Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

I had a hard time getting into Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke. I felt disconnected from the characters and nearly put it down. That changed with the introduction of the villain, Nettlebrand. Every dragon story needs a good villain, and while Nettlebrand isn't particularly complex, he is evil.

In Dragon Rider, a dragon, a boy, and a brownie seek a safe place in our modern day world for dragons to hide from humans encroaching in their living spaces. They need to stay hidden in order to stay alive and not end up on display. Unfortunately, there is a golden dragon by the name of Nettlebrand who loves to hunt and eat dragons more than any other thing.

I liked the relationships in the story and hope that Ben's character will be more fleshed out as the series progresses. This is book one of so far a two book series. Book two will be published in English in 2017.

If you like dragon books, you will probably enjoy this story.

Read to a child today even if that child is you.