This is one of the best middle grades I've read this year - a fun, fresh and delicious story with bold and lively characters.
Description from
the publisher:
Aventurine
is the fiercest, bravest kind of dragon, and she's ready to prove it to her
family by leaving the safety of their mountain cave and capturing the most
dangerous prey of all: a human.
But
when the human she captures tricks her into drinking enchanted hot chocolate,
she finds herself transformed into a puny human girl with tiny blunt teeth, no
fire, and not one single claw. She's still the fiercest creature in these
mountains though – and now she's found her true passion: chocolate! All she has
to do is walk on two feet to the human city, find herself an apprenticeship
(whatever that is) in a chocolate house (which sounds delicious), and she'll be
conquering new territory in no time … won't she?
Wild
and reckless young Aventurine will bring havoc to the human city – but what she
doesn't expect is that she'll find real friendship there too, along with
betrayal, deception, scrumptious chocolate and a startling new understanding of
what it means to be a human (and a dragon).
The Dragon with
a Chocolate Heart was
written by Stephanie Burgis and published by Bloomsbury in in 2017.
Why you want to
read this book…
It
was a genius idea to pair dragons and chocolate in the same book! I loved
Adventurine’s fierceness and adventurous personality. It’s so entertaining to
read about how she learned to adapt to the “human world” and I loved her determination
to become a chocolatier apprentice. There are lots of funny moments in this
story and I loved Adventurine’s friendship with the persuasive girl, Silke, as well as her
developing relationship with her gruff new boss, Marina. And then there are the
interesting details about making chocolate! For me, the best word to describe
this story is “delightful.”
“Dragons
could go for days without food when they needed to, and I didn’t like being
treated as if I were weak. Still, as the scent drifted up from the glass in my hands,
I lost the will to argue.”
If you’re a
writer…
This
is a good story to study to see how to create characters that feel alive and
full of personality. I enjoyed all the details that showed her dragon’s eye
view of the world the author created.
“Humans
really were herd animals. And now I was at their mercy.”
If you’re a
teacher…
It
was interesting how Adventurine had to learn how to control the dragony feelings
of rage that bubbled up inside during challenging situations. She also is quite
determined and doesn’t give up on her dream to work in a chocolate house. This
story would be a great one to have in the classroom for fans of fantasy!
“I
blinked out the last of the irritating wetness from my aching eyes and pushed
myself up from the ground with a growl of fury. What kind of dragon would curl
up and surrender just because she’d had a bit of bad luck?”
Opening Line:
“I
can’t say I ever wondered what it felt like to be human.”
Other Info:
This sounds like a fantastic new book by Stephanie. Who couldn't love it with the chocolate theme? BTW, Stephanie's first middle grade book was Kat Incorrigible.
ReplyDeleteThanks,Natalie! I really liked this book so I'll have to look for the others.
DeleteWOW! Thank you for sharing this original new fantasy book! I love it! Also love how you share how writer's and teachers can use the book.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Patricia!
DeleteThanks for the great post about this new book. It left me with only one thought... What's not to like? Can't wait to make a steaming cup of hot chocolate and get my hands on a copy of this adventure.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lot of fun, Greg! I love the character personalities, too! Reading it with a cup of hot chocolate is an awesome idea.
DeleteDragons and chocolate? Can't go wrong. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDelete