What a gem of a story and one of my top faves this year. I love the note it ended on because it left the door wide open for a series and this is too good a story to end here. Michelle Knudsen's style of writing is like trying on an unbelievably comfortable pair of slippers - so easy to sink into that I found myself going "just one more chapter" even as my eyes were closing. What I pictured was an adventure story about a dragon, but added to the mix is mystery, suspense and even romance, which came as a very unexpected and welcome surprise, especially since what I thought at first was leading to a predictable conclusion ended up being anything but.

The story revolves around the separate lives of Calen, an apprentice mage, and Princess Meg, whose paths cross unexpectedly, resulting in a bond of friendship. Meg's sister, Maerlie, is about to be married to Prince Ryant, the union of which would bring peace between Trelian and Kragnir, which have been at war for some time. Shortly after Meg introduces Calen to her dragon, Jakl, Calen discovers he has unforeseen powers as a mage, which are put to the test in an assassination plot against Meg's sister, Maerlie, which could result in a war. It is up to Calen and Meg, together with Jakl, to find a way to prevent the traitors from achieving their goal.

What I loved the most was the relationships, especially that of Calen and Meg, which appeared more developed than Meg's and Jakl's, although this is mainly due to Meg's shielding of Jakl for so long. Each draws strength from the other, especially in times of need, which balances out their relationship so perfectly that they almost seem as one.

My only regret is that the story ended. I cannot wait for the next one. Have been raving about it to everyone so with all the extra sales Ms. Knudsen should get, I hope it is not too long before book two is on the shelves. In the meantime, I give this one five stars. ( )

Knudsen, M. (2009). The Dragon of Trelian. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.



9780763634551



Calen, a mage’s apprentice, befriends the witty and tough Princess Meg of Trelian just when her older sister is marrying the prince of Kragnir to make peace after a century of war. Meg, without thinking, decides to let Calen in on a HUGE secret--a secret that has scales and will soon learn to fly and breath fire. As the two young teens form a friendship around keeping their secret, Meg learns that she has a special link with the young dragon, Jakl. She cannot leave the dragon alone, but fears what will happen if the dragon comes to close to the Trelian castle or eats a farmer's cattle. Making all of this tension worse, a strange giant creature has attacked several guards on the castle grounds. From there, the problems and betrayals only get bigger.

The Dragon of Trelian switches back and forth between Calen and Meg's points of view, considering Calen's work as a studying mage and Meg's concerns over growing older, falling in love for the first time and having her older sister leave her after Maerlie's approaching wedding. (In fact, this emphasis on Meg's first romance and her strange connection to a Jakl could allow a parent to discuss healthy relationships, if such a talk were necessary)

While it may take some time to ease into this book The Dragon of Trelian includes a lot of gentle humor before the drama really begins around page 115. Beyond that, my one critique are the character names. I feel like for most of the book, Knudsen was having too much fun with syllables and alternate spellings. I caught myself thinking "where'd that name come from?" or "which of Meg's sisters is which? All their names start with M's," more often than I would like.



Ten bucks says there will be a sequel.

Activities to do with the book:



A teacher could draw parallels between this fantasy and history to accommodate how countries create alliances or trigger wars with the assassination of a single person. Another option would be to compare this fantasy to others that the students had read or viewed.

A teacher could also direct a conversation to (or consider for their own teaching process ) the teaching methods Serek, the mage, uses to teach his apprentice Calen magic. Are his methods good? Why or why not? How can a teacher best help their individual students?

Since several monsters and places are described, students could create detailed illustrations or models of what they envision those creatures or places look like.

There are also scenes in which herbs are used for medicinal purposes. In response groups could research various flora and how and when they were discovered to help with various maladies.





Favorite Quotes:



“Calen tried not to look down. This was the best vantage point in the east wing of the castle—a thick window ledge that looked out over both the main gate and a good bit of the Queen’s Road beyond. It was by no means the highest point in the castle, but it was still a good deal higher than Calen normally preferred to go. Climbing up to sit on the ledge had taken all his courage. He couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to fall, screaming in terror and watching the shaped hedges rush up at him from below until he hit the ground and died a horrible and painful death” (p. 1).



