When I first heard about this book coming out and saw its cover I wanted to read it as soon as possible. I was so excited to discover what the actual book would hold. I was sure I would love it and that it would be an outright 5 stars read.

I requested and received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Looking at its intended reader in younger middle grade, this book holds a fantastic adventure story where four kids in their early teens meet up for the first time and set soon out onto the adventure of their life. There are dragons and scary moments and riddles that need to be solved and a world that needs saving and all four children learn more about themselves by being thrown together into this adventure. There is some really good representation in this book with breaking up gender stereotypes bit by bit.

So far so good.

However, there were also parts of the story I did not get along with as well as expected. First of all, there is the overall impression that everything needs to be harmonic, nearly at all times. If there is any kind of conflict popping up, it is immediately smoothed out. And yes we accept each other as we are. We never get upset with each other. And, yes, we co-operate at all times, we understand, even as children, how important team work is. And so we co-operate at all cost.

The dragons flip from being immensely fearsome creatures in one moment to become the cuddliest of cuddly teddy bears in the next. And dangers and scary moments dissolve from one moment to the next into thin air.

With the story itself I could not get rid of the feeling that I was mostly being told but not really shown, and so I found it difficult to believe anything that was told in the story. Specially, the threat that comes from the Dragon of Death is never substantiated in the children’s world. All there is, is that the dragons say, it is so, and the children just believe them and act upon it. And that is all the motivation the children have for risking their lives or for working together, apart, obviously, from being on an adventure and dealing with real dragons. Not one critical question is being asked.

In addition, the four main characters come all loaded with lots of stereotypes, like the surfer boy from California, the successful pageant girl from the South of the United States, the Irish boy with lots of freckles, green eyes and a preference to stay home when it rains or sleep through difficult moments and the Chinese girl who is at all times it seems subservient and tries to please every one.

In the end, this book was quite a mixed bag of reading experiences for me with some wonderful scenes in it and having an overall feel of gentleness, kindness and cosiness, of wonder and adventure, and on the other hand a story that fell in quite a few ways somewhat apart.

Billy has been sent off by his parents to Summer camp in China to improve his Mandarin, much against his wishes. Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei are much happier to be there. The four children find themselves in a team together, pitted against two other teams for activities to complement the Mandarin tuition. However, the first task does not go to plan when they not only escape a tiger they were convinced was about to eat them, they also experience an earthquake which prevents them from retrieving the fruit they were supposed to collect. On their return no one believes them.
But Ling-Fei has lost her necklace – entrusted to her by her late grandmother. So as a team they retrace their footsteps to see if they can find it. They do. But they also discover another world inhabited by dragons who can talk and who say they need the four children to help save both their Dragon Realm and the Human world. Are the children brave and loyal enough to help? Especially when the threat is the Dragon of Death who wants to dominate both worlds and destroy her enemies.
This novel is fast paced, fantastic and heart stopping. Many dangers are faced by the children ad it is their teamwork and bravery which demonstrates why these individual children were chosen.

I read and reviewed this one with my 9 year old son. Here are our reviews:

S’s Review

Dragon Mountain is a book about some kids who go to a camp and met dragons and travel into a dragon world to stop an evil dragon known as the dragon of death. The reason why I was super excited for it because it was a new book for my favourite authors Katie and Kevin Tsang who also wrote the Sam Wu books. This is part one in a new series and it was a little bit scary, but I am looking forward to part two because I think it would be really good at the end. I really liked Dragon Mountain because it was filled with lots and lots of action. I really liked the final battle at the red Dome and also it was pretty violent. I really liked the world that it was in how it was filled with the loads of healthy things like trees, oxygen, grass,water and peach’s. It just feels like a really healthy world. And it also has dragons and magic. Tank was my favourite dragon because he is my favourite colour. I really liked reading about how the kids started to work together and put aside their differences. I would recommend it for people my sort of age who like dragons because dragons are life in this book, and if you like dragons and adventures you will love this. I give this book 1 million trillion and 12 stars out of 10.

