Dragons are enduring figures in fantasy for all ages. They represent our fears and our imagination, embody heroism and inspire quests. The titles in this collection portray dragons in a wide variety of roles and endow them with many different abilities. Their stories range from the humorous to the tragic, reliving traditional tales of dragons or reinventing popular conceptions of the species.
The selections have been divided into several categories. “Anthropomorphic Dragons” includes dragons who speak and reason, and either live in a complete culture of their own or coexist in human society. “Raising Dragons” includes those stories of finding or hatching a dragon, often including a psychic bond between the dragon and human. There are traditional Western tales of “Dragons as Monsters” and stories of “Not-So-Monstrous Dragons” as well as stories based on “Asian Dragons.”
To find books about dragons, start with a subject search of “juvenile” — probably “juvenile fiction,” since most titles about dragons will be fiction. Add a keyword or subject search of “dragon*.”
ANTHROPOMORPHIC DRAGONS
Baker, E.D.
Dragon Kiss. 2009.
Audun, a dragon from the Icy North, encounters obstacles as he pursues the love of his life — a human girl who can transform into a dragon using magic.
[SSHEL S Collection S. B1712dk]
Funke, Cornelia.
Dragon Rider. 2004.
With the help of his friends, Firedrake goes on a quest to find the mythical Rim of Heaven and save the dragons from the encroaching humans. This book is also available online through the Online Library Catalog as a downloadable audiobook.
[SSHEL S Collection S. F964d]
George, Jessica Day.
Dragon Slippers. 2007.
Orphaned after a fever epidemic, Creel befriends a dragon and unknowingly inherits an object that can either save or destroy her kingdom. Read on in sequels Dragon Flight and Dragon Spear.
[SSHEL S Collection S. G2935drs]
Levine, Gail Carson.
A Tale of Two Castles. 2011.
Twelve-year-old Elodie journeys to Two Castles in hopes of studying acting but instead becomes apprentice to a dragon, who teaches her to be observant and use reasoning, thus helping her to uncover who is poisoning the king.
[SSHEL S Collection S. L5788ta]
Pierce, Tamora.
Wild Magic. 1992.
In the first adventure of Daine, the wild-mage, she rescues Kit, a baby dragon. Although it is not apparent until the final book that dragons are capable of human speech and have a separate civilization, Kit is obviously intelligent and responds to human behavior as she accompanies Daine on her adventures. Follow Daine’s journey in sequels Wolf-Speaker, The Emperor Mage, and The Realms of the Gods.
[SSHEL S Collection S. P611wi]
Sutherland, Tui.
The Dragonet Prophecy. 2012.
A secret movement is determined to bring an end to the long years of war between the seven dragon tribes, with the help of a prophecy — a foretelling that calls for great sacrifice. Five dragonets are collected to fulfill the prophecy, raised in a hidden cave and enlisted, against their will, to end the terrible war. But not every dragonet wants a destiny. And when the select five escape their underground captors to look for their original homes, they find that what has been unleashed on the dragon world may be far more than the planners had intended. The Dragonet Prophecy is the first book in the Wings of Fire series.
[SSHEL S Collection S. Su848d]
Vaughn, Carrie.
Voices of Dragons. 2010.
In a parallel world where humans and dragons live in a state of cold war, seventeen-year-old Kay and her dragon friend, Artegal, struggle to find a way to show that dragons and humans can co-exist.
[SSHEL S Collection S. V4658v]
Wrede, Patricia.
Dealing with Dragons. 1990.
Cimorene is tired of her life as a princess and discovers she much prefers being captured by a dragon – permanently — no matter how many knights try to rescue her! Her friend Kazul becomes king of the dragons and is an important figure in the sequels as the pair encounter many mythical beasts and characters.
[SSHEL S Collection S. W925D]
Yep, Laurence.
City of Fire. 2009.
Twelve-year-old Scirye and her companions travel to Houlani, a new Hawaiian island created by magic, where they enlist the help of volcano goddess Pele in an attempt to stop an evil dragon and a mysterious man from altering the universe. Begins the City Trilogy.
[SSHEL S Collection S. Y43ci]
RAISING DRAGONS
Broach, Elise.
Hiding Hoover. 2005.
Daddy always says, “no pets,” but when his two children find a marvelous new pet, they find ingenious ways to hide him.
[SSHEL S Collection SE. B781h]
McKinley, Robin.
Dragonhaven. 2007.
When Jake Mendoza, who lives in the Smokehill National Park where his father runs the Makepeace Institute of Integrated Dragon Studies, goes on his first solo overnight in the park, he finds an infant dragon whose mother has been killed by a poacher.
[SSHEL S Collection S. M2153d]
Paolini, Christopher.
Eragon. 2003.
When farm-hand Eragon finds a strange stone that hatches into a dragon, his life is changed forever as he becomes involved in exciting, dangerous, and magical adventures and develops new powers. Eragon begins the Inheritance series.
[SSHEL S Collection S. P196e]
Thomas, Shelley Moore.
Good Night, Good Knight. 2000.
Three lonely dragons are going to bed. Who will bring them a drink of water? And tuck them in? And read them a story? The Good Knight, of course! The Good Knight and friends appear in several silly sequels.
[SSHEL S Collection SE. T367g]
Yolen, Jane.
Dragon’s Blood. 1982.
Jakkin, a Keeper in a dragon nursery, steals and trains a fighting dragon in the hope of winning his freedom. Dragon’s Blood begins the Pit Dragons series.
[SSHEL S Collection S. Y78D]
DRAGONS AS MONSTERS
Donaldson, Julia.
Room on the Broom. 2001.
One by one, a witch invites the animals who find her missing belongings to join her on her broom. When the broom breaks and a dragon appears, the animals come to her rescue and then help the witch make a new broomstick with room for all her friends.
