Dealing With Dragons, by Patricia C. Wrede

Title:    Dealing with Dragons

Author:  Patricia C. Wrede

Publisher: Magic Carpet Books         Year:  2002

ISBN:  0-15-204566-X (pbk.)

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy,

This book is for Ages: 8-14

AR Points: 8.0

Series: Enchanted Forest Chronicles

Subjects/Themes: Fantasy, Stereotypes, Being true to yourself. Parental expectations.

Plot Summary:  Cimorene is a princess.  The problem is she doesn’t want to be a proper princess.  She is interested in more than embroidery and dancing.  She tries to learn, fencing magic, cooking and Latin, but her parents tell her those things are not for a proper princess.  After her parents decide that she must marry Prince Therandil, Cimorene runs away to become a dragon’s princess. She gets the powerful Dragon Kazul to agree to let her stay and do some cooking, cleaning and organizing.  Cimorene’s life with Kazul is full of adventure.  First she must find a way to keep Prince Therandil and the other knights from trying to rescue her.  Then she needs to find and make a potion that will make her fireproof to dragon’s breath so she doesn’t accidentally get burned.  Finally when the wizards start sneaking around the dragon territory, Cimorene must figure out why and how to stop them.

Review:  Dealing with Dragons offers a twist on the traditional fairy tales where the princess is rescued by the handsome prince.  Cimorene is looking for adventure, not marriage.  She is witty and intelligent.  The dragons are not simply fire breathing monsters. It is fun to recognize the references to popular fairy tales that Wrede incorporates into the story.  An interesting and exciting plot and the variety of magical characters will make you want to read all the books in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.  I wonder if Cimorene will ever decide to get married.

If you like this book you may also like:  Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons, Talking to Dragons all by Patricia C. Wrede; The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch and Michael Martchenko.