Cover Image: The Dragon and Her Boy

The Dragon and Her Boy

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Member Reviews

Sadly this book didn't grab me the way I had hoped. I normally love when books write words how they're spoken, thought admittedly typically if it's in what I call "everyday Scots" rather than London Street Urchin, but I struggled with this one.

Overall, I just struggled to stay connected in the story while trying to keep up with the language choices and thiw impacted my enjoyment and has been the only thing I remember of the book rather than the plot.

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I was intrigued when I saw this on Netgalley not only by the title but it also gave me the vibes of Disney's Pete's Dragon and so I knew I had to get my hands on it.

The relationship between Stick and the Dragon was very comical in parts and feel that paired with the audio book really gives it a va va voom.

There is so much to unpack in this well written Middle Grade. First you have London which Penny has turned into an actual character and you get to have an insight into how it was like living there and then you had the found family who really looked out for each other and each had such individuality even if they were only in some scenes than others. We also had a mystery which needed solving and quickly as to why a man and woman who take a lot of interest in children specially if they are street urchins.

I was not expecting the reveal concerning Stick even though the Dragon had already said that a certain kind of person would be able to communicate with her.

I gave this wonderful book 4 stars and will be on the lookout for more Penny Chrimes books

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I really enjoyed this book!

I found the entire story to be adorable, I loved the character, the setting and the story!

Definitely want to check out more from this author and I've bought a physical copy for my collection!

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This is such a cute and heart warming story. I could not believe how much I started to feel for a mythical creature! The relationship build up feels genuine even though it is between a Dragon and a Boy. It is slow and endearing and my heart melted when he started to refer to the dragon as "my dragon".

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This story takes place in the same version of London as the first book "Tiger Heart", but this time the hero is a young boy called 'Stick', who lives in the slums and makes a living on the streets. When he discovers the last living dragon, hiding out underneath the city, he decides to try and find a place of safety for the creature. How we outwits some very evil villains and finds out about his own past makes for an exciting and very satisfying story.

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The cover illustration filled me with enthusiasm to read this book. The huge dazzling dragon and the little boy reaching up to touch her filled my head with thoughts of adventure, before I even started reading. I love the title too!

Set in London, and not being far from there myself, I am familiar with some old fashioned London ‘type’ colloquialism and there is a lot of it in this book! I found this interesting and once I got involved with the story, it became quite normal and part of the characters charms. The language is used to set the scene and really drew me in to the story. There is a section of the back of the book entitled ‘ Sticks guide to gutterling’ which is an great addition, and also adds a bit of fun!

The protagonist Stick, is well liked by other characters in this story, and we soon begin to realise why. He is brave and confident and his friendship with the Dragon is gorgeous! They have an unlikely bond, and we love them throughout the story.

There are elements of this book, which I believe would fit better with the older end of the middle grade, as there are references to death, hanging and abuse. That sounds a bit scary but they are subtle and I think that in the context of the story, they work well, but it is worth noting they are present.

Although dark in places, this book is full of humour! I really enjoyed the Gutterlings banter with each other and the repartee between Stick and the Dragon.

There are references in the book to Penny Chrimes first novel ‘Tiger Heart’, but you can read this as a stand-alone book. I haven’t read it myself yet, but I hope to read the ‘Tiger Heart’ soon.

I would recommend this book to children of the older middle grade, moving onto young adult fictioN

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This is a wonderful read, which I enjoyed very much!

The book is mainly set in a 'Victorian-esque' London with children living on the streets reminiscent of Dickens' 'Oliver Twist'. However, the resemblance stops there!

Stick, the main protagonist, clearly has a back story which is hinted at from very early on in the novel. He is living on the street with a group of loyal street urchins who make ends meet by any means possible. But London is becoming unfamiliar as the ground beneath their feet shifts: literally! When children start to disappear off the streets and Stick's companions go missing, his search leads him to make an out of this world discovery underground.

Stick finds himself fact to face with a 'werme,' more commonly known as a dragon, who has managed to get herself stuck under the streets of London. A prickly relationship is soon formed and Stick finds himself having to guide the dragon out to freedom backwards! The dialogue between the two characters is truly wonderful and hilarious. It reminded me of the BFG: Stick is starvacious and has been snabbled... to name just two examples of this author's brilliant play with language. You can have such fun discussing with children what the words might mean, though the novel has a handy glossary at the back.

