Dragon Legend (Dragon Realm #2)

Fans of Dragon Mountain will be glad to get their hands on the continued adventures of Billy Chan (mixed race white American and Chinese) and his friends. Billy, Ling-Fei (Chinese), and Charlotte (white American), and the dragons they have each bonded with set off to rescue their kidnapped friend Dylan (white Irish) and collect the remaining magic pearls that will give them power enough to defeat the Dragon of Death. Adding tension to the plot, their maybe-friend or maybe-enemy, the evil summer camp leader's grandson JJ (Chinese), reluctantly comes along. The book opens with a complete summary of book one, so those new to the series can jump right in. Much like the first book, a somewhat formulaic plot is saved by the evergreen theme of learning to trust each other and work as a team, Chinese characters and folklore, and short chapters with cliffhanger endings. The ever-increasingly difficult tasks for the friends to complete will keep the attention of even reluctant readers, and the cliffhanger ending is a sure promise of the next installment. VERDICT A definite purchase for those who found Dragon Mountain to be popular, and a good pick for those who don't own the first book but have dragon-loving readers.

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.