Dragon Rider (Dragon Rider Series #1)

by Cornelia Funke

Overview

The blockbuster #1 New York Times bestselling modern classic, now with a brand-new cover in anticipation of Book Two in the series!

The #1 New York Times Bestseller!With a lonely boy named Ben on board, the brave young dragon Firedrake sets out on a magical journey to find the mythical place where silver dragons can live in peace forever. Flying over moonlit lands and sparkling seas, they encounter fantastic creatures, summon up surprising courage — and cross the path of a ruthless villain with an ancient grudge who's determined to end their quest. Only a secret destiny can save the dragons in this enchanting adventure about the true meaning of home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545316484
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	04/01/2011
Series:	Dragon Rider Series , #1
Pages:	544
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.50(h) x 1.40(d)
Lexile:	710L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Cornelia Funke is the internationally acclaimed, bestselling author of The Thief Lord, Dragon Rider, and the Inkheart trilogy, along with many other chapter and picture books for younger readers.

Hometown:

Los Angeles, CA

Date of Birth:

December 10, 1958

Place of Birth:

Dorsten, Germany

Education:

University of Hamburg

Editorial Reviews

"Marvelous stuff for dreaming adventurers of any age." — Clive Barker"A warm-hearted dream of a book." — The Guardian (UK)"A good, old-fashioned ensemble cast quest." — Booklist"Engaging and suspenseful." — Voice of Youth Advocates"Exciting adventures abound...This book delivers." — The Horn BookA New York Times BestsellerA USA Today BestsellerA People Magazine Top 10 Pick

From the Publisher

The Barnes & Noble Review
The bestselling author of Inkheart and The Thief Lord serves up an adventurous novel for middle-graders about a team of bravehearts seeking a mysterious lair of ancient dragons. Keeping up the epic, magical atmosphere that makes her older books so appealing to fans, Cornelia Funke tells the nail-biting tale of Firedrake, a silver dragon who leads a mission to locate the Rim of Heaven, in response to the threat posed by humans who are scheming to flood the valley where his clan of dragons currently lives. Soon, accompanied by a brownie named Sorrel and an orphan boy named Ben, Firedrake begins the expedition toward the Rim of Heaven with only scant information to go on. Readers quickly learn that the group is being pursued by a golden, manmade dragon named Nettlebrand -- a destroyer of other dragons -- who turns up throughout the story, using water to transport himself and aided by a homunculus who spies on Firedrake while pretending to be an ally. Funke provides audiences much to chew on with her cast of friendly and dastardly characters, signature multi-stranded story lines, and heart-pounding climax, making sure to keep the action coming and audiences constantly guessing what will happen next. At over 500 pages, the book shouldn't be a problem for her fans -- or lovers of Harry Potter, for that matter. A fantastic, high-flying journey that's pure proof that Funke knows her storytelling. Matt Warner

bn.com

The humans are coming! That spells trouble in the valley where the last dragons live and sets young Firedrake on a quest to find refuge for his dwindling species. Author Funke's straightforward style makes this an excellent option for younger readers longing for big-kid fantasy. The (Ages 8 to 12)
Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2004

When human development threatens the remote Scottish valley where the earth's last remaining silver dragons have hidden, Firedrake, a determined young dragon, and his friend Sorrel, an irascible brownie, set out to find the Rim of Heaven, a remote Himalayan valley said to be the ancient home of the dragons. In short order they pick up Ben, a stout-hearted orphan lad, and Twigleg, a homunculus in the joyless employ of Nettlebrand, the evil artificial golden dragon whose sole purpose in life is hunting and killing silver dragons. The twin imperatives to evade Nettlebrand and to find the Rim of Heaven form the engine that drives this narrative, and the importance of belief-in goodness, in possibility, in magic, in love-provides the fuel. Various secondary characters pop up to help or to hinder, genially straining credibility with the tidiness of plot-driven need. This solid adventure lacks the lusciousness of language and intricacy of plot that marked last year's Inkheart, but it does carry the reader along at breakneck pace, the inevitably victorious ending no less satisfying for all its predictability. (Fiction. 8-12)First printing of 150,000

Kirkus Reviews