Once Stick and the dragon escape London, the story takes a turn to the countryside to try and locate Stick's missing friends. As Stick travels further from London, his dark, mysterious past is uncovered.

Just as a word of warning, the book has some troubling incidents: a child dies, neglect and some domestic violence is hinted at. Do not let this put you off, they can all be handled sensitively with young audiences. The relationship between Stick (our knight) and his Ma'am (the dragon) are a treasure to behold.

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The Dragon and her Boy is a brilliantly exciting, fast-paced adventure set in a past London, brimming with peril, intrigue and humour, that enthralled me throughout.
The gutterling friends and tumblers, Stick, Spud and Sparrow, who we previously met in Tiger Heart, are separated when there is a commotion beneath the streets during an unnatural Great Heat. Could their disappearance have anything to do with a terrifying figure seen by Stick, a figure from his past?
The other children who are surviving on London’s streets sense that something is wrong in the City, and tell Stick about a strange woman who is taking children. Determined to find his lost friends, Stick finds himself beneath the streets of London, and face-to-face with … a dragon! A rather irascible, easily offended dragon – the last of her kind - who has become stuck in an underground tunnel after running away from grave danger. AND she’s just brilliant – and rather partial to a little flattery – and crumpets!
Discovering that they have a common enemy, the dragon and Stick join forces and embark on an incredible adventure to rescue Stick’s friends and each other; an adventure that sees them form a wonderful bond of friendship; and, an adventure that sees Stick confront terrors from his past. Their friendship is filled with wonderful repartee, trust and a need to protect each other. Stick is incredibly courageous, thinking about others before himself and facing up to his fears in order to save both old and new friends from someone who has caused him great pain in the past.
This is a fantastically fast-paced adventure, brimming with danger, revelations and intrigue: a real page-turner. The bonds of friendship between the gutterling children, who have become a family, are incredibly touching which leads to some poignant moments, but also a real sense of hope as they are determined to work together, despite the risks they have to take, to help each other. I really enjoyed the language used between the children and felt this helped me become part of their world. The author has included ‘Stick’s Guide to Gutterling’ in the Author’s Notes which I found fascinating.
This is a story that will take you on an incredible adventure, an adventure filled with daring and danger, with truths unfolding, with courageous hearts and heart-warming friendships. Truly glorious storytelling!

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I think we’ve already established that most of my reads are either books that are sequels to ones I’ve already read, new titles by my favourite authors or recommendations that I’ve picked up through chatting on Twitter. This latest read is one which falls into the last of those categories, but unusually is a book that I have seen very little mention of. Falling in love with its beautiful cover, I was intrigued when I saw it being discussed and when I saw it was available on Net Galley, requested it and was delighted to be approved.

Most readers of this new title will be enjoying it through the more traditional medium of paper, however, and I do hope that when this is published next week, on 18th February, it will generate a lot more fuss in the kidlit-enjoying community to which I belong, because it is a little belter – a cracking adventure with a twist at the end that took me completely by surprise.

In what has been a freezing cold week here, with my school closed initially because of snow and then the breakdown of the boiler, it has been lovely to read a book which opens with the description of a blisteringly hot summer – one in which the sun is shining on the crowds gathered for the Bartholomew Fair. It is here that we meet Stick – a tumbler whose hands and bare feet are suffering as a result of practising his art on the burning cobbles. Rumour has it that the hot ground has been caused by the devil himself, but Stick doesn’t hold with such nonsense because far worse things have happened in his past – things which his mind has buried deep.

On this particular day, Stick – together with his fellow tumblers Spud and Sparrow – has been hoping to make enough money to treat himself and his fellow street urchin friends to some hot food, but business has been slow and very few coins have come their way. As the three boys sit and watch a Punch and Judy show start, and listen to a preacher trying to deliver his sermon, they are suddenly startled by a suffocating blast of hot air blowing up from below, one which stinks of sulphur and something long-buried. This is swiftly followed by the ground shaking and the general terror of all present.

