Book Review: THE DRAGON THIEF, by Zetta Elliott

Kavita has a new pet named Mo. It’s a dragon and it breathes fire! She deftly acquired it recently from a witch’s apprentice who really should have been paying better attention to all three of the magical creatures in his charge. That apprentice was Jaxon, her brother Vik’s best friend. It was Jaxon’s job to deliver the dragons back to the realm of magic and when one went missing, he thought it might have been flying around Brooklyn, but it was actually with Kavita and she was desperately seeking a way to keep it out of sight. Hiding the dragon, however, was becoming more difficult by the minute. What once fit inside a mint tin had now grown to the size of a cat!

While Kavita receives some help from an unlikely hero, Jaxon and his friends go on a mission to locate a working gateway back to the realm of magic – but they have to do it without Ma. Oh, she’s around, but she appears to be under some sort of strange sleeping spell that she has yet to wake up from. This would be Jaxon’s chance to prove that Ma was right to choose him as her apprentice, but he had to do more than just believe in magic, he had to believe in himself. That’s what his grandfather would tell him. If he believed in himself, the possibilities would be endless.

The adventure continues in this second installment of what I hope might one day become a trilogy. The Dragon Thief picks up right where Dragons in a Bag left off-with a missing dragon! It is clear that Kavita has the dragon and the one person who can help her seems to have a rather unique interest in doing so. In the process, she grows so much closer to a family member who up until this point, she hadn’t really known too much about – unlocking a trove of family history. Kavita knew that her family was from India but she did not know that their roots could be traced to Africa too because of the enslavement of Africans from Zanzibar who were brought to the southernmost parts of India.

Zetta’s ability to go beyond entertainment to educate readers while unearthing hidden historical gems has made me a fan of her work. I would highly recommend both Dragons in a Bag and The Dragon Thief for middle grade readers (ages 8-12).

Christina Carter is an Elementary School Librarian (K-5), Wife to a Most Magnificent Husband, and Mother to 3 Beautiful teen and young adult Blessings, and yes, she loves to read! 

The 2019-2020 school year represents her 7th year serving as a school librarian (Library Media Specialist); spreading the love of reading, encouraging exploration and discovery through research, and engaging students in lessons that spark their creativity. When she think back to her childhood, these elements were what made the library a very special place for her. She believes it is a launchpad by which we get to discover and pursue our dreams. Every day that she opens a book, she opens up a world of possibility.

Christina is active on social media (mostly Twitter & her blog) and is a member of #BookExcursion, a group of educational leaders who read, review, and promote books through social media and in their communities with an express purpose of sharing their love of reading with the families they serve. You can find her on Twitter at @CeCeLibrarian.