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.

June 29, 2014

THE DRAGON OF THE LONELY ISLAND by Rebecca Rupp, 2002


Hannah, Zachary, and Sarah Emily are spending the summer at their great-aunt Mehitabel's house on faraway Lonely Island. There, in a cave hidden high above the ocean, they discover a fabulous creature: a glittering three-headed golden dragon with a kind heart, an unpredictable temper, and a memory that spans 20,000 years. Rebecca Rupp explores what three children from the present learn from the past - and from an unlikely but wise and generous friend. (Amazon)

Reviewed by Emily, an avid bibliophile.

THE DRAGON OF THE LONELY ISLAND is one of the most awesome summer adventure novels I read when I was a kid. It's about three siblings, Hannah, Zachary, and Sarah Emily, who go to the private island of their mysterious Aunt Mehitabel, because their mother is a novelist and needs a quiet place to write.

Soon after they get there, they go out to hike the only mountain on the island - Drake's Hill, where they discover a marvelous secret - they're not alone on the island. In a cave filled with a spicy foreign scent, there sleeps a dragon.

The dragon, roused from its sleep, tells them that its name is Fafnyr, and that it is a tridrake, a dragon with three heads. The one who wakes, the green-eyed dragon, tells them a story of ancient China, then sends them on their way.

Soon, they discover more of the clues that their Aunt Mehitabel has left for them. In the end, they receive stories from each of the dragon's personalities, and their Aunt tells them that it is their turn to care for the dragon and keep its secret safe.

While the story is simple enough, Rebecca Rupp creates charming characters and a really lovely setting. The Dragon of Lonely Island is a good read for anyone who wants a quiet story with a well-structured plot.

Market: Children's Fiction
Language: None
Sensuality: None
Violence: None
Mature Themes: None that I can remember

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