Cave of the Crystal Dragon: A Branches Book (Dragon Masters #26)

Dragon Masters #26

by Tracey West, Graham Howells (Illustrator)

In the latest action-packed installment of this New York Times bestselling series, Drake must help free the brilliant Crystal Dragon! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow! Griffith is in trouble! Drake and Rori travel to Greenshire to find him. They meet a boy named Llew who show them the Crystal Cave where Griffith was last seen. Once inside, they are attacked by Belydor, a Crystal Dragon who does not trust humans. Can Llew help the Dragon Masters gain the dragon’s trust and save Griffith? With engaging black-and-white artwork on every page, kids won't be able to put down this action-packed adventure!

Genres: Fantasy, Chapter Books, Childrens, Dragons, Fiction, Audiobook, Middle Grade

96 pages, Library Binding

Published April 2, 2024

About the author

Tracey West is the New York Times bestselling author of Dragon Masters, a series in the Scholastic Branches line. She has written more than 400 books for kids, including the Pixie Tricks series and the Underdogs series with Kyla May.

Some readers also know Tracey for writing books based on animation such as Pokémon and LEGO Ninjago.

She currently lives in the western Catskills of New York with her husband, Bill; their adopted dogs; and a whole mess of chickens.

Reviews

[Bronwyn]

Galen read on January 18, 2025.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the twenty-sixth book in the series, Drake and Rori have to find Griffith and his cousin. They meet a little boy in wheelchair who connects with a dragon in his sleep!
I love how this series has a way of introducing children to children of all disciplines and races. Nothing is too small or too big!

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter who is now almost 14 she still loves these books, but she did not make it through this one. She read 40% in one sitting and after a few months I have stopped remaindering her we have it on the go. She is now reading books for older teens and young adult titles with he cousin. When we started reading these it would take her more than a week to read one. The title before this she devoured this one in less than 40 minutes. She was insisting we would read them all, but that has come to an end. She hated the cliff hanger endings.

This book and series is wonderful for young readers. It is an early chapter book or Middle Grade read. The next book in the series is #26 Haunting of the Ghost Dragon. There is also a second special edition denounced The Epic Guide to Dragon Masters, that has just released.

This is a great read in wonderful series. I have said it before and I state it again, this series gets better and better. It has serious staying power. I am in my 50’s and I still enjoy these stories and finished this one on my own rather than add it to me ‘did not finish’ pile.

In this volume there several surprises, and for the first time in a while no cliff hanger ending! This is book 26 but I have reread a few of the volumes, making it the 38th time I have read. As a family we used to eagerly await the new volumes that have been announced. I have yet to decide if I will continue the series on my own or leave it be fore now. There are 3 forthcoming titles announced. In this volume Graham Howells is the illustrator, he has illustrated a few in the series. But let us return to this volume.

The description of this volume is:

“In the latest action-packed installment of this New York Times bestselling series, Drake must help free the brilliant Crystal Dragon!
Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!

Griffith is in trouble! Drake and Rori travel to Greenshire to find him. They meet a boy named Llew, who uses a wheelchair. He shows them the Crystal Cave where Griffith was last seen. Once inside, they are attacked by Belydor, a Crystal Dragon who does not trust humans. Can Llew help the Dragon Masters gain the dragon’s trust? And will they find Griffith?

With engaging black-and-white artwork on every page, kids won't be able to put down this action-packed adventure!”

This story is the concludes a darker and longer story line than any of the others in the series. My daughter reads through the chapter titles before beginning, and she guesses what might happen, she did before reading the first part of this one. The chapters this time are:

Where is Griffith?
A Rescue Mission
Guardians of the Cave
Looking for Clues
The Cave’s Secret
A Surprising Find
Belydor
A Fast Escape
Where’s Rori?
Dragon vs. Dragon
A Calming Crystal
Danger in Disguise
Gerik’s Plan
Found!
What’s Next?

The story continues directly from the last. This time we meet a young man in a wheel chair, who is fascinated with quests, stories and adventures. He ends up playing a key role in the story. In this story not all is as it at first appears. And there are some serious surprises in store for readers young and old. .

This is another excellent read in a great series. The series has real staying power. I am a little sad my daughter feels she has outgrown these stories. But she has read most of them several times and they were great reading friends for a number of years, for that I am deeply thankful. We can easily recommend this book and series!

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drake and Rori are enjoying a picnic with some of the other Dragon Masters and Eko when they get a message that Wizard Griffith has disappeared after going to visit his cousin, Wizard Morgan. It appears now that both wizards have disappeared into the Crystal Cave. With the help of storyteller-in-training Llew, can Drake, Rori, and their dragons find out what happened to the missing wizards?

Llew is in a wheelchair, and I liked how Drake and Rori problem solved with Worm and Vulcan about how to make it so that he can be involved in the hunt for the wizards, even when the going gets rough in the caves. They do a good job of being considerate and making sure to include him. Their eyes are also opened to how access to certain places can be an issue for wheelchair users. I like how the Dragon Masters use kindness, diplomacy, and keen observations to solve a conflict.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: Violence is threatened, but magic stops anyone from getting hurt.
Ethnic diversity: The Dragon Masters appear to come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. The village around the Crystal Cave has a European feel to it in the illustrations.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: Someone is using trickery to try and start problems and steal something, but they are thwarted by the good guys.

