As you read the reviews on Bookshop Talk, you'll notice that every review is positive. No, we're not a bunch of literary
pushovers who love everything we pick up; we just see no point in telling you about a book if we didn't like it.

May 20, 2011

DRAGON SLIPPERS by Jessica Day George, 2007


Dragon SlippersShe wanted dragon gold. She got a pair of shoes. Many stories tell of damsels in distress, who are rescued from the clutches of fire-breathing dragons by knights in shining armor, and swept off to live happily ever after. This is not one of those stories. True, when Creel’s aunt suggests sacrificing her to the local dragon, it is with the hope that the knight will marry Creel and that everyone (aunt and family included) will benefit handsomely. Yet it’s Creel who talks her way out of the dragon’s clutches. And it’s Creel who walks for days on end to seek her fortune in the king’s city with only a bit of embroidery thread and a strange pair of slippers in her possession. But even Creel could not have guessed the outcome of this tale . . . in a country on the verge of war, Creel unknowingly possesses not just any pair of shoes, but a tool that could be used to save her kingdom…or destroy it.


Review by Jennifer Zimbelman


This book is one of my all-time favorites. Unlike some books, I've never grown tired of the storyline or felt I was too old to enjoy the story. It's full of promise, magic, adventure, danger, and hope.

I love how Creel is just the daughter of a poor farmer. A lot of stories have an important person as their main character, like a prince. It's refreshing to have a heroine with humble beginnings. I loved how she wasn't an airhead, either. Although she had no real education or background, she isn't dull or slow.

I love how stalwart, sweet, and courageous Creel is. She decides to be brave in the face of a terrible danger, and I admire her for that. She doesn't give in when it would be easier to, but fights for the right. And Creel isn't perfect. That is one of my very favorite things about her. She makes mistakes, does silly things, and has a temper. A lot of times, the hero is someone who is perfect, unrealistically perfect. I love Creel because she is normal. She doesn't seek for fame- she just tries to do what's right. People need to read books and see movies where that is the case. And Jessica Day George has it down to an art.

This book is not a book with a Utopian ending. The ending is happy, but not sugarily unrealistic. It has heartache and sadness in it. But, it also has hope. It's one of the books that, if I had read it as a little kid, I would have believed it was real. It would have been another facet of the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Eragon world I lived in. Some books are downright depressing, others make me feel heavy because they're so... I can't think of another word for it... sugary. Too sweet. Unrealistically happy.

I have literally laughed, out loud, at Creel. I have been weighed down with sadness. I felt so happy for her, I was walking on clouds. Some books tell the story without giving a real in-depth look at the character. This book is not like that. I see what Creel sees, I feel what she feels, I can taste what she tastes. My heart aches with hers, and I dance for joy when she does.

This book has the perfect balance of fun, depth, joy, sadness, mystery, adventure, danger, excitement, hope, and pain. Creel grows through the book, and I love that. She is refined through the troubles, and comes out a better, stronger, braver person.

I would recommend this book to those who like fantasy. It has no age limit. It isn't as intense as some books, and if you're fine with dragons and magic, this is a great book for you.

Market: Middle Grade
Language: none
Sensuality: none
Violence: mild- there's a war, although nothing is graphic AT ALL
Mature Themes: death, war

Book formats:



Dragon Spear (Dragon Slippers)Dragon Flight (Dragon Adventures)Dragon Slippers is the first of a three-book series. Book two in the series is Dragon Flight, and book three is Dragon Spear




To learn more about the author, visit: Jessica Day George

9 comments:

Lyndee @ A Recovering Craft Hoarder said...

I LOVE this book. I was given (well, loaned) this book from a friend and have wanted to continue the series since. I saw it at the Scholastic book fair, but they only had the 1st. I TOTALLY need to read the rest of the series!

Anonymous said...

This is one of my very favorites as well, and for a lot of the same reasons! Excellent book!

Anonymous said...

This is a GREAT book. Unfortunantly, I don't own it, but I own the last book in this series though. I love how the romance isn't gooey, and how Creel worked her way up from an assistant seamstress to her mother in a small town to an owner of a well-to-do sewing business in the city. If you have not read this book, READ IT NOW!!!!! And then read the next two in the series (but I don't need to tell you that, do I. By the time you are finished with 'Dragon Slippers', you'll be hooked.) And then once you are done reading those, go read Jessica Day Georges other books. And then once you are done reading those, wait anxiously for her to publish more books:)

Anonymous said...

Love it! I just got the second book, DRAGON FLIGHT, at the library today and am anxious to read it.

Anonymous said...

I absolutely LOVE Jessica Day George's books! DRAGON SLIPPERS is so fun--I can't wait until my daughters are old enough to have it read to them!

Shelby said...

Best author EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All books by Jessica Day Geoarge are great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love Creel, and ALL the dragons!!!!!!!!!!! I also love her Princess books, and 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon'! My fave book she wrote is hard to decide, but my fave character is either Poppy (don;t love her name, but love her personality! I also think the poppy is a gorgeus flower!) or Creel. Jessica Day George, you don't know how much I love your books! Say hello to Shannon Hale for me, please. It is so cool that you live near eachother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com} said...

Jessica Day George is easily one of my favorite authors of all time! Her stories flow as though you're just listening to them, rather than putting any effort forth yourself, and her main characters are ALWAYS unforgettable, like best friends who you feel like you've known forever!

I also love how her animal characters are as real as any humans, and I always find myself feeling just as compelled by their own stories and plights.

The DRAGON SLIPPERS series is especially unique and wonderful :) Dragon Slippers was the first first novel that my reluctant reader daughter ever finished - and she BURNED through the pages, and asked for more!

Rosebriars said...

I just devoured the dragon slippers series after buying the kindle editions on sale. Jessica, these are awesome! I have loved everything of yours I have read; I believe all that's left unread is the second in the Princess books, and it's on my kindle on loan from the library, waiting for me.

I had expected dragon slippers to be a light-hearted fairy tale about a goofy dragon who collects shoes and is surprisingly effeminate. Instead, it's a light-hearted, serious tale of inter-species understanding. Awesome!

Jessica Day George said...

Thanks for the love, everybody! Rosebriars, I'm glad you liked it and hope you like the Princess books!