Review: A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans

A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans
By Laurence Yep and Joanne Ryder
Expected publication March 10, 2015 by Crown Books for Young Readers

When Miss Drake's beloved pet human passes on, she doesn't really expect to inherit another. But Winnie arrives, believing Miss Drake to now belong to her. Winnie is thrilled to discover the magical world she never knew. But an unfortunate encounter with an enchanted sketchbook sets Winnie's dangerous sketchlings loose on the city. Can Miss Drake and her new pet set everything right again?

I downloaded this one because I thought it sounded cute, plus it's written by Laurence Yep, a very prolific children's book author. I don't have terribly much to say about this one. It's very short - less than 175 pages - so it was a very quick read. I think it took me maybe 90 minutes to read the whole thing. It's very cute - a gentler sort of fantasy than a lot of what has been coming out for middle-grade readers. But this is maybe a little simpler than I'd expect from a middle-grade read. I'd definitely recommend this for the younger end of the age level. Like I said, it's very cute. I was charmed by Miss Drake and Winnie and the myriad magical creatures they encounter. The story is a bit simplistic, and it's pretty easy to see where things are going. There are hints of a deeper story, which perhaps will come in future volumes (this is billed as the first in a new series). I thought the relationship that developed between the two characters was sweet, and there is enough of a greater magical world hinted at that I'd like to learn more about. Overall, though, it was a bit simplistic for me. Cute enough, but nothing special.

Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via Edelweiss.