How would you feel if you were sent on a cultural and language trip to the other side of the world instead of spending the summer holidays doing your favourite activity? That’s the situation surfing champion Billy faces when he is sent to a remote mountain in China to improve his language skills and learn more about his Chinese heritage, and initially he is not filled with enthusiasm. Neither is he impressed by his summer schoolmates, until a team challenge launches Billy and his three team-mates into a thrilling and dangerous adventure they could never imagined.
Told from Billy’s viewpoint, the mystery unfolds for the reader along with the characters, whose friendship grows as their quest progresses and the peril increases, and they meet the dragons with whom they will bond. The bond between human and dragon is an appealing concept (especially if like me you are a fan of Anne McCaffrey’s dragon books for older readers), but since the children are chosen by their dragons for their main personality trait, this can make the characters feel a little one-dimensional. I felt some of the language started to become repetitive as the plot developed and the continual use of the word “kids” began to grate along with references to “the bond”, but the plot is exciting and fast moving and will hold the attention of the target audience.
There are many children who use our library who will be drawn to this book, and will want to read the inevitable sequels.

Warning possible spoiler alert.

This book was great it was fast paced, great characters but I hate cliff hangers. This book literally didn't have an ending, I want an ending, I need to know what happens.

Great way to sell a series but I how incredibly frustrating to spend a day reading a book to have no ending. So sadly I won't be able to share this book with my kids until there are a few of the series out.

Who doesn’t love a dragon? I cannot remember the last time I read a children’s book with one within its pages and with that very much in mind, I requested this little cracker from Net Galley ahead of its publication on September 3rd this year.

Our story kicks off with Billy, a talented surfer, arriving in ‘middle-of-nowhere China’ from his home in California after being sent by his parents to attend a summer camp to ‘improve his Mandarin and learn more about his Chinese heritage’. Together with another newly arrived camp resident, Dylan, Billy is taken on a terrifying bus ride by the camp leader, ‘Old Gold’, to his destination: Camp Dragon – a small site miles away from civilisation in the mountains.

It is here that, in traditional style, Billy and Dylan meet the others who will be sharing the summer with them and they are divided into three teams, with Billy and Dylan being buddied up with Charlotte, a highly-motivated over-achiever, and Ling-Fei, a much quieter girl who has been at the camp for some time.

Having settled in, Old Gold shares a legend with the four children – a story relating to a bright star reputed to be the heart of a dragon killed in an epic battle between a dragon more powerful than the rest, and its race. Following on from this battle, a river of blood had run down the mountain with the dragons now said to be biding their time before waiting for the right time to return.

The children are quick to bond and are set a task to solve a riddle and fetch the object which is the answer. Deciding very quickly to break the rules of the camp in order to be the first team back, they are soon placed in danger. After taking a detour through a section of land which is off-limits, they are astonished to see a tiger appear with, it seems, every intention of eating at least one of them, before vanishing mysteriously. Following on from this scare, the mountain is subjected to an earthquake which forces the children to return to camp empty-handed.

On reaching safety, the children find not only have they not found their object, they are last and incur the disappointment of Old Gold – something every school child will empathise with – who does not believe a word they say about either the tiger or the earthquake. Not only have they got to deal with this but Ling-Fei discovers she has lost her necklace – a precious reminder of her grandmother.

Rather than allow Ling –Fei to retrace her steps alone, her friends go with her and Billy is horrified when on returning to the scene, one-by-one his friends disappear into the mountain itself, leading to Billy following after them in order to try to rescue them. On finding his friends, Billy is shocked to find them apparently in danger from a dragon who has them at their mercy.

From this point on, the story gathers pace very quickly until it reaches a conclusion that leaves the reader with many unanswered questions, which will hopefully be answered in the planned sequels due 2021 and 2022. Along the way, the reader gets to know both the children and the dragons who appear alongside them, all of whom are described so well by the writers that I found I could picture them clearly in my mind. Not only this, I found that I empathised with both humans and dragons as they faced the various challenges presented to them as the story unfolded – their individual characters, including their strengths and flaws -.were so beautifully drawn.

This is a cracking read for anyone who loves fantasy or adventure stories. I think that more able year 4 readers would love this in addition to several of my year 5 class, to whom I will be recommending this once it is published. Huge thanks to the writers, the publishers (Simon and Schuster) and to Net Galley for allowing me to read this ahead of publication.

A thrilling adventure with four young children whisked into a dark fantasy world with dragon companions, to save the day from the ultimate evil dragon!

The different personalities of both the kids and the dragons comes across really well, and the world they're in feels genuinely dark and scary, and magical. The Chinese setting really suits the story too. An exciting start to a new series.

As Billy and his new camp mates sit around the fire on their first evening at Dragon Mountain camp in China, they are hooked on the legend of the mountain they sit in the shadow of. The legend is being shared by Old Gold, leader of the camp. He also explains that the 12 children in front of him are the brightest and best, nominated to attend this camp, where not only will they upgrade their Mandarin speaking skills but will learn martial arts, cooking and will test themselves throughout the summer.
The camp mates are split into teams and these teams need to work and live together to win challenges and gain rewards. Billy, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling are teamed up and must work together to solve the first riddle given. This riddle leads them off the beaten track to find dragon fruit, but there they encounter a far scarier scene, a tiger. Little do the foursome know they have just met part of the legend told their first night in camp. However, running for safety back to camp, they are dismayed to find no one believes them, and they are punished for lying.

Bewildered at the reaction, the foursome must travel back to find Ling’s lost jewellery. They learn then that Old Gold’s legend is truth.

It turns out, the Tiger is the curse keeper and he must be defeated to gain access to the mountain. Hidden within the mountain are dragons, who can only be saved by the perfect balance of heart and bravery...aka....Billy, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling. The foursome battle their way to the dragons and learn that a bond must be formed between dragon and human. Powers are gifted and allies formed. The dragons are amazing, all vastly different with their own blend of magical abilities, powers and image. Each child bonds with a dragon and they are all surprised at their new talents, strengths and powers. They will draw on these in the days to come,

I always try to avoid spoilers and so in doing that, I cannot reveal certain important details....what you need to know Is that this is an incredible story, an epic journey and there are some brilliant twists and surprises along the way.

At times I was shocked, frightened, emotional but I was always full of hope. I loved the characters, and their hugely different personalities. I worried they would argue and fight more but the war they are raging is far more important. Their bonds of friendship are strengthened, and they learn to trust in new ways.

I was so thrilled to be able to read this via NetGalley, and am NEEDING book 2 as the twist and cliffhanger ending has left me wanting more dragons, more legends and answers!

Fun and REALLY cool. Love the cover, I have read the authors other work and think that this one is my new favorite!

I couldn't stop reading this util I had finished the book. Absolutely brilliant, and I can't wait for the next instalment. Full of adventure and friendship, brimming with originality, and I would soooooo love to be linked with one of these incredible dragons. Very descriptive with daring deeds as well as humour throughout the story. Fantastic!