the dragon of the month club by Iain Reading

Publication Date: December 18th 2014

Read Date: April 2018

Pages: 237

Genre: Fantasy / Middle Grade

Star: 4.5/5

The Dragon Of The Month Club is the exciting first installment in a new book series that tells the story of Ayana Fall and Tyler Travers, two best friends who stumble across an extraordinarily magical book and soon find themselves enrolled as members of a very special and exclusive club – The Dragon of the Month Club. 

On the thirteenth of every month a new dragon conjuring spell is revealed and the two friends attempt to summon the latest Dragon of the Month. The varieties are almost endless: Air Dragons, Paper Dragons, Fog Dragons, Waterfall Dragons, Rock Dragons, Tree Dragons – not to mention special bonus dragons for all the major holidays, including a particularly prickly Holly Dragon for Christmas. 

But one day when a conjuring spell somehow goes wrong Ayana and Tyler find themselves unexpectedly drawn into a fantastical world of adventure based on the various books scattered all across Tyler’s messy bedroom. Travelling from one book-inspired world to the next with nothing to rely on but their wits and a cast of strange and exotic dragons at their disposal they must try to somehow find their way home again. 

Drawing inspiration from some of literature’s most memorable stories – from 19th century German folktales to the streets of Sherlock Holmes’s London – the adventures of Ayana and Tyler bring these classic stories to life in delightfully strange and unexpected ways. Filled with fascinating detail and non-stop action these books will spark the imaginations of readers of all ages to inspire a life-long love of reading and seeking out books that are just a little bit off the beaten track.

The Dragon of The Month Club was a middle grade fantasy, written in third person narrative and totally imaginary story that had everything in it that any kids would love to read – unusual and magical dragon conjuring book that actually conjures a dragon of various types (mentioned in blurb above), unexpected adventure into a literary world with daunting challenges like fighting sharks, riding through water fall and travel through scorching desert. Interesting, right?

Ayana – New city. New school. No friends. And a bully in school – Heather van der Sloot (funny is I always read ‘soot’ instead of ‘sloot’ in her name all the time). Life was difficult for her until she met Tyler. She was curious, friendly, sensitive, and lovable girl. She just needed a bit more confidence to fight that bully in school because I felt she was quite brave and quick to act in book world. I loved her cute friendly relation with all the dragons. 

Tyler was smart and clever boy who loved to read. I liked the layout of his room scattered with book all over the place. I was amazed by his skill to remember all the book and the world in it. His feelings for Ayana was so pure and selfless which bonded their friendship even stronger.

I loved that cover. Isn’t it cute?

This is my sixth book by Iain Reading after Kitty Hawk (KH) series. Writing was same- smooth engaging but here ends the similarity. This one is totally different from KH in all the aspects, so it was very difficult for me to come out of KH and set my mind into a totally new series. Book started with interesting introduction to main characters- Ayana and Tyler- and their unlikely friendship in library. I loved the way they met and their friendship throughout the book.

The world building was different. Books discussed in the story was all interesting, it took me along with characters through different settings right from German folktales to Chinese culture and to Sherlock Holmes’s London. I loved the way author blended Sherlock Holmes mystery with dragons. That was the best part in the story that everyone would love to read. The fun facts author added at the end of the book on the stories he covered in creating this world was amazing. I suggest not to miss it and as suggested by author I so need to read Sherlock Holmes series.

Dragons intrigued me more than anything else. There were all kind of dragons you can imagine in the book. None were scary fire emitting dragon, they were cute and kids friendly. ‘THE BOOK’ – Dragon conjuring book was also amazing with the categories, instructions, ingredients and also with some extra detail. I could see kids adding more of their imaginary creation of dragons after reading this book. I so loved Dune buggy and Mango that I wish to have my own pet dragon.

The shift from one book world to another was smooth and lil bit suspenseful, not too surprising or with twist, but it definitely kept me curious to see which world will come next and what character will face in the particular one. There was also a map of the world they gone through. End was most shocking and surprising. It was written so interestingly that it made me grumble when it turned into a cliffhanger.

I loved the activity for the kids as per the theme of the book at the end of the book. You can get more details on the website Dragon of the Month Club.

My only concern was book jumped directly into dragons and book world with lesser detail on character’s life in real world specially Tyler. I couldn’t say I feel connected with characters.

Overall, it was full of adventure, perfectly paced with detailed vivid description, uniquely world and creative dragons. I highly recommend this book to all middle grade kids and those who enjoy reading this genre.

Author: Iain Reading

About the Author:

Iain Reading is passionate about Root Beer, music, and writing. He is Canadian, but currently resides in the Netherlands working for the United Nations.

Iain is the author of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series, The Wizards of Waterfire Series, and the dragon of the month club. To learn more, go to http://www.kittyhawkworld.com

Buy Here: Amazon.in / Amazon.com

*** Note: I received this book from the author via Kelsey @bookpublicityservices, in exchange for an honest review. I am glad I got chance to read this book. ***

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