonist stumbles across a dragon in the midst of his everyday world and, due to his own virtue, winds up being catapulted into the adventure of a lifetime. As he journeys forth to accomplish a specific purpose in the aid of his new magical friends, he meets new characters and engages in a variety of mini adventures. At the same time, his journey results in exponential personal growth and character development. All in all, its humorous, heartwarmingly lovable, and morally enriching. The dynamic characters, both magical and natural, are as memorable as they are identifiable, making this story a highly engaging, family friendly experience that any reader will want to relive again and again.
If you enjoyed this story, try the sequel:
Dragon Rider #2: The Griffin’s Feather by Cornelia Funke