[SSHEL S Collection Q. SE. D714r 2001]
Haskell, Merrie.
Handbook for Dragon Slayers. 2013.
Yearning for life in a cloistered scriptorium, thirteen-year-old Princess Matilda, whose lame foot brings fear of the evil eye, escapes her scheming cousin Ivo and joins her servant Judith and an old friend, Parz, in hunting dragons and writing about them.
[SSHEL S Collection S. H2735h]
Hodges, Margaret.
Saint George and the Dragon. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. 1984.
Classic tale of St. George and the monstrous dragon he defeats through courage and perseverance. Adapted from Spenser’s Faerie Queene.
[SSHEL S Collection S. H666S]
Krause, Ute.
Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon. 2010.
No princess is around to be fed to the dragon so Little Oscar’s name is pulled from the hat. Learn how the boy’s cleverness comes to his rescue!
[SSHEL S Collection Q. SE. K868o:E]
NOT-SO-MONSTROUS DRAGONS
Axelsson, Carina.
Nigel of Hyde Park. 2004.
It is time for Nigel, dragon and crown prince, to be crowned king of Hyde Park. But how can he rule his subjects when he can’t rule his own imagination? Zany illustrations show Nigel learning to conquer his imagination and his arch-enemy, Lord Black.
[SSHEL S Collection Q. S. Ax22n]
Bar-el, Dan.
Not Your Typical Dragon. 2013.
When Crispin Blaze turns seven, he’s expected to breathe fire like all the other dragons. But instead of fire, he breathes a host of unusual things.
[SSHEL S Collection SE. B23n]
DiTerlizzi, Tony.
Kenny & the Dragon. 2008.
Book-loving Kenny the rabbit has few friends in his farming community, so when one, bookstore owner George, is sent to kill another, gentle dragon Grahame, Kenny must find a way to prevent their battle while satisfying the dragon-crazed townspeople.
[SSHEL S Collection S. D634k]
Grahame, Kenneth.
The Reluctant Dragon. Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. 1938.
This is the classic pacifist dragon tale, taken from Kenneth Grahame’s Dream Days (1898). Dragon, built up by the fears and prejudices of the villagers into a monster, is really a kind and rather ineffectual creature. However, when St. George comes to save the village from their “monster” only the shepherd boy can reconcile the frightened villagers, militant St. George, and helpless dragon.
[SSHEL Oak Street S. G76R1953]
Gravett, Emily.
Again! 2013.
At bedtime, Cedric the dragon wants his mother to read his favorite book again, and again, and again.
[SSHEL S Collection SE. G788a]
Keller, Beverly.
A Small, Elderly Dragon. 1984.
The old dragon of Minervia can no longer terrorize the countryside – but he still causes quite a lot of trouble when a wicked sorcerer takes Minervia in exchange for getting rid of the dragon. It takes Princess Dorma and all her friends to defeat the sorcerer and find a happy ending for everyone – even the dragon.
[SSHEL Oak Street S. K281sm]
Polacco, Patricia.
The Graves Family Goes Camping. 2005.
The Graves family is having a wonderful time camping at Lake Bleakmire and collecting creepy, slimy, and unusual specimens when they discover a species thought to be extinct – a dragon!
[SSHEL S Collection Q. SE. P756grc]
ASIAN DRAGONS
Berkeley, Jon.
Chopsticks. 2006.
Chopsticks the mouse frees the wooden dragon and together they fly across the sky every night, returning to the wooden dragon’s restaurant in the morning.
[SSHEL S Collection Q. SE. B455c]
Chang, Grace.
Jin Jin the Dragon. 2007.
Jin Jin the dragon does not know what kind of creature he is, so he embarks on a journey, assisted by other animals he meets along the way, to find Old Turtle and Crane, who will help him learn his identity. Includes information about Chinese writing and the place of the dragon in Chinese lore. Jin Jin returns in Jin Jin and the Rain Wizard.
[SSHEL S Collection Q. SE. C36231j]
Davol, Marguerite W.
The Paper Dragon. Illustrated by Robert Sabuda. 1997.
A dragon has awoken and is destroying the village and its land. Mi Fei is only an artist, but when the people ask him for help he cannot refuse. He finds his talents are of use against the dragon and eventually puts him back to sleep.
[SSHEL S Collection SE. D311p]
Demi.
The Boy Who Painted Dragons. 2007.
Ping, a painter of dragons — of which he is secretly afraid — is challenged to seek the truth, find the truth, and dare to be true.
[SSHEL S Collection SE. D3952b]
Lin, Grace.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. 2009.
Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a magical goldfish, and then joins a dragon who cannot fly on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of bringing life to Fruitless Mountain and freshness to Jade River.
[SSHEL S Collection S. L63w]
Young, Ed.
The Sons of the Dragon King: A Chinese Legend. 2004.
The dragon king’s nine sons each seem to be lazy or useless at first, but the king guides them into positions which use their strengths for the good of the people.
[SSHEL S Collection Q. S. 398.2 Y848s]
Young, Russell.
Dragonsong: A Fable for the New Millennium. 2000.
Chiang-An lives in China near an unnamed village. When the dragons gather to bring gifts which will decide who becomes the village’s guardian, Chiang-An goes out into the world to search for the perfect gift.
[SSHEL S Collection Q. S. 398.2 Y86d]
Zhang, Song Nan and Hao Yu Zhang.
A Time of Golden Dragons. 2000.
Written to celebrate the alignment of the Chinese Golden Dragon year and the Western millennium, an event which occurs every 3,000 years, this book explains the significance of dragons in Chinese culture and history.
[SSHEL S Collection Q. S. 398.2 Z61t]