Welcome to Day 2 of the Kidz Book Buzz tour for The Dragon of Trelian by Michelle Knudsen! Yesterday, I was delighted to share a fun and informative interview with readers and today I would like to give my personal thoughts on The Dragon of Trelian. So without further ado...
The Dragon of Trelian
by: Michelle Knudsen
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (April 14, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763634557
ISBN-13: 978-0763634551
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
Princesses, magic, secrets and dragons... This is just a teeny taste of what The Dragon of Trelian holds in store within it's fantasy filled pages. When young Calen, a mage's apprentice, and Princess Meglynne (who insists on being called Meg), accidentally come across one another, a friendship and trust is quickly formed. Meg has been holding a secret dear to her heart, bursting to tell someone, but unable to trust anyone (even her beloved sister) with this powerful truth, she discovers that she can trust Calen. It is then that Meg takes Calen into the forest to show him what she has been hiding - a baby dragon that she has been tending and caring for for months. Not only has she been caring for the dragon, but a very special and deep bond has formed between dragon and Princess - one that is undeniable and will change things forever.
The Dragon of Trelian is a wonderfully fantasy filled story that will bring even the most hesitant of reader, to an entirely new world from which they will not want to leave. Author Michelle Knudsen does a delightful job in bringing her characters to life, sparking the reader's attention with excellent dialog and truly enabling the reader to be part of the story. I especially enjoyed the main characters of Calen and Meg. There was just something special about them that made me care for and like them from the very beginning. Meg is full of spunk and Calen is such a delight.
Throughout The Dragon of Trelian, there is suspense, adventure, deep friendship, trust and even a bit of romance. An excellent combination, when rolled all together makes a delightfully engrossing story - one that both boys and girls will enjoy, as well as young adults and adults. Ms. Knudsen has done a marvelous job in penning a story that will appeal to a wide range of readers and leave them wanting for more, as the final page is turned. The dialog is wonderful, characterization and character development is excellent and the "showing" of scenes and surroundings is very well done. I anxiously await the next work from this talented author and recommend The Dragon of Trelian to anyone looking for a story of adventure, magic and friendship.
*overall rating 4/5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bit about The Dragon of Trelian:
Calen, a lonely young mage-to-be, never dreamed that Princess Meglynne would become his friend. And impulsive Meg never imagined that secretly tending a baby dragon would cause her to be "linked" to the winged beast — for life. Being attuned to a dragon’s thoughts and feelings is exciting but scary, especially when their destinies are tied (for better or worse). And now Meg’s sister is about to marry a prince to end a war between kingdoms, a celebration that only Meg and Calen know is endangered by a murderous plot. How can a girl, a boy, and a dragon merge their magic and strength to bring down a powerful traitor before it’s too late? From the author of Library Lion comes a classic middle-grade fantasy soaring with sorcery and suspense, spunk and adventure, friendship and first romance, and a cast of truly enchanting characters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bit about Michelle Knudsen:
Michelle Knudsen is the author of 40 books for children. Her best-known title is Library Lion (Candlewick Press), which was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into several languages. Her latest book is a middle-grade fantasy novel called The Dragon of Trelian. Formerly a full-time children’s book editor, Michelle continues to edit manuscripts on a freelance basis and has also worked as a bookseller, substitute teacher, library supervisor, and managing editor, among other things. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her diabetic cat, Cleo.
The Somewhat Longer Bio (in Michelle's own words):
Like many writers, I've been writing for about as long as I can remember. When I was very young, I mainly liked writing poems. I started writing short stories in high school and college, and sold a few nonfiction magazine articles, but never really thought about writing children's books until I was hired as an editorial assistant in the children's division of Random House. I wrote several books for Random as part of my job (children's book editors sometimes write books "in-house") and eventually began writing and submitting my own manuscripts. It’s great how life surprises you sometimes. I fell into children’s books pretty much by accident, but now it’s hard to imagine wanting to do anything else! I love writing books for young readers.
So far I’m the author of 40 books, including board books, beginning readers, picture books, coloring and activity books, and my first middle-grade novel—The Dragon of Trelian—comes out April 14, 2009. My best-known book is Library Lion, which was a New York Times bestseller, won several awards, and has been translated into many languages. Looking ahead, I have a middle-grade short story coming out in an anthology in spring 2010, and a new picture book coming out in spring 2011. I’m also working on two new novels and several new picture book manuscripts.
When I’m not writing, I love watching movies and DVDs, eating Italian food, going for walks, hanging out with friends, and spending way too much time on the internet. And reading, of course! I’m also currently working toward my MFA in writing for children and young adults at The Vermont College of Fine Arts, and I spend a lot of time writing, reading, and thinking about children’s books for school. I used to perform in community theater (especially Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, to the occasional dismay of some of my friends) but it’s been a while since I was last in a show. These days most of the singing I do is in the shower or sometimes a little late-night karaoke.
I also do some work as a freelance editor; see my editing page for more information on that.
*author bio from Michelle Knudsen's website bio page: http://www.michelleknudsen.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please be sure to check out these other awesome blogs also on tour for The Dragon of Trelian!
A Christian Worldview of Fiction
Abby the Librarian
All About Children’s Books
Becky’s Book Reviews
Cafe of Dreams
Dolce Bellezza
Homeschool Book Buzz
KidzBookBuzz.com
Novel Teen
Reading is My Superpower
Reading to Know
Small World Reads
The 160 Acrewoods
Through a Child’s Eyes
Through the Looking Glass Reviews
Please be sure to pop back by tomorrow when I will share a delightfully intriguing excerpt from The Dragon of Trelian!
