Dragonbreath #2: Attack of the Ninja Frogs

I am a fan of Ursula Vernon and T Kingfisher and this is a hilarious light story about two boys (a Dragon, Danny, who still can't breathe fire; and Wendell a nerdish Iguana) whose lives are interrupted by a girl; Suki a Salamander; (cue girl cooties comments from Danny) and Ninja Frogs. They bring Suki to Mythic Japan, via the excellent bus service in their area, and talk to Danny's Great Grandfather Dragon who advises them on what to do next.
It's light and fun and I want more.

So many people know of the insanely hilarious gorgeousness that is Ursula Vernon, that it seems silly to write an actual review of a book that everyone will love, simply by looking at the cover. I mean, ninja frogs!

Somehow, in the long bleak months between a new offering from the great Ursula, I manage to forget how funny she is. Then I open my coveted ALA review copy of Ninja Frogs and...

Danny Dragonbreath is back and things are Not Good. Wendell has been seen talking to *gulp* a girl. Granted, it is the new exchange student and she is kind of neat and he did say he was just lending her comics and they weren't even girly comics but still....Danny is not happy, until suddenly Suku is being tracked by Ninja Frogs! Danny, Wendell, and show more Suki must take the bus to Japan and solve the mystery once and for all!

The many good things:

Ninja Frogs!

Taking a bus to Japan! "You haven't been here long enough to appreciate a really good bus system"

"Real live ninjas, a trip to mythological Japan, and pizza for dinner two nights running. Could life get any better?"

Cool ninja facts.

Green comic panels!

A live volcano!

Samurai Geckos!

Ursula Vernon's humor is always fresh, always new. Appealing to children of all ages and adults, Dragonbreath is for anyone who needs a good laugh, who's ever daydreamed in school, and who loves reptiles, mythical or real.

The only drawback....now I want to watch Danny's cool kung fu movies, like "Vengeance of the Thirteen Masters, in which a blind salamander samurai fights off thirteen ninja clans, using only a pair of chopsticks." But I guess they don't really exist. Sigh.

Verdict: Buy it! Buy it! Buy it!

ISBN: 978-0803733657; Published February 2010 by Dial; ARC provided by publisher at ALA; Purchased for the library; Added to my personal wishlist show less

Amusing. I didn't think much of the first book in this series; this one is less annoying, though Danny is still an idiot in many ways (bubbling over about ninja frogs, for instance). But interesting characters, neat events (I loved the crane - both times), an amusing and interesting plot, and a reasonable ending (neither perfectly pat nor with lots of loose ends waving about). Yeah, I'll read another Dragonbreath story...sometime.

The Dragonbreath series is written for grade schoolers, but I’ve followed the author’s ‘Digger’ strip on the web and seen some of her other art, so when I saw the library had this book, I picked it up. It’s a well written and adorably illustrated (Vernon does both the writing and illustrating) adventure story.

Danny Dragonbreath (who is, obviously, a dragon) is alarmed when his best friend, Wendell, becomes friends with a *girl*. As one may remember from grade school, girls and boys think the opposite sex have cooties at that age. But Suki, who is a Japanese salamander exchange student, is having trouble- she’s being stalked by ninja frogs. Danny and Wendell must rescue Suki- but Suki isn’t some shy, retiring princess who show more sits and waits for rescue; she’s perfectly capable of fighting for herself.

Despite being a series, the story is totally self contained. While some reference is made to things that happened in the book before, you don’t have to know them to get what’s happening. The ends are tied up neatly at the end of the book. There is nothing scary to the story; it’s light, humorous adventure with goofy kids as the main characters that I suspect a lot of human kids can identify with. show less

Very enjoyable, this. I adore the some of the, "This is how the world works," Options leading to disbelief in some of the characters, and the dialogue is solid - much more so than is usually found in children's fare. Plus, a most excellent story.

Horn Book Guide Reviews (2010): "Young dragon Danny Dragonbreath's second adventure is a little convoluted (like his first). Danny loves ninja movies, and when real ninja frogs appear in pursuit of Suki the salamander, Danny and his pal Wendell (an iguana) come to the rescue. Vernon humorously intersperses main text with cartoon-panel illustrations in mostly black, white, and green as readers share Danny's daydreams and adventures."

I do not love Danny, though Harriet is a hard act to follow. I also felt somewhat uncomfortable with the ninja and kung fu elements of the plot - cultural appropriation?

"Then you won't last five minutes. Those frogs can do things with a shuriken that would curl your toes."

Ignoring the fact these books are written very in the aspect of what being a kid is like, girls are scary and have cooties, and boys who are smart are nerds(which many people might complain about, but this book nails kid behavior well).

Another good read.