THE DRAGON BOY

When Boy’s adoptive grandmother Galifalia dies, he goes to the Luck Dragon compound and begs admittance. Inside, the children of the nobles of Nogardia care for the docile dragon. Much to the chagrin of some of the children, the boy, soon called Straw, is welcomed. Before long, he forms a special relationship with the awesome dragon Star. Straw learns he’s descended from an old race that can understand the speech of the dragons, and Star begins training Straw to fight. After years of training, Straw’s enemies force his exile from the compound, but this is just the beginning of the adventure. Samson, a Waldorf educator and playwright, has crafted an enjoyable if somewhat pedestrian fantasy. Boy/Straw is too good, and his adversaries are too easily beaten to generate much tension. Too, the author at times gets tangled in his language and ends up saying the opposite of what he means. Fantasy lovers could do worse, but dragon tales are plentiful. Could be useful in classroom discussions on bullying. (Fantasy. 9-13)