Mum’s Review

S was the most excited for this book. If you’re new to reading our posts, you should know that S is a total fangirl for Katie and Kevin’s work; his Sam Wu obsession knows no bounds. The moment we heard about this book, we pre-ordered. This was S’s first pre-order of a book (usually we go to our local Waterstones on release day to get them, but Covid happened). The poor kid was baffled that pre-ordering didn’t mean you got the book any earlier, so when I was approved to read it on Netgalley, he was so excited. This book is definitely a bit darker and scarier than the Sam Wu books, but we both loved it.

The children in it are hilarious, and as S said, it is great watching them go from competing and bickering, to learning to work together. I did not enjoy S comparing me to the Charlotte in this book and saying we are both bossy though! I loved the dragons (who doesn’t love a dragon), but my favourite was Spark because I loved Spark’s hoard the most. I loved the bond between the dragons and the extra powers it gave to the children to help them. Would definitely sell what’s left of my soul to bond with a dragon (purple please, ideally with a hoard of books). Dragon Mountain is filled with magic and wonder, and people doing the right thing in impossible circumstances. It’s an adventure that had me hooked all the way through, and very worried at the end! I cannot wait to read book two. After S has finished with it, of course.

I found Katie and Kevin Tsang's first foray into the 9-12 range, 'Dragon Mountain' to be a wonderfully enchanting read! Before I give my thoughts, here's a quick summary:

Four children attending a summer camp somewhere in rural China accidentally break the ancient curse of Dragon Mountain, freeing the four dragons that had been trapped inside for centuries. While at first terrified, the children quickly learn that these dragons are highly intelligent, and have a long history of bonding with humans that carry the same heart as they do. Each child bonds with one of the dragons, and they set off to save both the Human and Dragon Realms by stopping the return of the evil Dragon of Death.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The plot and the world building were brilliant, and I thought the Power Rangers/Magical Girl-esque dragon-bonding and superpowers were really well done and very fun! The magic and the stakes felt real, and the pace was perfect.

I do have a not insignificant issue with the book unfortunately: a large portion of the dialogues between the four main characters felt a little off, not quite natural. Since these make up a large part of the story it got a little frustrating after a time, and it was particularly surprising as the dialogues involving the dragons were mostly quite good. On a couple of occasions, I was also jarred from the story by a line that seemed very out of character, so much so that I thought maybe the authors wrote the wrong name there.

A rip roaring rollercoaster of a summer camp adventure full of dragons, mystery, adventure, danger and friendship. It has all the ingredients to make the perfect read, and it is just that, perfect. The only problem is we know have to wait for the next book...I for one am very excited already.

Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

Sometimes a book comes along and, when you first pick it up, you don't realise just how good it's going to be. Well, for me, Dragon Mountain was one of those books.

Billy has left his family behind in the states and is reluctantly heading to China to spend the holidays at a summer camp improving his Chinese. There are only 11 others at the camp and Billy is teamed up with Dylan, Charlotte and Ling Fei for their activities. Things, however, quickly take a dramatic turn when they discover four dragons trapped in an ancient mountain - dragons who need their help to save the Dragon Realm from the Dragon of Death and the nox-wings.

Whilst Billy is the main character, it's Dylan who wins me over with his touches of self-deprecating humour and wit (he kind of reminds me a little of Ron Weasley!). And the girls: Charlotte will initially be favoured by many I suspect as she's self-confident, assertive and a dominant force; however, Ling Fei's timid and gentle persona hides a strength of character I really admire. Then there's the dragons (how can I not mention the dragons?!), all with their own wonderful characters from the start, even before they are given their names, they have such presence and made me want one myself - Buttons without doubt was my favourite, although I also liked the relationship between Billy and Spark.

This book is just full of everything you could want: a host of great characters (both human and non-human); excitement and gripping adventure; bravery and daring; plot twists and an edge of your seat ending that will make you hungry for more!

This is an original plot and a book that will appeal to so many; with elements of myths as well as a strong theme of friendship, it will make you want to head off on your own adventure, will leave you yearning for your own dragon and will give you the most serious book hangover! I'm counting the months until book 2 so I can find out what happens next. Dragon Mountain is an utterly unputdownable book that will leave you craving more!

