My kids loved this series when they were in the early reader phase. Lots of dragons and adventure.

The concept of the series is fun, and Graham Howells' illustrations are wonderful. But I have some problems with the plot itself, to the extent that I'm not sure I'd want my own kids (if I had any) to read the series and absorb some of the messages presented in Rise of the Earth Dragon. The king's soldiers arrive and take our main character, Drake, who's only 8 years old, away from his home. Drake's mother initially protests but, when hearing that Drake has been "chosen" by the king, simply commands her son to "do as the king says!" I don't want kids to think it's okay for anyone to carry them off against their will, whether those people are the king's soldiers or random strangers, et al. Also, the mom has no idea what Drake has been chosen for. He could have been chosen as a sacrifice, for all she knows! Once he arrives at the castle, Drake isn't allowed to tell his family what he's doing. Lying to parents -- yet another lesson I don't want children to learn. Later, we're given clues to indicate that the king is building an army of dragons--an army of dragons that no one else knows about--and that the dragons are being held against their will and are not necessarily happy where they are. But, in this first book at least, Drake and the other dragon masters simply go along with everything, not asking any questions or protesting any aspects of the dragon program.

All in all, it just left a bit of a bad, creepy taste in my mouth. However, most kids in the target age group will probably find the plot intriguing and the pictures entertaining.

Note: I received a digital galley of this book through NetGalley. ( )

Mentioned in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2020/07/20/chapter-books-whats-good/ (July 20th release)

I loved this book and I love the whole series. This book is about a boy who discovers he is a dragon master, a person who can control dragons. He is then brought to a castle to stay with the other chosen dragon masters where he learns how to control dragons and use their powers for good. ( )

This is a very good series. It has kept my 7 (almost 8 year old) engaged: the reading level is perfect for him, the topics are interesting for him, and it's got the right level of drama. The characters come from diverse backgrounds and there is a little bit of moral ambiguity- going beyond good and evil, and law as the foundation of good rather than vice versa.

We've read the first 9 books, and so far my favorite is Book 8, Roar of the Thunder Dragon. The first 4 books each highlight the four main characters and their dragons, after that almost every book introduces a new dragon and its dragon master (for better or worse, this is sometimes interesting and exciting and sometimes just seems like oh... another). All of the books though have something special. ( )