I really can't work out if I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read a printed copy rather than listened to the audio. I found the pacing to be a little messy, and the characters to be very flat, but I am not a seasoned audiobook listener, so I don't know if this is due to my trying a new medium, or an issue with the book. The dragons of the title don't appear until over a third of the way through the book - I don't know if this would have seemed quicker if I were able to skim the text, but it feels very late for a book of this length. After that, events transpire very quickly, and the book ends on a somewhat abrupt-feeling cliffhanger. There are some fun moments (the dragons' different hoards!) but they feel like hard work to get to.

I appreciated the diverse cast of characters, but I must echo other reviewers in thinking that they were perhaps not utilised as well as they could have been. Each of the four main children has a different background, but apart from the main character Billy, they seem to be simple stereotypes of their backgrounds - Charlotte from the southern US, is aggressive and bossy, Irish Dylan is cowardly but charming, and perhaps most egregiously, Chinese Ling Fei is meek, quiet and sensible. I didn't like that the girls in particular offered no depth of personality - you can be quiet or bossy, the book seems to say. They also don't really function as individuals, with many conversations where all four of them say mostly the same thing. The accents the narrator uses help to differentiate the speech well, but sometimes do grate a bit in these long conversations.

I'm a huge reader of middle grade fantasy, and there are so many out there with clever plots and intricate characters that I can really enjoy as an adult, but something about this just didn't get me invested. I may try again if I can get my hands on a physical copy of the book, but I'm left sadly underwhelmed.

I have no idea why it’s taking me so long to put together a review for Dragon Mountain, I received the audiobook via Netgalley a few months back and listened to it immediately because I was so excited. I’ve read a few Katie’s book and love the Sam Wu’s series by Katie Tsang and Kevin Tsang so I knew I would like this.

Audiobooks have been a recent rediscovery for me. I do think that they the story can be lost if you don’t connect with the narrator, however when you have Kevin Tsang reading the book there will isn’t anything but to enjoy the experience. I was thrilled by how the book was narrated, I loved the dragons in particular, their characteristics and the voices.

I would like to see how this series continues.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This was so much fun!!! I wanted a little more backstory, but that aside I loved everything about it. And I need my own dragon please and thank you. 🐉

The story revolves around Billy who is visiting China for a language camp, and the three friends he meets there. They quickly form a bond and then realise that something more is going on! The friends are lovely - I loved that Charlotte was strong and confident (if a tad obnoxious at times!! 😂) and that Dylan was scared but still brave. I didn’t get as strong as sense of Ling-Fei, but she’s still lovely. And Billy is a good lead - we see his empathy, and his love for his family and his dragon.

I did see the twist coming, but not the ending! What a place to stop! I need book two right now. 😱😱😱

I really can't work out if I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read a printed copy rather than listened to the audio. I found the pacing to be a little messy, and the characters to be very flat, but I am not a seasoned audiobook listener, so I don't know if this is due to my trying a new medium, or an issue with the book. The dragons of the title don't appear until over a third of the way through the book - I don't know if this would have seemed quicker if I were able to skim the text, but it feels very late for a book of this length. After that, events transpire very quickly, and the book ends on a somewhat abrupt-feeling cliffhanger. There are some fun moments (the dragons' different hoards!) but they feel like hard work to get to.

I appreciated the diverse cast of characters, but I must echo other reviewers in thinking that they were perhaps not utilised as well as they could have been. Each of the four main children has a different background, but apart from the main character Billy, they seem to be simple stereotypes of their backgrounds - Charlotte from the southern US, is aggressive and bossy, Irish Dylan is cowardly but charming, and perhaps most egregiously, Chinese Ling Fei is meek, quiet and sensible. I didn't like that the girls in particular offered no depth of personality - you can be quiet or bossy, the book seems to say. They also don't really function as individuals, with many conversations where all four of them say mostly the same thing. The accents the narrator uses help to differentiate the speech well, but sometimes do grate a bit in these long conversations.

I'm a huge reader of middle grade fantasy, and there are so many out there with clever plots and intricate characters that I can really enjoy as an adult, but something about this just didn't get me invested. I may try again if I can get my hands on a physical copy of the book, but I'm left sadly underwhelmed.

It was interesting to revisit this book on audio.

I enjoyed listening the story begin and could better appreciate how this group of children was set up.

I found the narrator's voice and the voice for Billy most relatable. With the other voices I struggled somewhat. I understand that this is a children's book and children thrive on exaggeration. So the voices are quite distinct with accents of the Irish or then the Chinese.

For me as an adult this did not work so well. I felt it was overdone and it reinforces existing prejudices respectively creates them in the next generation of readers and children.

I have given my feedback on the story itself on my eARC. review.