Dragon Mountain is an absolute scorcher of an adventure glittering with excitement, danger and an unbelievable sense of anticipation which kept me engrossed from beginning to end.

Although twelve-year-old Billy Chan never wanted to go to a summer camp in China, once he arrives, he senses Camp Dragon is a place for adventure and he can’t help feeling excited. His interest is piqued further when the camp leader, Old Gold, tells him the legend of a great battle between dragons, a battle which saw the disappearance of dragons from earth.

Whilst taking part in a challenge with his new friends, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei, the children make a startling discovery about Dragon Mountain, a discovery that leads to them entering the mountain where they are confronted with the reality of the legend: warrior dragons who have been trapped within the mountain, waiting for the children to help release them. And, oh my goodness, what fantastic dragons they are, all with such individual personalities that really shone through. I must confess to having a favourite: Xing who has a fiery tongue, and is not afraid to use it when putting her opinion across.

The dragons inform the friends about a dangerous quest that they need their help to fulfil, a quest that will see the children each bond with a dragon and travel to the Dragon Realm to attempt to defeat the Dragon of Death and her evil nox-wings in order to stop them from destroying both the Human and Dragon Realms … Will the children and dragons be strong enough together to save both worlds?

Oh my goodness! What follows is the MOST exciting corker of an adventure filled with danger, revelations and twists that genuinely had me filled with excited anticipation as I eagerly devoured the story, desperate to find out what would happen. This story has such a clever, action-packed plot that took me on an epic adventure, surprising me, enthralling me and leaving me VERY eager for the next adventure.

I really liked all the children, and loved how different their personalities were which leads to both disagreements and opportunities for humour. Billy and Charlotte are more competitive and impetuous, Dylan is more wary and tentative and Ling-Fei is wise and kind-hearted. The friendship between Billy, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei is brilliantly portrayed. These children have been brought together in incredible circumstances and quickly form a wonderfully close bond of loyalty, trust and support. Working as a team makes them stronger and gives them the courage to face up to the fear and danger that their adventure brings. They believe in each other and in their dragons, which is a powerful source of strength and determination when faced with great peril.

I loved the close bond between the dragons and the children, with each of the children bonding with a dragon and being given a special power to use in their fight against the dark dragons. There was such a sense of magic and awe as the children rode the dragons, and connected with them on such an emotional and empathetic level. I would love to say I’d like my own dragon, but I’m not sure I’d be brave enough – and I’m scared of heights - which is why I love reading about them instead. So much safer!

This is the most exhilarating, epic adventure that is a MUST-READ for anyone who loves stories of heroes and dragons, who loves excitement and action, who loves to be surprised and awed. It utterly captured my imagination and transported me into a magical, exciting and dangerous world which I did not want to leave … sheer perfection all wrapped up between the pages of a wonderfully told story. And that ending! I absolutely CANNOT wait to return to this world!

This was SO MUCH fun! I had such a blast reading this one. We follow Billy who gets sent to a camp in China. The camp is in the middle of nowhere, but we also have the legend of Dragon Mountain there. Billy makes friends with three kids at the camp where they discover four legendary dragons. They then have to save the world from the Dragon of Death.

This is the first in a series so there are a lot of questions left to be answered. I enjoyed the characters and their differing personalities a lot, as well as the Dragons and their personalities. There was a twist at the end I didn't really see coming so I found that exciting!

It would be rude to suggest this is a case of not having a dog and barking yourself, but I always defer to my grandson (now aged 11) when reviewing children’s books; after all, he is a voracious reader and part of the target audience. In the case of Dragon Mountain he writes: ‘Dragon Mountain is an interesting story about four children who find dragons. It is set between the human and dragon worlds which are kept separated as the dragons live in hard to reach mountains. The four children help the dragons and save both worlds from the growing armies of Noxwings who want to rule them and bring their leader back to life. It is also a story of real emotion, with ups and downs as well as adventure and loss.  However, in my opinion, the ending was disappointingly abrupt.’
It seems foolish to argue with this, although I suspect the disappointment about the abrupt ending is a problem shared with all books that form an ongoing series.