The Dragon of Trelian
by: Michelle Knudsen
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (April 14, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763634557
ISBN-13: 978-0763634551
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
Princesses, magic, secrets and dragons... This is just a teeny taste of what The Dragon of Trelian holds in store within it's fantasy filled pages. When young Calen, a mage's apprentice, and Princess Meglynne (who insists on being called Meg), accidentally come across one another, a friendship and trust is quickly formed. Meg has been holding a secret dear to her heart, bursting to tell someone, but unable to trust anyone (even her beloved sister) with this powerful truth, she discovers that she can trust Calen. It is then that Meg takes Calen into the forest to show him what she has been hiding - a baby dragon that she has been tending and caring for for months. Not only has she been caring for the dragon, but a very special and deep bond has formed between dragon and Princess - one that is undeniable and will change things forever.
The Dragon of Trelian is a wonderfully fantasy filled story that will bring even the most hesitant of reader, to an entirely new world from which they will not want to leave. Author Michelle Knudsen does a delightful job in bringing her characters to life, sparking the reader's attention with excellent dialog and truly enabling the reader to be part of the story. I especially enjoyed the main characters of Calen and Meg. There was just something special about them that made me care for and like them from the very beginning. Meg is full of spunk and Calen is such a delight.
Throughout The Dragon of Trelian, there is suspense, adventure, deep friendship, trust and even a bit of romance. An excellent combination, when rolled all together makes a delightfully engrossing story - one that both boys and girls will enjoy, as well as young adults and adults. Ms. Knudsen has done a marvelous job in penning a story that will appeal to a wide range of readers and leave them wanting for more, as the final page is turned. The dialog is wonderful, characterization and character development is excellent and the "showing" of scenes and surroundings is very well done. I anxiously await the next work from this talented author and recommend The Dragon of Trelian to anyone looking for a story of adventure, magic and friendship.
*overall rating 4/5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bit about The Dragon of Trelian:
Calen, a lonely young mage-to-be, never dreamed that Princess Meglynne would become his friend. And impulsive Meg never imagined that secretly tending a baby dragon would cause her to be "linked" to the winged beast — for life. Being attuned to a dragon’s thoughts and feelings is exciting but scary, especially when their destinies are tied (for better or worse). And now Meg’s sister is about to marry a prince to end a war between kingdoms, a celebration that only Meg and Calen know is endangered by a murderous plot. How can a girl, a boy, and a dragon merge their magic and strength to bring down a powerful traitor before it’s too late? From the author of Library Lion comes a classic middle-grade fantasy soaring with sorcery and suspense, spunk and adventure, friendship and first romance, and a cast of truly enchanting characters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bit about Michelle Knudsen:
Michelle Knudsen is the author of 40 books for children. Her best-known title is Library Lion (Candlewick Press), which was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into several languages. Her latest book is a middle-grade fantasy novel called The Dragon of Trelian. Formerly a full-time children’s book editor, Michelle continues to edit manuscripts on a freelance basis and has also worked as a bookseller, substitute teacher, library supervisor, and managing editor, among other things. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her diabetic cat, Cleo.
The Somewhat Longer Bio (in Michelle's own words):
Like many writers, I've been writing for about as long as I can remember. When I was very young, I mainly liked writing poems. I started writing short stories in high school and college, and sold a few nonfiction magazine articles, but never really thought about writing children's books until I was hired as an editorial assistant in the children's division of Random House. I wrote several books for Random as part of my job (children's book editors sometimes write books "in-house") and eventually began writing and submitting my own manuscripts. It’s great how life surprises you sometimes. I fell into children’s books pretty much by accident, but now it’s hard to imagine wanting to do anything else! I love writing books for young readers.
So far I’m the author of 40 books, including board books, beginning readers, picture books, coloring and activity books, and my first middle-grade novel—The Dragon of Trelian—comes out April 14, 2009. My best-known book is Library Lion, which was a New York Times bestseller, won several awards, and has been translated into many languages. Looking ahead, I have a middle-grade short story coming out in an anthology in spring 2010, and a new picture book coming out in spring 2011. I’m also working on two new novels and several new picture book manuscripts.
When I’m not writing, I love watching movies and DVDs, eating Italian food, going for walks, hanging out with friends, and spending way too much time on the internet. And reading, of course! I’m also currently working toward my MFA in writing for children and young adults at The Vermont College of Fine Arts, and I spend a lot of time writing, reading, and thinking about children’s books for school. I used to perform in community theater (especially Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, to the occasional dismay of some of my friends) but it’s been a while since I was last in a show. These days most of the singing I do is in the shower or sometimes a little late-night karaoke.
I also do some work as a freelance editor; see my editing page for more information on that.
*author bio from Michelle Knudsen's website bio page: http://www.michelleknudsen.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please be sure to check out these other awesome blogs also on tour for The Dragon of Trelian!
A Christian Worldview of Fiction
Abby the Librarian
All About Children’s Books
Becky’s Book Reviews
Cafe of Dreams
Dolce Bellezza
Homeschool Book Buzz
KidzBookBuzz.com
Novel Teen
Reading is My Superpower
Reading to Know
Small World Reads
The 160 Acrewoods
Through a Child’s Eyes
Through the Looking Glass Reviews
Please be sure to pop back by tomorrow when I will share a delightfully intriguing excerpt from The Dragon of Trelian!
2 comments:
Great post. You really did a good job with it. I liked this book too.
:-)
Thanks! This was a fun book and so much fun to tour with, I think!
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