Book Review: Thomas and the Dragon Queen by Shutta Crum (Blog Tour)

SUMMARY:

A kingdom is at war.

A princess has been kidnapped by a dragon queen.

A brave squire volunteers to set out on a quest to rescue her.

But there's just one small problem. He's Thomas, the shortest of all the squires. With little more than a donkey, a vest, and a sword, Thomas will have to use all of his courage and determination to battle a beast with many heads, reach a forbidden island, and rescue the princess from a most fearsome dragon-and an even more fearsome fate!

Part thrilling adventure and part enchanting fantasy, sprinkled with charming black-and-white illustrations, Thomas and the Dragon Queen will delight young readers from start to finish.

OPINION: 4 STARS


Filled with adventure that any early/young reader will enjoy, especially the boys, and a protagonist who is easily relatable by many, Thomas and the Dragon Queen makes a great book that even the parents will find themselves enjoying. With a brave central character and a world of fantasy and adventure, Thomas finds himself in all kinds of situations that the youngsters will love to hear about. There are also plenty of other interesting, kind and likable characters. A strong ending message and a great tie up make this one good for parent/child time.

Though he is twelve, Thomas is the size of about a seven year old. He goes through plenty of ridicule as a result, but he continues through, determined to be able to fight with the knights. Thomas has a huge heart and makes some great friends along his journey, enduring plenty of trials that keep things exciting and entertaining. From the princess to Thomas' new friend, he has help along the way, as well, sending a great message out.

There is plenty of description throughout the book to really bring things alive and make it easy for the reader to imagine things, and the black and white pictures scattered throughout also help with this. Even with several typical knight story type elements, Crum has made this something unique and entertaining. Though this one hits a little more on the early reader side than MG despite Thomas' age, it's a good one across the ages.

Details:
Source: Received for review from author as part of a promotional tour with The {Teen} Book Scene
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (July 13, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375857036
ISBN-13: 978-0375857034