LOVED this joyful. action-packed, high stakes mythical fantasy! Katie and Kevin Tsang had me at the title and concept. And then that stunning cover. I hadn't read any middle grade books with this setting before (WHY?!). I feel like I've been waiting for this for so long and it delivered - it really did. I'm going to need the next book...fast!

I haven't read a dragon based middle grade story in such a long time and this book very much hit that good spot for me! Katie & Kevin Tsang, who write the 'Sam Wu is not afraid of' series, bring us a slightly older middle grade full of magic and adventure.

We follow Billy Chan, who was sent to a summer camp in China to learn more of his heritage. He gets grouped with 3 other kids, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei. On their very fist day of outdoor camp activities they witness some mysterious things that nobody else sees or believes that they did. Going back to investigate, the four find themselves inside the mountain surrounded by dragons. These four dragons have been trapped there since a old war with the Dragon of Death and they need the kids help to break the curse and help the other dragons in the Dragon Realm. This is a series mission, one that the kids might not come back from, but they risk it to save their new friends, and family in the human world.

This was an amazing magical journey from start to finish, as we are quickly introduced to the magic of the mountains where Billy is staying for camp. I love the bond that was created between our four main characters and how that reflects on the dragons too. There is strength in numbers and that shows in the friendship formed between Billy, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei as they are thrust into a world of dragons and danger! Each character was so unique but also connected well with the others to form a great group.

I love the plot, with old dragons and how their magic is connected to the humans they bond with. I feel like this book could have been a bit longer to give us more of the characters, both the kids and the dragons, before they hopped straight into the action. Though we don't see much of the natural Dragons Realm, I'm looking forward to more world building in the next book.

I can't wait to see what happens next in this series after those final hair-raising chapters!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Children's UK Books and Netgalley for an early eArc of the book!

An epic adventure sizzling with magic and legends.
We join Billy as he heads off to summer camp in China to work on his Chinese. Along with his new friends, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling Fei, Billy soon finds there’s more to camp than just developing his language skills. A dark dragon is on the brink of unleashing it’s evil on both the dragon and human realms. Teamed up with four trapped dragons, can billy and his new friends save the day?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from the individual personalities of the four children to the equally quirky dragons. There was plenty of magic and adventure throughout, with lots of twists and turns along the way. As the first in a new series, the book leaves you super excited to get started on the next chapter of this adventure.

Yes!! I absolutely loved this, I can’t wait to be back in the shops selling it. Please tell me I won’t have to wait long for book two

Four unforgettable characters, a magical world children will desperately want to fall into and plenty of high-stakes action, twists and turns. Dragon Mountain is amazing!

I knew as soon as I heard about this story that I would enjoy it, and it definitely didn't disappoint.

Every chapter was filled with action and potential peril, and I raced through this story, reluctant to put it down. From moving mountains to disappearing tigers, there's so much to amaze and wonder readers.

Billy, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei were exciting protagonists readers will love. They are all different and uniquely engaging, but come together through their loyalty and courage, even if they are sometimes afraid. The bond between them is strong and touching - they're a group readers will wish they could be part of.

The dragons were also very well developed and described. I could picture each one clearly (although the stunning artwork on the cover helped too). I can see them inspiring lots of games, drawings, and stories, a lot like the dragons in the How to Train Your Dragon series.

The cliff hanger ending has left me desperate for book two. Dragon Mountain is the beginning of a brilliant adventure with end-of-the-world stakes and a formidable antagonist.

So excited about this, I think it’s really going to hit the mark for young readers who aren’t quite ready for high concept and hefty fantasy books but who want to read a fun, engaging, cinematic and accessible fantasy adventure.

This is fun. It feels a little commercial and cliched - it's like a cheesy cartoon on TV - but, hey, so what? I'm sure lots of kids won't mind that. It's fast and pacy, and who doesn't like dragons?

Dragon Mountain by Katie and Kevin Tsang

This first step into older MG fiction by the talented husband and wife team who write the hugely popular Sam Wu books is a thrilling adventure set in the mountainous landscape of China.