I still feel concerned about the basic plot this book has. It tells the story of 4 children who go onto an adventure to save the world. Within the group of four, the two Americans are the natural leaders and get immediately into the leading positions and then we have obviously someone who is native to the country and then the odd one out. And where does this take place? In China. So, once again, the Americans set out to save the world by sorting out the Chinese dragons???

Considering current geopolitics, I find this book questionable at least.

I was approved for the audiobook of this title and ended up half reading had listening to it. I enjoyed the book, but not so much the narrator, but it ca be a personal choice.

This was a really fun book about friendship and saving the world, but it was a little bit rushed in places. It tells the story of Billy, a 12 year old surfer who has been sent to China for the summer to attend a Language and Culture Camp. While there, he meets Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei and together, the four go an adventure to open Dragon Mountain and discover the wonderful world beyond. I really enjoyed the friendship aspect of this story and thought that our four characters were all really well drawn. The combination of their respective skills works well to create a cohesive team and I thought that the conversations between them all felt realistic. I also enjoyed the setting and thought that the authors had captured the beauty and mystery of China fantastically. Where the story fell down a little was in the pacing. For me, the narrative just felt incredibly rushed, jumping from one thing to the next with little time in between. I would have preferred it had the authors taken a little bit more time with things, particularly since this is the first in a series. I thought that the narrator did a great job with the character voices, but at times, his delivery was a bit monotonous. Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable read and would definitely recommend it for middle grade readers.
I received a free copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for a fair and honest review.

DRAGON MOUNTAIN is a roaring portal fantasy with fun characters, quick pacing and epic dragon action.

Wow, not bad for my first audiobook! I really enjoyed DRAGON MOUNTAIN simply for its sheer entertainment value. It's not too long, fun, whimsical, and silly, but also knee-deep in a larger story with high stakes. The twist and the huge cliffhanger at the end has me hankering for the next book!

The characters are from diverse backgrounds, and I particularly love how easily DRAGON MOUNTAIN displays Chinese culture. Billy Chan is the first character I've ever read with an identical heritage to mine, and as the story goes on they touch upon Mandarin words and eat Chinese cuisine. It was refreshing and uplifting to read Chinese characters in a positive light.

My only qualm is how much depth the characters lack. Billy Chan, as protagonist, naturally goes through ups and downs of self-confidence and believing himself capable, but the three other main characters, Charlotte from South USA, Dylan from Ireland and Ling-Fei from China are sadly one-note. Charlotte's the self-absorbed one, Dylan the nervous one, Ling-Fei the voice of reason, and they never once strayed from 'their trait' or showed any sort of roundedness. As a team, I was hoping for some sort of cataclysm where they fall apart, and then come back stronger, but it never happens. They don't ever fray as a friend group; they're instantly best friends after knowing each other for one day and undergoing one incident together.

That said, what pushes this book to five stars for me is the delightful narrator Kevin Shen and his accents. Shen really adds warmth and tone to the characters; I imagine if I were reading them straight off the page I would probably not have had as much fun.

Alas, overall, a great book and an exciting start to a new series.

WILL I READ ON? Yes! Can't wait for DRAGON LEGEND. I'll have to get the audiobook when it comes out now.

As soon as I saw the cover of this book I knew that it was likely to be a great addition to our school library: I was not wrong!

I received approval just as this was published, so I have somewhat rushed through the audio book. However, it was an enjoyable read with lots of exciting action so that a concentrated spell of listening to it was just the right thing to do! This is a book that is full of adventure and excitement with many twists and turns along the way to keep you hooked and guessing. There are many characters but the narrator works hard to adopt different voices to it is easy to follow the story and keep track of who is speaking.

It is a story about a group of children who are sent to summer camp to improve their language skills. They are all different and I love the fact they they each feel like outsiders and come from a range of different cultures to emphasize their 'aloneness' in the beginning. The children are put into teams to learn to work together, and in doing this, the authors are able to quickly establish bonds between the characters who grow to know each other and soon realise that their greatest strength comes from relying upon each other.

The first challenge is the one that sets the scene for the visit to Dragon Mountain and when the books evolves into a fantasy adventure. We are told right at the beginning the 'Mountains always have secrets' and the children soon hear the legend that surrounds the mountain from Old Gold, their teacher. This is a great backstory for the adventure that is about to come. Dylan, Billy, Charlotte and Ling-Fei encounter more than they could have ever bargained for when they visit the mountain to solve their first challenge. From disappearing tigers, to dragons and fabulous magical powers, this is a story that never stops giving.

I loved how the characters developed to trust one another, offering support and encouragement at every new challenge. The ending seemed quite abrupt but is definitely primed for a follow up title and I cannot wait for it!

Is summer camp in China really going to be as boring as Billy Chan expects or will there be some dragon shaped surprises awaiting him?

