Dragon Girls 4 – Mei the Ruby Treasure Dragon

Maddy Mara's Mei the Ruby Treasure Dragon is a magical friendship adventure for 6 year olds about three girls who turn into dragons.

What happens

It's the fourth Dragon Girls book, and it starts a brand-new trio. Mei, Aisha and Quinn have just met at a jewellery class. They've made matching friendship bracelets with glass beads in ruby, sapphire and jade.

One snowy afternoon Mei hears singing from the forest. Her ruby bead starts to glow, and suddenly she's somewhere warm and green, covered in shiny red scales. She's a dragon! A real one, with wings she can't quite work yet and a flame that ripens apples instead of burning them.

Her friends turn up as a sapphire dragon and a jade one. The Tree Queen gives them a job. Shadow Sprites have stolen three treasures from the Magic Forest, and without them the whole place is going wrong.

Their first quest is to find The Forest Book. Without it, the animals forget how to be themselves. The bunnies are trying to sit on their carrots, use them as walking sticks and have sword fights with them, because they've forgotten you can eat them. (Young readers will LOVE this bit.)

What's lovely is how kind the girls are. When they find the book being used as a bunny's roof, they don't just grab it. They weave a new roof out of reeds and feathers instead, and their three dragon roars turn it into treasure.

There's a gentle message about teamwork running all the way through. The Shadow Sprites fill your head with doubt, and the dragons beat them best when they roar together.

There's something special in here for a reluctant reader too. Mei doesn't love reading, because her mind wanders and the words swim. Before long she's hooked on the most amazing book she's ever seen. Isn't that what we all want for them?

The sentences are short and simple, so it's a nice one to read together or for a newly confident reader to try alone. Anyone who likes dragons, sparkle and a cute sidekick (a fluffy pink creature called Squeaklet) will probably be very happy.

What to read next

If they fall for the Magic Forest, go back to where the Dragon Girls began with Azmina the Gold Glitter Dragon. Azmina is the new girl in town, and the same magical song calls her over the back fence.