Dragon Keeper - Carole Wilkinson

Published by Hyperion Books for Children: New York, NY, 2007.
First published 2003.

This is a book I had as part of my classroom shelf until a student broke the spine. I sat it on my desk meaning to repair it, but started reading it anyway during silent reading times with my junior classes to help role-model.

It's actually pretty good. A simple story, definitely based at older kids/younger teens, but entertaining, imaginative and occasionally going to darker places than I would have expected; there are a lot more deaths than in most children's books!

The story begins by following an unnamed orphan girl who is the slave of Master Lan. Master Lan is a revolting and nasty man, who is also in charge of looking after the emperor's dragons (this is set in a fictionalised ancient China). As Master Lan is also quite lazy, this responsibility falls mostly to the slave girl. Near the start of the book one of the two remaining dragons die, and Master Lan tries to find a way to cover it up before the emperor arrives. Through a series of events this leads to the slave girl fleeing Master Lan's palace with the remaining dragon in tow, along with her pet rat Hua and the mysterious 'dragon stone' that the dragon won't leave behind - it won't take much to guess the secret of the dragon stone.

Now on the run, the girl and the dragon begin to form a friendship, with the dragon communicating telepathically with her and training her in using her qi - basically like Star Wars' 'force'. Along the way they must escape from palace guards, a sinister dragon-hunter, and even a necromancer (see, told you it went darker!). 

Despite all this, the book is very light-hearted and fun, with the girl receiving a name and a purpose, gaining friendships and growing in her abilities as the story progresses.

Nothing mind-blowingly original, but a good read nonetheless, and apparently one with a movie version coming out too!

Completed 14 June 2023.

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