Sometimes you need a delightfully clever middle grade fantasy novel to cleanse your palate. Come see if Laurence Yep’s A Dragon’s Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans sounds right for you!

(Plot synopsis courtesy of Amazon) Crusty dragon Miss Drake has a new pet human, precocious Winnie. Oddly enough, Winnie seems to think Miss Drake is her pet—a ridiculous notion!

Unknown to most of its inhabitants, the City by the Bay is home to many mysterious and fantastic creatures, hidden beneath the parks, among the clouds, and even in plain sight. And Winnie wants to draw every new creature she encounters: the good, the bad, and the ugly. But Winnie’s sketchbook is not what it seems. Somehow, her sketchlings have been set loose on the city streets! It will take Winnie and Miss Drake’s combined efforts to put an end to the mayhem . . . before it’s too late.

How many adjectives can I use to describe this story? Charming, witty, delightful, clever, well-written, well-told — they all fit! Miss Drake truly is crusty with a heart of gold, but she’s also in complete denial about her more altruistic nature. Her new pet/guardian, young Winnie, is a perfect handful, and also perfectly helpful. They are fantastic characters with depth and flaws and everything that makes them worthwhile.

As a starter story for a series goes, this one is perfect. It could almost stand alone on its own merits. I highly recommend it for children and adults alike. It’s smartly written enough to keep an adult entertained, but accessible enough for any intelligent child to enjoy. 

If you want to purchase a copy of A Dragon’s Guide to the Care and Feed of Humans, use our affiliate link HERE and support our blog at the same time!

Until the next page turns, I remain–

Karie the Maknae

Dramas with a Side of Kimchi