Katie Tsang

I've become a Sam Wu fan. Ridiculousness, over-imagination, wonderful friendship, and learning to beat fears come together for a hilarious ride.

After conquering his fear of ghosts, Sam Wu learns he's afraid of something else—sharks. Thanks to an eventful trip to the aquarium, he's come to realize how dangerous sharks can be. Deadly dangerous! So when his friends invite him to their birthday at the beach, he's in a tight space. He has to go; they're his best friends. But the ocean has show more sharks, and he's not about to let himself get eaten by one. Let alone his friends.

Graphic novels are simply high on my children's reading lists, especially ones which hit a humorous note. This book definitely does this. Sam Wu is around ten years old and has quite the imagination. He's not exactly a quiet kid either. His fears—although over the top—aren't really that far out there and readers do sympathize...even if they aren't as extreme about it as he is. But that's what makes this funny. He is extreme, but not in a bad way. He's also very concerned about those around him. And them about him.

The illustrations and direct, non-fancy wording make this a treat. Every page holds tension and surprises. It's hard not to laugh out loud at some spots and shake the head at others. Especially reluctant readers will enjoy this one. show less

What a fun read! Dragons get a chance to allow their awesomeness to come to full light, while kids do what they best—form friendships and save the world.

Billy Chan might have a father from Hong Kong, but he's a pure California boy with tons of surfing medals to show for it. Still, he has to head to a camp somewhere in the middle of no-where among the mountains of China to learn to improve his Mandarin. There he meets a group of very different kids from all over the world, who are about as show more excited to be there as he is (which is zilch). But from the very first moments, when the camp leader pulls out magical beads and claims the beads know how to divide the campers into groups of four, things start getting weird. Billy finds himself placed with three others, who might appear very different, but still fit together well. After facing a disappearing tiger, a hole opens up in the mountain and they are sucked in to discover four dragons, who've been waiting for them for many, many years. And the dragons have news no one wants to hear—great danger is coming to both Earth and the Dragon Realm, and these kids are the only hope either has to survive.

This is a great read for fantasy, magic, dragon, adventure and simply action fans. The pages draw in right away as Billy exits a train at a small, Chinese village and feels so lost it hurts. He's very easy to connect with and him, like the other characters, come across very natural, as if they could be a group of kids anyone might meet. The personalities are very different, and each of the four heroes is likeable in their own way...and each has their own kinks and quirks. But this one sets on imagination, adventure, and the dream of doing so much more than sitting around as adults would often have kids do. This tale lets dreams take flight with excitement around every bend.

Of course, the diverse characters and Asian setting bring along a nice flair, which is gladly seen in today's world. I did love diving into China and the mountain along with Mandarin and such. This acts more as a light peppering to the story, since it only sets the scene before the dragons come in. Nothing can compare to the amazingness of these dragons. (Yes, dragons...dragons...and more dragons.)

The tale is for middle graders, and it stays snuggly in this group. The language and grammar fit very well to the lower and middle range of the age group, and is actually a bit light for anyone older...which has its pluses and minuses. There isn't a super amount of depth, keeping this tale fun and action centered...which fits wonderfully to grades 4 through 6. I had no trouble reading through this one in a short evening and see even reluctant readers sinking into these pages.

It's a sheer adventure story packed with magic and dragon goodness, where friendship reigns. And I can recommend this one without a smidgen of doubt because middle graders are sure to enjoy every page. show less

Light and darkness clash to create the perfect setting for this exciting fantasy and a wonderful group of heroes to root for.

I did read the first to books in this series and do recommend reading this as a series, since the tales and characters build on each other. That said this is probably the most exciting book in the bunch. The adventure from book two continues, but this time the group of friends finds themselves in the future. There's danger lurking everywhere, difficult situations to show more overcome, and dragons to be found. The pacing remains quick through-out and the tension remains high. There are even a few chapters, where the tension shoots into the extreme (reminding of a young adult more) and makes the reader wonder if everything truly will turn out okay. And I did find this well done as well as still age appropriate.

Friendship, treachery, and determination as well as the ever-shining light of hope make this an inspiring read, while keep it more than a little intriguing. The characters are a great bunch, and even non-dragon friends will enjoy the twists and turn. The ending rounds everything off nicely, but thanks to a newly signed contract, this will shoot past the originally planned trilogy. In other words, it appears there is more goodness yet to come. I received an ARC and enjoyed the adventure quite a bit. show less

"Dragon Mountain" was an exciting start to a new series for primary school aged children. Full of action, adventure and dragons, I found myself quickly engrossed in the story. The four children - Billy, Charlotte, Dylan and Ling-Fei were all likeable and readers will be able to see themselves in one of them. However, my favourite was the Irish boy, Dylan. While he certainly wasn't the bravest in the group, his quick observations and witty comments made me laugh. The ending was certainly a show more cliff-hanger which definitely encourages readers to pick-up the next book in the series. show less