“Technically, he hadn’t exactly disobeyed. Serek had only implied that Calen should return directly; he hadn’t actually said it. Not that this distinction would hold much weight with Serek, but it was enough to soothe Calen’s conscience. Besides, it wasn’t like there was anything to rush back for. Calen thought back to the argument they’d had earlier. Well, argument wasn’t really the right word. Mostly it had been Serek making pointed comments about how lazy Calen was and glaring at him whenever he opened his mouth to defend himself” (p. 3).

"They walked in silence for a while, but Meg's mind was anything but quiet. Was this a comfortable silence? Or an awkward silence? How did one tell these things? Should she say something? She should say something. But she couldn't think of anything to say" (pp. 62-63).

"One of the worst parts of being a mage, he often thought, must be having to spend so much time cooped up in a dark study. As an apprentice, at least he got to travel to the market once a week and run occasional errands outside the castle, but most of the business of magic itself seemed to require darkness and dust and shadows. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen Serek [the mage] outside in the daytime. No wonder the man was always in such a foul mood" (p. 73).

"Yesterday he had been alone, and not particularly happy with his lot.

Today he had a friend and a secret. And a spark" (p. 122).

For more of my reviews, visit sjkessel.blogspot.com.

Reason for Reading: children's fantasy about dragons? Need I say more!

Comments: Calen is the apprentice to the rather surly palace mage, Serek. One day while loitering about instead of gathering herbs he meets the Princess Meglynne out for her daily jaunt in peasant clothing. They become friends and she shares her darkest secret with him. She has a young dragon hidden nearby! But as the dragon is reaching adolescence Meg is having strange experiences, she can feel what the dragon feels when she is away from him and she seeks Calen's help in gathering knowledge about dragons from the mage's library. Together they explore this strange phenomenon but meanwhile the kingdom is under a secret attack from the inside that Meg and Calen accidentally discover on their own. Will they be able to out the traitor before all is lost?

I have to admit this started slowly and I wasn't immediately taken with it. I kept having feelings of deja vu which leads me to say the plot is rather cliched and I knew what was going happen before it happened throughout the entire book. But, that said, I'm not saying this was not worth the read. The story does pick up eventually and Calen and Meg are two very likable characters. I enjoyed them both and found their relationship with each other to be on an equal footing, neither was the smart one, which is always refreshing to see. In fact, this is probably one of the best male/female relationships I've read in a children's book lately. They are very natural with one another, the boy/girl issue is never raised, they are equal people and there is no romance. Very enjoyable dynamics between the two.

As I said, the plot didn't really grab me, it was just ok. But then it was enough to keep me reading the full 400+ pages! The last two chapters are full of foreshadowing that there is no doubt that there will be a sequel. The plot does end nicely and a sequel is not called for to finish the plot but as the foreshadowing reminds us there are plenty of loose strings that could do with tying up. I'm recommending this one for ages 8-12 as I don't think it will hold the interest of teens. (But that doesn't include adult readers of children's books!) While not quite living up to my expectations, a good enough book, and I'll certainly be waiting for the next book to read more about Calen and Meg. ( )

Calen, a mage's apprentice, and Princess Meglynne form a friendship when Meg shares her secret. Together they must protect the Kingdom of Trelian from an evil plot, but the future has never seemed more uncertain.

The perfect mix of familiar fantasy elements and new twists to keep things interesting. I'd hand this to any fan of Eragon, Septimus Heap, or Dealing with Dragons. ( )

Calen, an apprentice mage, and Meglynne, the third princess of Trelian, seem to have little to draw them together. But the two make a firm friendship in the face of an unspecified threat to the kingdom. The two of them, plus the dragon of the title, embark on a dangerous quest to save Meg's sister from death and prevent a war.

I liked Meg as a character and was intrigued by her link with the dragon, Jakl. It was also a nice twist that she is the impulsive, passionate one while Calen was the thoughtful, careful one.

This book seems to be the first in a series, and I am looking forward to reading the next one. A fun book for readers who enjoyed Harry Potter, Fablehaven, and the younger readers of Eragon. ( )