Imagine dragons being polite, that they won't set fire to you or singe the hairs on your head or eat you even. Imagine dragons who are well behaved, they don't get angry, they educate themselves. Sounds weird. Red lives with his family and tries to behave as modern educated dragons should in a world where dragons are nothing like their uncouth enemies - the Uprights. The Uprights have a strange killer hand and were banished from their land some time ago in history. But the dragon community is running out of coal and they need to search further and further away. In such a quest, Red meets his first upright (and she her first dragon) where both discover that the other is not as bad the their parents make out and perhaps some understanding and collaboration is needed for both species to live in harmony.
This is a great story just in itself and the theme of collaboration and living in harmony can be applied to so many situations. Various books with this theme are emerging and serve as an excellent reminder as to how the inhabitants of the world need to be open, understanding and share resources.

Red is a dragon who lives with his Mag and Dag. He knows that Uprights are his enemies, which is why he’s confused when the first one he meets, Lou seems to be kind and funny. Red begins to realise that perhaps dragons and Uprights don’t need to be at war and that perhaps he can reunite the two creatures. This funny quirky dragon story is about kindness and accepting difference. There are some beautiful illustrations and the world building was really lovely. There is also some commentary on global warming with a possible glimpse into our future, which acts as a warning to do all we can for the planet. The power of books is another motif that brought the whole world together. It was a really lovely, powerful middle-grade story that I’d recommend to all young readers.

Well, this started with all the signs of being a modern classic, as a young dragon ignorant of his destiny is born with a unique red colour, in a world where humans warmed the planet up so much the dragons had learnt the ability of speech – and of decimating humankind and making the planet theirs. In amongst all the clever dragon-speech terms and linguistic quirks, we get the drift that the dragons have eaten their way through the coal stocks we'd left behind us, and said family were going to have to go off into the outer world to find some more, or else.

Beyond them exploring museums in ignorance of their purpose, and their absolute inability to fathom such a thing as a book, the opposable-thumb-bereft monsters are clearly going to have to go to where humans might still be left remaining, upon which it's far too obvious to us what young Red's destiny is going to be – he's the one who has to breathe life into the way the two species can cohabit, in a shower of peace and understanding. To this end the book turns into a slightly laboured adventure, where the author rams down the past and current motives of the dragons and shows them to be both hawkish and doves in turn. It's not dreadful, but to my mind the fun and witty invention of the world-building was not carried through to the plot, and were it not for that creativity a four star rating would have been impossible to give it. As it is it's a touch generous.

The Artwork is Astounding & This tale of Girl Meets Dragon is Heartwarming to say the Least.
(Thanks to Net Galley for this Book).

This was my second book to review on NetGalley, I was initially drawn to it because I'm a sucker for a pretty cover, I've since googled Kristina Kister and looked at her portfolio. She's a very talented illustrator and the illustrations throughout the book are beautiful. I then read the description and it reminded me of all the books I loved as a child. A world of dragons and uprights, sworn enemies.

The story follows Red, a rare red dragon who lives with his Mag and Dag. After the uprights are driven away after years of war, Red meets a girl called Lou. Lou is wonderful, funny, smart and a great character for children to see themselves in. The pair become friends realising that dragons and uprights can get along.

It is a truly wonderful book where you find yourself thrown into a magical world. It's really well written and the whole time reading it I could imagine my younger self being obsessed! If my nibblings were a little older (and could read themselves) I would be immediately buying it for them.