[Hannah Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightful book in the Dragon Masters series! This one is a quick read- I think it took less than 3 hours to read it aloud to my kids. The plot is exciting and moves at a delightfully fast pace. The characters are lovely as always- Drake, Worm, Rori, and the new dragon master are all sweet, focused on rescuing their friends, and trying to work together. The illustrations in this one are the best yet- Graham Howell really outdid himself! My 7yo was delighted when he noticed a dragon illustration on a teapot. The inclusion of a dragon master in a wheelchair is icing on the cake. There's even a great explanation as to why there is a (really cool) wheelchair in a medieval-ish world. And Tracey West makes the wheelchair into an important strength at one point, which is always a a cool way to showcase differences and empower kids.

All around a great book!

[Efox · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Dragon Masters! YAY!

We have adored this series since we first read Rise of the Earth Dragon and we've enjoyed reading and re-reading and re-re-re-re-re reading Drake and Worm's adventures ever since. This one is no exception.

Like Bloom of the Flower Dragon, Guarding the Invisible Dragons, and Waking the Rainbow Dragon this book stands as a singular adventure, rather than part of a 3 or 4 story arch. It was a great Drake and Rory adventure to find Griffith who has gone missing. They travel to visit where he was last seen and discover a very cool and magical crystal cave with a crystal dragon. The new friend they meet on their adventures Llew is in a wheel chair. I so appreciate West's continual inclusion in her books.

Like always I can't wait to read this one over and over and over.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading this series with my kindergartner! I appreciate the representation across all the books, in particular here with disability awareness featuring Llew, a boy who with mobility restrictions who requires use of a wheelchair. The crystal dragon makes its debut with cool powers as Drake, Rori and their dragons search for Griffith. This is a fast, fun adventure. Can’t wait for the next book!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6-year-old son rates this book 5 stars. He is quoted saying, "I love this book!" This is the first book in the series that we have read, and we're looking forward to reading others in this series. He recommends this book to his friends and anyone who likes dragons. He is excited for you to discover the crystal dragon, which is his favorite part.

Thank you for reading this review. Feel free to say "hi" in the comments!

[Mrs.MakesReadingFun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review from our 6 year old Dragon Master SUPER fan!

It was great! There was a lot of problems to solve. The Crystal Dragon trapped wizards in a gem!
The Crystal dragon lived in the Crystal Cave. I loved the pictures. I liked that Drake and Anna and Bo were in this book, some of my favourite characters.

We can't wait for the next one! We love how each book continues on to the next...

[Gatlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book fits right into the story of the last book in the series. But the ending I thought could have taken a few more twists and turns. The final battle was a little bit too short for me. I think the evil wizard, Gerik, trapped inside a bubble could have used evil magic to free himself and that would give the final battle more twists and turns.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book featured a dragon master in a wheelchair, which again great representation. The idea of a crystal cave and crystal dragon that can use crystals with different powers is fun and new. This evil wizard is certainly causing some problems and I'm curious to see how they deal with getting him fron the dream world!

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, seemed a little less fleshed out than other Dragon Masters stories have been, but sweet, and again - West does an incredible job of representing a lot of characters from different cultures and backgrounds.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son wrote this review about The Cave of the Crystal Dragon:

I am eight years old. I've been reading the series for three years. I have all the books. Book 26 was scary because Garrick is tricky. My favorite character was Belydor.

[Iana Parcan · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOOD!

I Liked how it showed how even if you have disabilities you can still be very helpful like Llew! I enjoyed this book!

[Mandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun dragon book that my son loved reading. He’s hoping there will be more in the future!

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a cute book and good for just a quick listen at work 🥰

[Kalavathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

its really cool

I like the mission and how it gets solved. I recommend this book for all kids of age 7-10 old

[Starwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

i cannot read

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Griffith combined with a crystal cave made me think about Merlin :-) Engaging, just like all the other books in this series.

[Pamela Zeiger · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6 year old enjoyed this exciting adventure. She was delighted when she was right on who would be the dragon master of the crystal dragon.

[Ashli · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Really good, like, I love it” - Nash

[Paige O’Bryant]

Hayes read this book and I wanted to see what it was about since he liked it so much. V confusing since it’s the 26/27 book in the series 😂

[Rana Ibrahim]

Nice drawings

[Cassandra Bowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book with my kiddo. We enjoyed the story telling aspect.

[PottWab Regional Library]

A

[Ashlee Seelos · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6 year old loves this series

[Paxton Cabigon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t blame him

[Jessica Pyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a parent, I like my kid to read these books. The kids are supportive of each other and kind to each other. As an adult, these books are pretty terrible. Main character's dragon is so OP, it's not fair or exciting. But, it's a kids book.