Review: The Runaway Dragon - Kate Coombs

Synopsis: When Meg's dragon, Laddy, runs - or flies - away from home, she knows she must go on a quest to find him. But she hasn't counted on her parents, the king and queen of Greeve, sending ten guardsmen along. Fortunately, she is also accompanied by her best friends: Dilly, lady-in-waiting and a cool head in any crisis not involving heights; Cam, a gardener's assistant who knows the exact value of a brick shed filled with sausages; Nort, a skinny guardsman who has never given much thought to crows; and Lex, a young wizard with bad taste in horses, magic carpets, and sorceresses. Of course, Meg's quest goes topsy-turvy once she enters the enchanted forest - and her adventure is just beginning. It isn't long 'til she and her companions learn a thing or two about grouchy giants. What's more, meeting up with the dashing bandit Bain again isn't at all what she expected.

Review: I did not consider this installment as good as The Runaway Princess from the beginning. Meg seemed way younger than her age, and there were far too many characters tagging along on the quest. But the extras are dumped in short order, bringing the character count down to a more reasonable number, and just when I decided that there were still too many tag-alongs, the Author splits them up, creating two separate, and equally enjoyable, adventures. The journey(s) pick up from that point, and I could kick back and enjoy the humor I had grown accustomed to in The Runaway Princess.

As in the former, the Author pokes fun at a boatload of fairy-tales, but in this one she pokes at a few lesser-known tales that only a fairy-tale-connoisseur might recognize (she throws in Rapunzel and Jack and the Beanstalk for familiarity, so other Readers don't feel left out).

The Runaway Dragon still isn't as good as The Runaway Princess, but it picks up a lot towards the end, and ultimately does not disappoint.

Overall Rating: JJJ

Others in This Series:

1)The Runaway Princess
2)The Runaway Dragon