The Dragon and Her Boy

Penny Chrimes has created a unique and inspiring world in this book and one which didn’t take long to draw my 10-year-old son into.A reluctant reader, it was a pleasure to watch him return to this book repeatedly. He did at various parts of the book stop and ask me about certain words and phrases, which made me wonder if this was perhaps better suited to the more confident of readers in this age group because it does require more from them. However, because my son is often the harder to persuade to commit to many a book, this may well be just a personal note. Added to that, there is in fact a brilliant guide to the language used throughout this book, that is the language of Gutterling, so each child’s enjoyment of this world may well simply come down to personal preference as opposed to age.For my son, this seemed an awe-inspiring world with a great story of friendship at its heart. It took him longer than usual to get through the book, as it is 283 pages long, but at no point in time did his interest wane (which is often the biggest hurdle with reluctant readers).As for that ending, yes, it’s perhaps not your happy ever after ending, but it was handled superbly by the author and kept my son talking about it for days after. I think Penny’s decision to go this route gives credit to the reader in understanding that they can handle and cope with inevitably - if it's done tastefully, and it was indeed in our opinion.Overall, The Dragon and her Boy is perhaps the next best step up for those readers who have perhaps grown up enjoying a popular certain dragon and training series – but who are now ready to move on from that world and start tackling more mature themes as they do.

I asked for this book, to give to my grandson, who loves everything dinosaur 🦖 or dragon 🐉.My first impression, seeing the cover, is that he’ll love it, especially the glitter that has been embedded into the cover, to represent dragon scales. The story is 283 pages long, and I like the idea of the author also gives a guide to stick’s (main character) ‘Gutterling’ language. A really helpful section.The text I feel is a bit small, for the age group it’s intended for 9-11, so he may struggle to begin with, but I’m sure he’ll adapt and pick it up. The black and white inky type pictures are especially detailed.The story is about a boy called stick, who encounters a dragon 🐉 in London’s tunnels, and befriends it and defends it.Hopefully the book will help towards his schooling, whilst in lockdown, and encourage him to read a bit more, seeing as the subject is something he enjoys.

I was intrigued when I saw this on Netgalley not only by the title but it also gave me the vibes of Disney's Pete's Dragon and so I knew I had to get my hands on it.The relationship between Stick and the Dragon was very comical in parts and feel that paired with the audio book really gives it a va va voom.There is so much to unpack in this well written Middle Grade. First you have London which Penny has turned into an actual character and you get to have an insight into how it was like living there and then you had the found family who really looked out for each other and each had such individuality even if they were only in some scenes than others. We also had a mystery which needed solving and quickly as to why a man and woman who take a lot of interest in children specially if they are street urchins.I was not expecting the reveal concerning Stick even though the Dragon had already said that a certain kind of person would be able to communicate with her.I gave this wonderful book 4 stars and will be on the lookout for more Penny Chrimes books

This is a lovely story about bravery and friendship. In this lovely book the main character Stick has managed to free a Dragon who is stuck in London's tunnel and soon after that they have formed friendship.The author has used a wide variety of words, so reading it was challenging but there is a handy glossary at the back too.I really loved this tale as an adult with its gorgeous illustrations and I would definitely recommend for young readers.

A really well-put-together world and story, with a detailed and likable main character. It is very easy to get into and hold the interest of even the most reluctant reader. A fantastic story and something that I fully recommend for readers of all ages. I will be looking for more titles by this authour. It would be a good book to give as a gift to encourage the younger reader.

My 10 year old daughter loved this book, she found it hugely engaging and an emotional read.She was delighted that the Dragon was a female character, the slow burning relationship between her and the big (Stick) warmed her heart. She has recently discovered that books can make you cry and sobbed her way through the last chapter, sharing the last page with me.A beautifully written thought provoking book, rich with emotions and depth of character.

A heartfelt story about the last dragon in London and the boy who finds her. They form an unlikely friendship and it turns into quite an adventure as the boy tries to defend the dragon from others who would do her harm. I'd say suitable for children 10 years and upwards.