Cornelia Caroline Funke’s Dragon Rider is a big, warm fantasy adventure for 9 year olds about a young dragon who sets off to find a home that humans can’t reach.<\/p>\n
Firedrake lives with the other silver dragons in a misty valley in the north. They hide from people and hope to be left alone. Then a rat comes scurrying in with terrible news. Humans are coming, and they’re going to flood the valley.<\/p>\n
The oldest dragon remembers a place far away in the East called the Rim of Heaven. It’s a valley ringed by snowy peaks where dragons were once safe. Most of the others think it’s just a story. Firedrake decides to go and find it.<\/p>\n
He doesn’t go alone. Sorrel the brownie is his best friend, and she’s coming whether he likes it or not. She hates flying (it makes her airsick). She never stops thinking about mushrooms. And she’s grumpy about absolutely everything. She’s honestly one of the funniest sidekicks you’ll ever meet!<\/p>\n
Their first stop is a big human city, where they need a map. Hiding out in an old warehouse, they find they’re not alone. A boy called Ben has been living there. He takes one look at Firedrake and whispers that it’s a real, live dragon.<\/p>\n
Can you imagine anything better? Ben is thrilled, a little lonely, and keen to help straight away. Soon he’s smuggling Sorrel through the streets in his own jeans and hoodie to meet a snow-white rat who makes the most extraordinary maps (and who takes his fee in chewing gum).<\/p>\n
It’s a proper quest story. There’s a long, dangerous journey ahead and a warning to beware of the Golden One, which nobody understands yet. But it never feels too dark. The squabbles and friendships keep it cosy, and the three of them feel like old friends very quickly.<\/p>\n
Anyone who’s ever wished for a dragon of their own will be in heaven here. It’s lovely shared at bedtime too, with plenty of voices to do.<\/p>\n
For more from Cornelia Funke, The Thief Lord follows two runaway brothers trying to survive on their own in Venice, with a detective hired to track them down. It feels a bit older, so it’s one to save for when they’re ready.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cornelia Caroline Funke’s Dragon Rider is a big, warm fantasy adventure for 9 year olds about a young dragon who sets off to find a home that humans can’t reach. Firedrake lives with the other silver dragons in a misty valley in the north. They hide from people and hope to be left alone. Then […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12813,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"lr_next_read_post_id":9464,"lr_next_read_anchor":"The Thief Lord","lr_seo_hook":"A young dragon and a grumpy brownie fly off to find the dragons' lost home."},"book_tag":[1045],"age_group":[24],"book_type":[1044],"book_author":[1084],"class_list":["post-7285","our-books","type-our-books","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","book_tag-adventure-books","age_group-books-for-9-year-olds","book_type-paid","book_author-cornelia-funke"],"yoast_title":"Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke | Little Reads","yoast_metadesc":"A young dragon and a grumpy brownie fly off to find the dragons' lost home. For ages 9+. 3,000+ books in the Little Reads app. 7-day free trial.","acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n