The Dragon's Apprentice
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- USD 7.99
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- USD 7.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this hilarious fantasy adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of the Story Thieves series, a girl strikes a deal with the ancient, cranky dragon she accidentally summoned to teach her the forbidden magic she needs to save her mother.
STOP. Don’t read any further. There are magic spells in this book, and the Emperor has forbidden anyone from learning magic, because it’s way too dangerous! If you try one of the spells, any number of terrible things might happen (or so the Emperor says).
Don’t be like Ciara, a twelve-year-old girl living in the tiny village of Skael. When she used a spell from within this book, she ended up summoning a dragon. A DRAGON! Those things breathe fire! From their mouths! She’s obviously doomed.
And don’t listen if Ciara tells you that dragons won’t hurt humans, and that they even once taught us magic, a thousand years ago. Definitely don’t pay any attention to the fact that the dragon she summoned, Scorch, might be willing to help rescue Ciara’s mother and free her village from the Emperor and his Warden, because it’s all obviously a big lie. So put this book down, and forget about it. Magic is just way too dangerous. After all, you wouldn’t want to summon your own dragon, would you?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A 12-year-old wakes a slumbering dragon in this rollicking series launch from Riley (the Once upon Another Time series). When Ciara finds the enchanted, millennium-old journal of Dragon Mage apprentice Bianca, whose unsanctioned actions triggered a shadow-monster invasion, she keeps it hidden; because of Bianca, magic is forbidden for all except the Draconic Empire's ruler and his son. Bianca's journal entries tell a different story, however, making Ciara question what's true. Then Ciara's mother falls ill and they sell their family farm, but before they can trade the proceeds for medicine, the warden learns Ciara's secret. Though he imprisons Ciara's mother, Ciara escapes with the journal, inside which appears a spell she uses to summon Bianca's magister—a crotchety dragon named Scorch, who's been hibernating since before Bianca's alleged betrayal. Scorch agrees to teach Ciara enough magic to save her mom, provided she helps him learn what really happened to Bianca, the Dragon Mage, and his siblings. An uproariously funny third-person narrative ping-pongs between Ciara and Scorch, chronicling high-spirited hijinks while unspooling an inventive mythology. Riley's female characters in particular boast moxie and heart. Ciara cues as white; some characters have brown skin. Ages 8–12.
