The early part of the book follows Olly as he is expected to
find a job after finishing the fifth grade. He answers an ad for a job opening
even though the description says death is a possibility. Readers will be
fascinated by the personalities he encounters at the sanctuary for dragons. He’s
greeted at the door by a bat-dragon that can translate most dragon languages.
Olly’s jobs include wearing down the back scales on Onyx, a stone dragon, and
polishing the scales on a giant, deadly wyrm named Amy. Olly must be alert when
helping Amy, because she might eat him or add him to her hoard if he’s
careless. Amy adds humor to the story, as she often threatens to eat other
characters. A smaller, fairy-dragon adores Olly’s hair and becomes an
enthusiastic companion.
The author subtly hints at societal problems before
revealing the main conflict. Most children must work to help pay for their
families’ needs, since rampant poverty is a major issue. Dr. Lady created the
Dragon House because humans were killing them for no reason. Onyx tells Olly
about humans blowing up the mountain where he lived, killing his entire family
living in caves. Many humans died while mining the mountain, and then the mines
closed. It didn’t make sense to Onyx. Dragons once lived peacefully among
humans until the rich and powerful became angered by how the dragons helped the
powerless. Today, wealthy individuals still bribe the ruler to get laws and
decisions favorable to their companies and fortunes. Readers slowly learn that
the conflict has arrived at the Dragon House.
The synopsis hints at Jenny’s role in the plot, but she
doesn’t make a significant appearance until the book’s second half. Early in
the book, she finds a creature hidden near the family garden, but her family
doesn’t believe her description of a dragon. Jenny’s transformation into
performing magic happens slowly and doesn’t become significant until after Dr.
Lady is poisoned. The author introduces another character later in the plot who
changes the dynamics. Trev doesn’t seem to like Olly and constantly scowls and
says everything is stupid. His negativity stands in stark contrast to the
cooperation of other characters, but his character provides an opportunity to
teach readers a lesson about understanding.
What didn’t work as well:
The story includes many amusing footnotes, but they’re not shared
until the end of the chapters. Readers might prefer to see them at the bottom
of individual pages, so that the context will be fresh in their minds. The
number of dragons can be overwhelming, but the author takes the time to
highlight the main characters. Including scenes that feature them individually
helps readers differentiate and understand their personalities.
The final verdict:
This is a charming book about the highs and lows of human-dragon
relations with underlying messages relevant to today’s society. Olly is the
main character, and his compassion, bravery, and honesty make him an admirable,
honorable protagonist. Dragon lovers or those looking for adventure will
obviously enjoy this book, and I recommend you check it out for yourself!
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