When the puppet booth collapses and all around him fall to the ground, Stick looks about and spots a strikingly tall man, with a large sack over his shoulder which appears to be filled with something wriggling about. As Stick looks at him, he notices that the man’s eyes have the look of someone possessed and Stick realises in horror that he recognises him. Looking away in panic and then looking back, he discovers that not only has the man suddenly disappeared but so have his friends and the Punch and Judy booth.

Stick looks around desperately for his friends, but unable to find them returns to rejoin the gang of street urchins to which he belongs. Once he has done so, he relates what he has seen only to find that Spud and Sparrow are not the first children to disappear. The following morning, Stick goes out again to investigate, convinced that the tall man has had something to do with what has happened and returns to the site of the fair. Spying a crack between a wall and the ground, Stick realises that it is gently opening and closing and finds himself drawn towards it. Now convinced that something is down there, he lowers himself in and hears a voice asking who it is that has woken its owner up.

Very quickly, Stick discovers that the voice belongs to a dragon – the last of her kind which is trapped underground, and is injured and very unhappy. As he sets about trying to free her and heal her wounds, Stick must not only convince her to trust in him but he must also try his hardest to keep her safe from those who are interested in her for very different reasons…

Talking dragons are nothing new, but here the relationship between Stick and the beast is quite unlike any I’ve ever encountered. At first, they are quite wary of one another. He believes there is every chance he will be eaten – with good reason – while she is irritable, bone-weary, pining for her long-dead sisters and with a very poor opinion of human beings. When Stick decides that he must act with his conscience and starts to try to free her, she appears rather ungrateful to him; it takes all of his powers of persuasion, and a lot of flattery and TLC, to get her to agree to follow his plan.

Although Stick has had friends previously, in the form of Spud and Sparrow, the bond that he forms with the dragon quickly becomes a much deeper one. As they get to know one another, they grow to love one another and it becomes clear that each will do all that they can for the other. When the opportunity comes for one of the two to prove the extent of that love, it comes in the most unexpected form, which I am most certainly not about to describe here, but it is one that will take many readers by surprise, as it did me.

I really enjoyed this book and – as I said at the start of my review – I’m hoping that there will be a much bigger discussion about it next week on Twitter when it is released. At times, quite serious and sad and at others really quite humorous, this deserves to find a wide audience. I probably wouldn’t recommend it to younger or more sensitive children because of the more serious parts, but most of my Year 5s would absolutely love this.

Enormous thanks to both Net Galley and to Orion books for my advance read. A fabulous 5 out of 5 stars.

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This was a gorgeous, heartwarming story that nestled it's way to my heart and will remain there forever.

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It was an absolute joy to be back in the historical world of Stick, Spud, Sparrow and the gutterlings. We adored Tiger Heart, and The Dragon and her Boy has just as much heart and heart-of-London adventure.
This book sees a return to the world of Tiger Heart where Stick and his friends investigate the underground rumblings and street-shifts of a scorching summer, the rumours of disappearing children, and the unwanted return of a familiar face. Penny Chrimes uses a wonderful mix of dialect, slang and old English, creating a language that’s immersive, exciting and atmospheric. This series is calling out to teachers and their lessons on language uses.
Filled to bursting with bravery, peril, heart and loyalty, this is a joy to read... but not for the faint-hearted.
The perfect book for those who relish adventure mixed in with a bit of Dickensian darkness and Victorian grit.

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This touching tale of bravery, friendship and facing one’s fears took me by surprise..

I expected a rip-roaring adventure and I certainly got one. What I didn’t expect was the amount of heart in the story - a true tale of love and loss with characters you root for, a spine-chilling and truly evil villain and an unlikely hero.

When Stick’s friends begin to disappear from the streets of London, he goes on an unexpected quest to find them. He ends up finding a lot more than he bargained for in the form of a moody and unpredictable dragon. Can this unlikely pairing face their fears and save their friends?

This book is unlike any other I’ve ever read. It is the ultimate tale of good versus evil. It’s unpredictable, fast-paced and the old-fashioned slang makes it a truly entertaining and immersive read.

I very much enjoyed it, despite shedding a few tears along the way. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

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Stick is a gutting in London earning pennies buy tumbling with friends, the one day the ground shakes and he fall under the streets of London and finds a dragon there.

