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The Dragon on the Train
A friendly dragon. A magical train. A journey beyond your wildest dreams.
A little while after his grandma passes away, Elliot finds a strange ticket under his pillow. When a small, well-dressed dragon appears in his room and asks for the ticket, the adventure of Elliot's life is about to begin.
A station has appeared at the back of Elliot's wardrobe ... but where will The Night Train take him?
A heart-warming exploration of love and loss and the magic of hope and family from the bestselling author of THE IMPOSSIBLE BOY. Perfect for 8+ fans of Matt Haig and Ben Miller.
Praise for THE IMPOSSIBLE BOY:
'A fast-moving, quirky, adventure story ... Great fun!' Carousel
'Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant ... A true gift for a reader' Lucy Timmons, Just Imagine Website
'A satisfying mix of quirky humour and all-action adventure in a tale about the power of friends' The Sunday Express S Magazine
'A magical and festive adventure with an extraordinary cast of characters. It is full of empathy, friendship and fun' South Wales Evening Post
'A must read for all children (big and small) aged 7+ and to any who love a laugh out loud book that pushes all senses of the imagination to their limits. It is a masterpiece of creativity and empathy rolled into one big feelgood tale' The Reading Zone
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 27, 2023
5 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Ben Brooks
62 books427 followersBen Brooks (born 1992 in Gloucestershire) is the author of the novels: Grow Up, Fences, An Island of Fifty, The Kasahara School of Nihilism, Upward Coast and Sadie, Lolito, Everyone Gets Eaten, and Hurra. Writing for children, he has published the Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Stories For Boys Who Dare to Be Different, Stories For Boys Who Dare to be Different 2, Stories For Kids Who Dare to be Different, The Impossible Boy, and The Greatest Inventor. His first non-fiction book for adults, Things They Don't Want You To Know, was published by Quercus in September 2020.
He contributed the story Kimchi or a Partial List of Misappropriated Hood Ornaments to Frank Ocean's Boys Don't Cry, accompanying the release of 2016 album Blonde.
He contributed the story Kimchi or a Partial List of Misappropriated Hood Ornaments to Frank Ocean's Boys Don't Cry, accompanying the release of 2016 album Blonde.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 4, 2024
🐉 A perfect delivery of emotion and connection. Elliot’s adventure begins with a well-dressed dragon, a ticket, and a train in the back of his wardrobe.
🚂 At first, Elliot isn’t too pleased to be on a train in the middle of the night with a dragon he has never met before. He is faced with many questions, chased by beasts that want to steal his Spark and thrown back in time. All while trying to figure out how to get back home.
🐉 The Dragon on the Train explores grief through the eyes of child who has recently lost his Grandma. Everything they shared together and enjoyed together now makes him feel sad. He no longer wants music in his life, something he and his Grandma connected through in a huge way.
🚂 This book is absolutely amazing and the sensitive and understanding way in which it explores grief makes it even more exceptional. Anyone reading this can learning something from Kimorin (the dragon) and the learnings that Elliot goes through. A perfect addition to your classroom or home library. I can see myself using this as a class novel for Grade 2 and older as it provides a plethora of opportunities to unpack character emotions.
🐉 Recommended for anyone aged 8 and older. RRP $16.99
🧠 Teaching Point:
GRIEF — As mentioned in my review, this book explores grief as Elliot’s grandma passes away. I think this provides an opportunity to discuss this with your students. It could open the door to questions students might have about this topic too. As always, use your best judgement when doing so.
🚂 At first, Elliot isn’t too pleased to be on a train in the middle of the night with a dragon he has never met before. He is faced with many questions, chased by beasts that want to steal his Spark and thrown back in time. All while trying to figure out how to get back home.
🐉 The Dragon on the Train explores grief through the eyes of child who has recently lost his Grandma. Everything they shared together and enjoyed together now makes him feel sad. He no longer wants music in his life, something he and his Grandma connected through in a huge way.
🚂 This book is absolutely amazing and the sensitive and understanding way in which it explores grief makes it even more exceptional. Anyone reading this can learning something from Kimorin (the dragon) and the learnings that Elliot goes through. A perfect addition to your classroom or home library. I can see myself using this as a class novel for Grade 2 and older as it provides a plethora of opportunities to unpack character emotions.
🐉 Recommended for anyone aged 8 and older. RRP $16.99
🧠 Teaching Point:
GRIEF — As mentioned in my review, this book explores grief as Elliot’s grandma passes away. I think this provides an opportunity to discuss this with your students. It could open the door to questions students might have about this topic too. As always, use your best judgement when doing so.
