Content: G (mild danger)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Anya is happy in her small Russian village, surrounded by her parents and her Babulya. Even though they are the only Jews, their neighbors are largely welcoming, though the local magistrate is not always pleasant. Then comes the day a family of Fools move in. Anya overhears that they have been promised a house that sounds suspiciously like her home! And the Fools are here because they are in pursuit of a dragon for the tsar. In their wake, comes a Varangian – a fierce warrior who will stop at nothing to catch the dragon, even should it mean killing Anya. Because Anya has seen the dragon and met the dragon and will do anything in her power to protect the dragon, who is kinder than many people – especially that Varangian. It will only be with the help of one of the Fools that she has any chance.
You will definitely need to hand sell this to the right readers. The old-fashioned setting in a foreign country is just the first hurdle. It also takes about 40% of the book for the dragon to appear – way too much set-up comes before that. Once the dragon appears, then the action moves into high gear. Promise your best readers that the last half of the book is worth the beginning. The author could have edited almost 100 pages from this and had a much more readable book.
Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
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