Drake doesn’t like digging onions, but he’s resigned to that future. That is, until one of the king’s men scoops him up and whisks him away to the castle to become a Dragon Master. When faced with the door to the dungeon, Drake thinks the onion field might be the better choice. But then he sees the dragons. Disappointment strikes again when he meets his particular dragon: the Earth Dragon. It’s not flashy, can’t fly, and looks like a snake. Still, Drake senses a connection and names it Worm. The two form a bond and save the other dragons and their masters when they attempt to break the rules. In this first of the Dragon Masters series, vocabulary is accessible; sentences, paragraphs, and chapters are short; and dialogue moves the story along rapidly. Black-and-white sketch-type drawings add depth to the story and feelings to the characters (both children and dragons). Emergent readers will find happy success here.

I’m always looking for good books to share with my students in my classroom. I have found it in this one. Boys and girls alike loved the way the characters worked with one another and a pacing of the story. The reading level is low enough that 2nd-3rd graders are able to read it but not feel like they are being “childish” books. The book kept the attention of my third graders and they asked to borrow it…pretty much most of them asked to borrow it. (They had to take turns.) The pictures are great and I’ll be looking to add more of the author’s work to my classroom library!