Meanwhile in the country and in London children have been going missing - could this be the work of the dragon?

I liked this story and I think the two strand worked well together and the ending was believable.I liked how the story of Stick evolved and he learnt to be comfortable with who he is.

This would be a good book for crossover primary and secondary school.

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I loved the premise for this one, and I found the characters to be well-realised and engaging. Unfortunately, it just didn't click for me, in part I think due to the language. This is very much a personal reaction, because the writing and the language use were a wonderful addition to the world that Chrimes established, but for me, it was a little much in places.

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If you are a teacher looking for an engaging text that push the boundaries of language - here it is. The author has used a wide variety of words that are not commonly used today, and this really helps 'set the time' of the piece, and also help explore their meanings - there is a handy glossary at the back! I hadn't realised that the characters had appeared in a previous book, however this did not detract in anyway, in fact it was an enjoyable stand alone book. I must admit to feeling a little heartbroken at the end, but I can see why the story had to end that way - although I would have liked more! I enjoyed the experience of the building of the relationship between Stick and the Dragon, and how this builds to the climax at the end. I enjoyed this book, and can imagine pupils of mine trying to utilise the language used in their own writing.

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Content warning: parental abuse/neglect; childhood poverty; major character death; minor character death; violence; injury and wound-dressing.

This book didn't quite click for me - it's not a bad book by any means, it just didn't end up being one that I loved. I found the argot it was written in distracted me from the characterisation, and I thought that the cynicism of its look at childhood poverty and death sat uneasily with the fantasy adventure elements. The dragon plot seemed to belong to a much younger age range than the darkness of the setting, and I agree with other reviewers that the ending is too sad and philosophical for me to say this was a book I enjoyed. It felt like a Dickens work with a dragon jammed in, rather than the 'epic adventure' the blurb promised. Overall, I found it extremely disappointing, but I think others may find its mix of brutality and whimsy charming - perhaps not one for sensitive kids, though.

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I haven’t read any previous books by Penny Chrimes, but I found the idea of a boy rescuing a dragon that is trapped under London appealing.

The characters in this book were well rounded and (for the most part) engaging. I particularly loved the character of the dragon, she was delightful.

The plot was enjoyable, a great adventure, with rescues all round. However, it was too dark for me. There was too much death for my tastes. And I found the ending horribly sad. I don’t think everyone would, but it’s not the happy ending I was hoping for.

Overall, this was an exciting adventure, full of interesting characters. Just don’t expect happy endings for everyone.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

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Tiger Heart was a masterpiece but I feel this may even top that one.

Tiger Heart introduced us to Fly, Stick and the rest of the gutterlings of London. A tough life, close to starvation and no one to care for them they learn to lean and rely on each other. This was something they excelled at.

In this tale, we meet Stick, Spud and Sparrow during a heatwave on the streets of London. Many are saying the devil has come for his reckoning, "Old Scratch is blowing on his coals , down there".

When Spud and Sparrow disappear after a familiar face surprises Stick, he knows he has to face his fears and his past to right the wrongs. What he doesn’t expect is to find a dragon living and breathing under the streets of London. Able to understand her, though he is not a true knight, confounds then both but when guns are fired down at them, a truce is formed while they make their escape.

Their paths are inexorably linked by the familiar beetroot red face of Stick's past. Finding their way to the country side, there is danger and a past full of horrors and sorrows to come to terms with.

Unbeknownst to Stick, his gang of gutterlings has gotten themselves wrapped up in the same story and relying on and leaning against each other becomes even more important and necessary.
The glossary at the end of the book is entirely helpful as you navigate through the conversations between the characters.

A touching tale of bravery, friendship and being a true knight.!

I Loved every page and Stick Is the selfless hero of legends!

Read Tiger Heart and then this... I promise you will not regret it!

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This was a brilliant story about Stick (main character) with knights blood in his family, so was destined to be a dragon fighter. The dragon living underground, below London wished to die as it was old and the last of its kind.
A deep story of love, sacrifice and loss. True friendship never dies, nor does love.
Deep and powerful.
A memorable tale.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved by the ten year old boy in this house!

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