Review of the picture book  Quest for the Dragon Stone,  by Ami Blackford

Gschwind, Erika

English

DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University

Georgia Library QuarterlyVolume 45 | Issue 1 Article 28April 2008REVIEW: Quest for the Dragon StoneErika GschwindConyers-Rockdale LibraryFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glqPart of the American Literature CommonsThis Review is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in GeorgiaLibrary Quarterly by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. For more information, please contactdigitalcommons@kennesaw.edu.Recommended CitationGschwind, Erika (2008) "REVIEW: Quest for the Dragon Stone," Georgia Library Quarterly: Vol. 45 : Iss. 1 , Article 28.Available at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq/vol45/iss1/28completed homework at school the next day. When hegets called to the board and can’t do the work, histeacher and classmates know something is amiss. The boythen realizes the error of his cheating ways and tells themonster to get lost. As he successfully scrambles to find(and count) enough money to pay the monster’s $64homework bill, he overcomes his anxiety and realizesmath isn’t so bad after all. Schnitzlein’s polished meterand rhyme give the story momentum that will keepstudents engaged. Mayer’s illustrations grab oursympathy from the first page: a wide-eyed boy cowers inbed as a menacing shadow five looms on the bedroomwall. A dizzying array of numbers and mathematical signsswirls in the background of several pages. The monstersports a ruler tail and sharpened pencil fingers. The“making a deal with the devil” theme invites comparisonwith similar texts, including Schnitzlein’s previous bookThe Monster Who Ate My Peas. Students andmathaphobes will enjoy the boy’s final triumph over themonster. School media centers will find this book usefulto pair with math lessons. Vocabulary and subject mattermost appropriate for second-fifth grades. — Reviewed by Sharon MitchellJackson County SchoolsCode Orange by Caroline B. Cooney(Delacorte Press, 2005; ISBN 0-385-732597-7, $15.95).Included in this year’s list ofnominations for the Georgia PeachBook Award for Teen Readers is best-selling author Caroline B. Cooney’sbook Code Orange. Living in post 9/11 New York City, Mitty Blake loveshaving all of the sights, sounds andconveniences of Manhattan at his disposal. Attendingschool, much less participating, is something he doessimply because it is expected. When his biology teacherassigns him the topic of “variola major,” knowncommonly as smallpox, as his research topic for a termpaper, Mitty assumes that he will be able to breezethrough the research, especially since everyone knowsthat smallpox no longer exists. However, with a deadlinefor notes looming and a requirement of having four booksources, Mitty resorts to borrowing some old medicaltexts from his mother’s book supply used for her interiordecorating business. Within the pages of the old books,Mitty finds an envelope labeled “Scabs-VM epidemic,1902, Boston,” and suddenly smallpox is no longer acontagious disease taken from the history books. It issomething that can be seen, touched and smelled. Butwill it still be infectious after more than a century in anenvelope? That is the question that haunts Mitty as hefurther delves into the significance of the smallpox virusand how it impacted the lives of people it touched in thepast. Consequently, Mitty is surprised to learn thatsmallpox is not quite the dead disease of the past hethought. In reality, smallpox remains a very real threat inthe world of bioterrorism. And, as the days slip by, Mittywonders if he has been infected, making him a tool ofdestruction for millions of people should smallpox berevived. Learning the outcome of Mitty’s exposure to thesmallpox scabs in the envelope and realizing the realitiesof the world we live in now combine into a fast-pacedstory suitable for both teen and adult readers.  — Reviewed by Ginger NelmsVidalia-Toombs County Public LibraryQuest for the Dragon Stone by AmiBlackford (Red Cygnet Press, 2007;ISBN 978-1-6010-8008-0, $16.95).Atlanta College of Arts student AmiBlackford was one of the winners of apublisher’s competition call to submita picture book with manuscript andillustrations. Quest for the DragonStone is her debut story, aimed at anaudience of children 9-12 years old. Quest for the DragonStone is 48 pages with 16 full-page color illustrations. Thestory is about siblings Ruth and David, who are membersof a scientific association known as “magbeologist” (agroup dedicated to preserve and protect the “magic-kind” species), along with a resident faerie namedSimone. The trio accidentally stumble upon an ill Phoenixdragon. This dragon is not as important in the story as isthe dragon stone inside his head. This is disturbing —until you realize that the dragon, just like themythological phoenix, is supposed to combust and comeback as an egg to be re-hatched. There is no re-hatchingin this story. In the ashes, the dragon stone is found. It isthe stone that the children’s father has been searching forall his life, plus 12 other highly sought-after relics. Thereis a connection between these relics and saving themagic-kind from extinction. With egg and stone in hand,Ruth and David embark on an endeavor to keep theirfather’s work alive. It’s a perfect setup for a series ofadventures. Certain characters and concepts could besketched out a little more, but this debut story showspromise. An optional purchase for libraries with lots ofjuvenile fantasy readers.  — Reviewed by Erika GschwindConyers-Rockdale Library24   Winter 2008   Georgia Library Quarterly1Gschwind: REVIEW: Quest for the Dragon StonePublished by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University, 2008

REVIEW: Quest for the Dragon Stone

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REVIEW: Quest for the Dragon Stone

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