It opens with a teenage Californian surfing champion, Billy Chan, reluctantly arriving in China to attend a Mandarin culture and language summer camp. He finds that he is in the company of a group of talented teenagers who have all been nominated by their teachers or coaches to attend this unique camp and anxiety creeps in that his patchy Mandarin skills will leave him performing badly compared to the other kids. After a bone-rattling and stomach churning drive up into the mountainous camp, Billy is pretty convinced that he would rather be back home surfing in the warm sea. However, he starts to form a bond with Irish lad, Dylan O’Donnell and is pleased that he is placed in the same cabin as him by the ancient Chinese camp leader Lao-Jin (Old Gold). On the first night, in the light of the campfire, Old Gold recounts the ancient myth of Dragon Mountain, the battle for supremacy between good and evil dragons and the source of the “River of Blood”.

The next morning the students are divided into teams of four. Billy and Dylan are placed together. Their additional team members are the outrageously confident Charlotte Bell, not just the holder of the Little Miss of the South title for four years, but also two-time ju-jitsu under-14 world champion, and the quiet, shy, dreamer Ling-Fei the adopted granddaughter of Old Gold. Each team of 4 is given a challenge to retrieve a specific item on the first morning and informed that the winning team will earn extra privileges throughout their time at camp. This is all the incentive that highly competitive Charlotte needs and she leaves her team in no doubt that they must win!

However, when they are confronted by a fierce tiger as well as an earthquake after taking a forbidden shortcut through a bamboo plantation, they find themselves caught up in a magical adventure that they could not have imagined.

The combination of contemporary teenagers bound up into a mythical fantasy is deftly handled, with the teens reacting in believable ways to the incredible scenario of bonding with dragons in a battle to save both the human and dragon realms from devastation caused by the evil dragon “The Great One” whose ambition is to rule over both kingdoms. This malicious dragon is aided by his followers, The Noxious or Nox-wings, an army of dark dragons.

Bravery, loyalty, strength and truth are the values in the hearts of the four teenage protagonists which have bound them to their dragons and alongside their dragon-bestowed powers arm them for a battle with a fearsome enemy.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I won’t go into any further details about the plot. This is a fast-paced fantasy adventure, likely to be devoured in a couple of days by confident upper key stage 2 readers; the plot grips you more tightly than a dragon’s claws. Equally it would be a great story for a teacher or librarian to read aloud...but be prepared for demands from the children for “one more chapter”! The book ends on an absolute cliff-hanger and I certainly hope I don’t have to wait too long to find out what happens next!

Highly recommended for fans of Harry Potter, Septimus Heap and Percy Jackson.

Brilliant adventure underpinned with a dazzlingly imagined dragon-filled mythology. Filled with twists-and-turns a plenty, an adorable friendship group that you can't help but root for, and a cliff hanger of an ending that made me DESPERATE for book two, DRAGON MOUNTAIN was So. Much. Fun!! This gave me serious Percy Jackson vibes!

An action-packed adventure story filled with magic and dragons. The Tsangs have struck gold again with another brilliantly pitched series for children- I think I love it just as much as Sam Wu!

How would you feel if you were sent on a cultural and language trip to the other side of the world instead of spending the summer holidays doing your favourite activity? That’s the situation surfing champion Billy faces when he is sent to a remote mountain in China to improve his language skills and learn more about his Chinese heritage, and initially he is not filled with enthusiasm. Neither is he impressed by his summer schoolmates, until a team challenge launches Billy and his three team-mates into a thrilling and dangerous adventure they could never imagined.
Told from Billy’s viewpoint, the mystery unfolds for the reader along with the characters, whose friendship grows as their quest progresses and the peril increases, and they meet the dragons with whom they will bond. The bond between human and dragon is an appealing concept (especially if like me you are a fan of Anne McCaffrey’s dragon books for older readers), but since the children are chosen by their dragons for their main personality trait, this can make the characters feel a little one-dimensional. I felt some of the language started to become repetitive as the plot developed and the continual use of the word “kids” began to grate along with references to “the bond”, but the plot is exciting and fast moving and will hold the attention of the target audience.
There are many children who use our library who will be drawn to this book, and will want to read the inevitable sequels.