Dragon Rider

It's a fantasy, it's long and it's got dragons in it. It's bound to be another hit book from Cornelia Funke! Ever since the popularity of the German author of bestselling fantasies The Thief Lord and Inkheart went global a few years ago, her legion of fans have demanded more books from her than she can reasonably hope to write each year. So, re-discovering this hefty, earlier novel from 1997 was a logical development--and her keenest readers will devour it as before.

Possibly aimed at slightly younger readers than her previous novels, despite its massive five hundred pages, Dragon Rider is about a brave young dragon called Firedrake who embarks upon a dangerous journey to the Rim of Heaven in the Himalayas--a magical place where silver dragons can rest easy, free from the threat of destruction by mankind and their only hope of sanctuary. The key to its location is a map rendered by a rat who is a master cartographer.

Firedrake is joined on his quest by Ben, an orphaned boy, and Sorrell--a wise-cracking Brownie that is an odd, but ingenious, grumpy kind of fairy. Their journey is not a straightforward one by any means. Created by an alchemist called Petrosius Henbane in 1424, Nettlebrand is their biggest threat--a malevolent creature covered in impenetrable gold plates that is intent on destroying them. He is aided by Twigleg, a homunculus who has stowed away in Ben's bag and who is feeding reports on their progress back to his master.

Their exciting encounters are many--and the colourful fold-out map in the book's centre is an added bonus. It is easy to forgive the narrative's excessive length when readers are gorging on such a wonderfully inventive and readable story from an author who has her readers in the palm of her hand on every page. (Age 9 and over) --John McLay

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AMAZING BOOK! - Rated
'Dragon Rider' takes a while to get into (a chapter or 2), but soon you cant stop reading it; it is full of magical creatures and a few humans who havent given up hope in seeing a dragon one day...
A truly brilliant book full of imagination and creatures you willl never have dreamed of...:-)

Read it Now! - Rated
I thought it was an amazing adventure about a boy, a brownie and a dragon! I think you should read this book. You will enjoy it!

For anyone who dreams of magical lands, far far away... - Rated
This has to be one of the best fantasy books ever. Children of all ages (and adults too) will love following the journey of Firedrake the dragon, a young boy called Ben, Sorell the very bossy brownie, Twigleg, talking rats, and much much more, as they find the way to the magical rim of heaven, where dragons can live in peace for ever, away from man and the evil Nettlebrand, a monster trying to wipe out every last dragon on Earth...
An amazing book for anyone and everyone who has a wide imagination, or who just wants a story to read at bedtime!!!

A fantastic book - Rated
Dragon rider is a book about a brave dragon who is travelling a long journey to the rim of heaven where silver dragons can live at peace at last. He is with his brownie friend Sorral and a boy called ben. There's a heartless monster always not far behind who wants to destoy the last of the silver dragons. Will they get to the rim of heaven in time?
I like this book because it's an amazing and fantastic story that is not like other story that I've ever read. It never gets me bored.

What a seven year old thinks... - Rated
I liked this book because the dragon Sorrell, the Brownie and the dragon rider go in dangerous places and escape! My favourite part was when they found what they were looking for: the Rim of Heaven! You will like this book if you like adventure stories and you are aged 6 to 14.