This book was brilliant. It was fun, adventurous and exciting all the way through. What I personally appreciated was how well the kids got along from the outset, it was so refreshing to see no initial fighting or bullying. They got along pretty well and actually started to get to know each other. Seeing how the dragons reflected the personalities of the children was really clever and I loved how individual they all were. Overall I am really excited to continue this series, it was definitely a strong start.

The narration was brilliant with excellent attention to detail on the accents!

I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

4.5 stars

Dragon Mountain is such fun middle-grade that really reminded me of everything I love about children's fiction. Adventurous, magical and heartwarming it so easy to fall in love with this story and it's characters!!

We follow Billy as he goes to a summer camp in the "middle of nowhere" china, and there he befriends Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei (which first of all these four have the best friendship and was such a joy to read about!!) and they discover they can enter a magical mountain where they meet 4 dragons, who they bond with and have to team up with them to help prevent the dragon of death from taking over the world!!

There was so much I loved about this book, the characters were all so loveable, Billy was your standard middle grade protagonist full of spirit and a great leader with a good heart and his other friends complimented him so well, I love strong friendships (in middle grade especially). The dragons where also such interesting characters to follow and I loved how they bonded with the humans who had similar to hearts to them and how much they cared about there humans!

There was aslo so much action in this book, the characters are constantly getting up to mischief both in the dragon realm and the human realm!! This book just flew by for me and I couldn't believe it when the audiobook was over! Also watching the characters take initiative and use each of their strengths to help the group problem solve was so great to read!

Billy is also bi-racial (with a chinese father and white mother, which I think the authors are a biracial couple) and although I'm not biracial myself I really appreciated that this representation was included in the book and hopefully helps young kids who might be confused about there idenity!! I also loved the mythology that was woven into this book!

Also I listened to the audiobook arc and the narrator was FANTASTIC. one of the best middle grade audiobooks I've ever listened too!!

An enjoyable and positive story of friendship and teamwork. Drawing on Chinese myths, blended with themes of perseverance and bravery, it has a diverse cast of young characters.

It contains a good range of vocabulary and I would say it will appeal to 9 to 11 year olds; both boys and girls.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Wowowow, I adored Katie & Kevin Tsang's "Dragon Mountain" and I can't wait for the sequel!

12 year old Billy Chan is sent to a language camp in China to improve his mandarin when really, he'd much rather be at home in California surfing with his friends. That is until he finds out that mountains always have secrets, and this one just happens to include real dragons.

Join Billy and his campmates' as they discover that the dragon world is in danger, and they might be the only 4 humans who can help save it.

As if Katie and Kevin couldn't get any more amazing as a couple, they come out with this fire-cracker of a first book. I remember Katie talking to me about this years ago when she first had the idea and now to actually get to read it was a dream. Dragon Mountain is the perfect book for any kid age 9+ who, like me, dreams of exploring the lost mountains and jungles of China, and hopes deep down to find a dragon there waiting for me. It is accessible, fun, and warm at its core. I also adored the use of mandarin in the text, as that will make a lot of children feel seen in this book. Delight start to finish and I will be begging to read book 2 until it publishes.

Dragon Mountain was such a fun story and I really enjoyed my time reading it. I loved the culture and the magic and of course the dragons as they are my favourite creature to read about.

The characters were interesting but were not the most unique I’ve read about honestly but I did like them a lot.

My issue was again, the audiobook. I think the narrator was great but for some reason audiobooks from Netgalley seem to have a weird echo and it takes me out of the story so I hope they fix that.

Billy is shipped off to language camp in China by his parents, in a bid to teach him about his half Chinese heritage, and he thinks it's going to be boring without his friends and away from the sea his favourite pastime, surfing. He never imagines that legends will come to life and he'll find himself in a battle to save both the dragon world and his own from the Dragon of Death.
All the talk of delicious Chinese food made me feel extremely hungry throughout the book.
I would have preferred a slightly more satisfying ending, I wasn't expecting to be left with such a cliffhanger, however it does say this is part of a series. I liked the narrator and all his different accents for the various characters.

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!

The narrator in this is fantastic and is able to embody ALL of the characters so well, especially when each character has a different accent and personality style.

A lovely story of adventure and friendship, with added dragons! There's a lot to love here for kids and adults alike, with the right balance struck by the Tsangs between the world we know and the new world Billy and his friends encounter. There are familiar tropes from many children's adventures stories here, but they are used to great effect and as such the story never feels cliched or predictable. I particularly enjoyed how the story made room for both awe and the playfulness when it came to the dragons, and the well-executed and pitch-perfect humour throughout.

The audio is well read and engaging, though, inevitably, one or two of the accents are weaker than the others.

Highly recommended, and particularly a must for school libraries.