Dan Elish

When danger threatens, one group is there to save the day- the Royal Order of Fighting Dragons. Formed by King Arthur when a deadly swarm of prehistoric locusts are magically summoned to terrorise the world, the Order has maintained its discreet presence over the centuries, coming together each time someone renews the summoning. Thus far, there have been nine Orders. Now the locusts are back. Can an intrepid band of children, the Tenth Order, put an end to the scourge once and for all?

I show more rather appreciated that, despite using the 'chosen one’ trope, Ike wasn't an orphan. Hus mum was not only still in the picture, but well aware of his status as a dragonrider. This was a light-hearted, fun story, so she wasn't freaking out over the fact her eleven-year old was facing off against the giant bugs that killed her husband. Ok… that was a bit odd… I'd be freaking out if my eleven-year old was doing anything dangerous. Where's the mama bear instinct, lady?? Anyhoo, that's not something I see a lot. An active parent in the picture.

I did feel somewhat ambivalent towards these dragons. Dragon portrayal can be iffy with me sometimes since dragon mythology in eurasia was my anthropology thesis, and I wrote a book that expanded that research to around the world. In the end, I really came to love them, despite not being fully what I consider 'dragon’. These dragons are large, with dragon characteristics, yet seem to be herbivores. They eat hay and grass, rather than meat. My experience with dragon myths shows no completely herbivorous ones, and those that seem to be omnivores are small. Which makes sense since dragons can be seen as an amalgam of the most dangerous predators to our earliest ancestors (as can gryphons)- raptors, big cats, and giant snakes or Komodo-like lizards. In the case of sea serpent dragons, add large oceanic predators like sharks and orcas.

A fast-paced read brimming with wry humour, quirky characters, magic, and- did I mention?- DRAGONS, Elish's Royal Order of Fighting Dragons is sure to be a hit with the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson crowd. Prepare for some bug-splattin’ fun times in this middle-grade fantasy adventure!

***This book was reviewed for the San Francisco Book Review show less

By the end of July 3,1863, the Civil War had reached a pivotal turning point. By this time, the last shots of the Battle of Gettysburg had been fired, leaving more than 51,000 men killed, wounded, or missing. It was a major victory for the Union, but more importantly, it was a significant loss for the Confederacy, one that greatly impacted the course of the war. Elish describes the events leading up to this important battle as well as the key decisions, military maneuvers, and the central show more players who were involved. show less

Fascinating and concise introduction to the topic for youth. I learned a lot, but clearly a lot was left out (for example mention of "Sooners" which is still a term of pride here in OK).

"'Let the Indians forget their own languages... and learn ours, which will at once open to them the whole field of every kind of useful knowledge....'" Jedidiah Morse, 1822.

"Other native tribes had already met a similar fate. The Choctaws and Chickasaws have been forced to move West, paving the way with show more their own suffering and deaths. Members of the Creek had resisted only to be defeated in battle. Other Creeks had been persuaded to help ferret out the Seminoles who still maintained a stronghold in Florida swamps. Less fortunate Seminoles were already being sent by boat to the Arkansas territory."

" Out of the 16,000 cherokees who left the east, at least 4,000 didn't live to see their new homeland. With all the undocumented deaths in the stockades, some scholars put the number closer to 8,000." Also, at least 1,00o were Black, apparently mostly slaves of the Cherokee.

"By all accounts blacks were generally treated more humanely within the Cherokee Nation than they were on farms and plantations elsewhere in the South.... In fact, by 1835 a strong movement was afoot to emancipate the slaves and make them Cherokee citizens."

Includes sources bibliography, 'for further reading,' and index. Insufficient illustration credit - by whom is the cover painting? show less

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Jimmy Weather's father and sister come home after a walk in Central Park with a fantastic story of finding a gigantic woodchuck that hatched from a pod. Always crafting far-fetched stories in his quest to be a published author, this kind of tale is nothing new from Jimmy's father. And his sister is only two years old. But the next morning, his father is missing, and the only clue is a whisker left in his parents' bed and the thought that something furry show more brushed against his mother's leg while she lay sleeping. This is the first inkling that something could be seriously wrong.

On a quest to find his missing father, Jimmy and his best friend, William, have Imogene (his baby sister) take them to the place in the park where they first encountered the woodchuck. Into deeper woods than either boy knew existed in Central Park, Imogene takes them to the mysterious empty pod. High up in the trees, they notice some paper containing their father's distinctive handwriting. So now they are sure his father has been taken. But by whom? And to where?

When the police refuse to help, the two boys enlist the aid of Janice Claytooth. Janice is the class freak who insists she's built a fully functioning spaceship. After sharing the bizarre story with Janice, she doesn't even hesitate. She shares her invention with the two boys, and they are off to outer space to search for Jimmy's father.

But the quest for Mr. Weathers turns into an evil plot to blackmail the universe. The woodchucks are sent to planets to consume the natural resources when the home planets refuse to bargain.

With surprise plot twists and evil characters, Mr. Elish creates a truly unique story of space travel. Three kids wind up undertaking the task of saving the world, when they only wanted to find Jimmy's dad. The distant planets that they travel to made me hungry (read it and you'll see why!) and the resourcefulness of the kids was fun. The book is appropriate for all ages. The illustrations by Greg Call added to the quirkiness of the story. This is definitely a book everyone can enjoy. show less