August 8, 2023
Elliot is a lad just about to forsake everything decent in his life – his gran has just died, and he can see no need for the music that has been his constant companion ever again. Meanwhile Olio is about to go off on a harum-scarum adventure, concerning a magical train and a dragon in a hat that might or might not be the guardian he needs. Oh, and both characters are one and the same child, if you needed telling.
I wanted to love this, and it really did seem a crazy attempt at a perfect three-way blend of story about remembering the dead and carrying on as one always had before their passing, a story about the powers of music, and of course a rollicking adventure kind of story. But there were times when it felt very clumsily written – at least in the draft as I read it. More stars than ever seen before are out on a rainy night. The dragon totes a lamp with it at all times and yet the street is dark. More important things we need to learn, about how much ghostly activity is involved with Elliot/Olio going in and through a piano, and later other people, don't seem given the clarity they needed.
That said, the story does manage to do a heck of a lot of what it intended, and even if this kind of redemptive mission, Scrooge-like journey, story can seem very, very predictable, there is a lot here that can only be enjoyable. It's a draft away from being outstanding, but it certainly proves to be a clever and engaging read, and definitely four stars.
I wanted to love this, and it really did seem a crazy attempt at a perfect three-way blend of story about remembering the dead and carrying on as one always had before their passing, a story about the powers of music, and of course a rollicking adventure kind of story. But there were times when it felt very clumsily written – at least in the draft as I read it. More stars than ever seen before are out on a rainy night. The dragon totes a lamp with it at all times and yet the street is dark. More important things we need to learn, about how much ghostly activity is involved with Elliot/Olio going in and through a piano, and later other people, don't seem given the clarity they needed.
That said, the story does manage to do a heck of a lot of what it intended, and even if this kind of redemptive mission, Scrooge-like journey, story can seem very, very predictable, there is a lot here that can only be enjoyable. It's a draft away from being outstanding, but it certainly proves to be a clever and engaging read, and definitely four stars.
July 5, 2023
Elliot Oppenheim, 10, has lost his Grandma. And this is his grief story. He and his Grandma were close and he is really having a difficult time trying to get to grips with his Grandma no longer being there. They had a love of music and as part of his grief he has given up all music including playing the violin that has been passed through generations of his family. Then “sixteen days after Grandma Ellen died, Elliot found a ticket under his pillow.” This is where he goes on a journey with a dragon on a Night Train. The journey has a number of stops that take Elliot back in time (and into the future) through events in his family and world history, and all the time music is there, even though he is trying to block it out. Elliot really does go to a dark place, but by the end of the journey he has learned to live with his grief a lot better, and rediscovers his love of music and his love of being reminded of his Grandma Ellen.
This is a great book. Emotional. Possibly of help to readers suffering grief too. 5-stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is a great book. Emotional. Possibly of help to readers suffering grief too. 5-stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
July 10, 2023
3.75
A friendly dragon. A magical train. A journey beyond your wildest dreams.
Not long after his grandma Ellen passes away, Elliott finds a strange ticket under his pillow. The night after, forgetting all about the ticket a small, well-dressed dragon appears in his room and asks for the tickets and so begins an adventure of a lifetime.
An exploration of loss, grief, love, and hope. Brooks writes a fantastic tale of how we deal with things and how sometimes you have to stop asking questions and listen to the music.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it onwards to friends with younge
A friendly dragon. A magical train. A journey beyond your wildest dreams.
Not long after his grandma Ellen passes away, Elliott finds a strange ticket under his pillow. The night after, forgetting all about the ticket a small, well-dressed dragon appears in his room and asks for the tickets and so begins an adventure of a lifetime.
An exploration of loss, grief, love, and hope. Brooks writes a fantastic tale of how we deal with things and how sometimes you have to stop asking questions and listen to the music.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it onwards to friends with younge
May 10, 2023
Polar Express meets dragons meets time travel!! ‘Dragon on the Train’ is a story of a fun-loving dragon, taking a young boy on a wild adventure, while seamlessly weaving grief and loss in an accessible way for young readers. Sprinkling in important historical events and proving the importance of music and the difference it can make. A tale of a boy on a train that defies both time and space with some beautiful and important sentiment behind it.
Due to be released 27th June 2023!
Read by Sage
Due to be released 27th June 2023!
Read by Sage
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews