Waking the Rainbow Dragon: A Branches Book (Dragon Masters #10)

Dragon Masters #10

by Tracey West, Damien Jones (Illustrator)

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!
In the tenth book in this series, Drake has a strange dream about a Rainbow Dragon trapped in a cave. He wonders if the dream could be real... Is the dragon trying to send for help? Griffith the wizard uses the magical Dragon Stone to find out more -- and a new Dragon Master is revealed! Drake and Ana must travel far in search of the new master and his dragon. But how will they find the secret cave from Drake's dream? And why is the Rainbow Dragon trapped there? The Dragon Masters have a tough battle ahead of them!

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

96 pages, Paperback

Published June 26, 2018

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

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

This is the 10th book in this series, but it is 18th I have read. I started reading them to my son a few years ago. And now my youngest daughter is reading them to me. This was the second that was new on this second time through the stories. As a family we really love these books! A few years ago, I read the first eight books of this series to my son. My youngest daughter really enjoyed it and the three of us read them. This year my youngest has been reading them to me. And this was the first book we had not read previously. This year we found out that my nephew has been reading them and was only 1 book ahead of us. He is reading the physical books and We are reading the eBook editions. It is a great story in a wonderful series.

I have said it before, and I state it again, ‘this series really has staying power’. I have read some of the stories 4 or 5 times now. And have been reading them for over 4 years. And I still enjoy the stories as do my children. My son who thought he had outgrown these stories has been sitting in and listening to his sister read them to me again lately. And my brother’s family loves them as much as ours. It is fascinating to watch the kids interact and compare notes about the books that they are both reading. And to predict what will happen next based on the endings of the book, or title of the next as we queue it up.

One of the best things about this series is that it is an actual series, not just a bunch of books with the same characters. Each story builds upon the last. Yet, they are strong enough to be read on their own, but as a whole we get to watch the growth of the group as they come together as a team and learn to work together and support each other. Also interact with other dragons and dragon masters from around the world. In this one we meet a new dragon from the south. The dragon appears in a dream given to Drake by his dragon Worm. The new dragon is the legendary rainbow dragon. And the lad it is from is to the south east of the land of the pyramids where Ana is from. Drake and Ana must travel there to rescue the trapped Rainbow Dragon.

In this volume as mentioned we meet the Rainbow Dragon Dayo and a new Dragon Master named Obi. And they must battle Kwaku a giant spider, a trickster that has tracked Dayo. And just when we think things are going to return to normal, and old enemy returns in a new way. Setting us up for the next adventure.

My daughter was enjoying the story so much she read the first three chapters in the next volume because had had to find out what happened next. Another excellent read in a wonderful series. These are excellent book for young readers and also entertaining enough for older readers. I am continually impressed with the staying power of this series. After multiple reads over several years I still really enjoy returning to the Dragon Masters. And look forward too many more reads in this series, as my daughter is insistent, she will read them all to me! And she stated we had to give this book 5/5 stars!

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Tracey West.

[Micah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mom's note: We read the first 9 books together before and during kindergarten and got partway into 10 before falling off the wagon (I'm not great at routines). Micah finished this one on his own. I think hanging out with his cousins got him interested again.

[Jenicca Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading 10 of these books with my four year old, I figure this probably deserves at least some recognition on my Goodreads. My son is obsessed with these books. It has been his introduction to all things dragons and fantasy. His day-to-day play has changed and I love how much he gets out of the story even at such a young age. It’s been a great first chapter book experience. I love reading them with him!

[Lorelai Didur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love the book because I know It had been two whole books since we got a new Dragon Master and I really really like the Dragon.

[Aneesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

You think you are settling in for a good long read, and it is over in an hour.

[Bronwyn]

Galen read on September 14 & 15, 2024.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciate this series' effort to be multicultural. Hopefully this volume will inspire kids to learn about Anansi the Spider.

[Shoshanah · Rating 5 out of 5]

We’re very quickly flying through the Dragon Masters series at this point! It doesn’t hurt that each book ends on a big cliffhanger where he insists on the next.

Waking the Rainbow Dragon by Tracey West is tenth in the series. In it Drake and his dragon Worm travel to a new land, one that seems quite reminiscent of Africa. While there they help rescue a rainbow dragon, who is caught in a cave by a giant spider.

I will reiterate how much he’s loving these books at this point. We have several other chapter books to read but instead he’s been insisting we continue to pick these up and read them all.

4.5/5

[Mr. Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aw man. The setting was underused and the action was low stakes. Not the strongest entry despite the characters and setting having a lot of potential.

[Aubrey Leger · Rating 5 out of 5]

there is a new dragon master+a giant spider + a rainbow

[Jack Kawata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the book was a four star book because it was extremely good.

[Paddy Xu]

I wanna read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{My thoughts} – Drakes Dragon Worm sends him a message about a Rainbow Dragon. At first Drake thought it was a dream until Bo pointed out that Drake’s Dragon Stone was glowing. Then he knew it was a message from Worm. So Drake ran down to talk to Worm and find out what was going on.

Worm told Drake that he knew the Rainbow Dragon was in trouble, but he didn’t know what was wrong, because his connection to her was so shallow. Drake then told the others what he had learned and him and Ana went with their Dragons to go and help the Rainbow Dragon. The first thing they had to do was find the Rainbow Dragon’s Dragon Master. Once they found Obi they were able to follow his connection with the Rainbow Dragon to find the Rainbow Dragon.

While they were away on that adventure Griffith was summoned by the Wizard Council. He’d learned that the Evil Wizard they’d sent to prison had escaped. Once Ana and Drake were back they say that Diego was under the influence of an evil spell because his eyes were glowing red.

Griffith said that Diego took a valuable book from him. He said that now they should all be worried. That book can lead to everyone being in serious danger. I look forward to reading what kind of danger is to come as well as what other Dragons we will meet.

[Efox · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are incredibly into the entire Dragon Masters series. I mean - I have read all of the ones we have at least twice, and the first time we read this one I didn't think it was going to be a big hit. The story is a little slower than some of the other books, and it's just Drake and Ana off with their dragons on their own, but boy, this one has had staying power. The bad guy in the book is amazing - like totally captivated my 3 year olds attention, and my older kid has read and reread and reread it.

I'm so thankful that we were turned on to such a delightful, fun series.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please note that this review is written for my use as a librarian and may not appeal directly to readers. Please review at your own risk.

Accelerated Reader has this book listed as being for lower grades, or readers in Kindergarten to 3rd grade. They also have listed that this read is worth 1 AR point.

I enjoyed this one. I like that they are incorporating characters that come from different parts of the world that parallel different parts of our own world. Obi seems to be from what for us would be an African nation. It’s really cool to see the different ways of life that the kids have from each area and how they all immediately get along.

Caution Notes*:
Spiders *shiver*

Recommended for:
First and second graders who are into dragons, monsters, or fantasy creatures.

Summary:

-Do not read past this point if you would like to avoid spoilers-

Our hero Drake has a “dream” or visions from his dragon, Worm, to tell him that there is another dragon in trouble. She is a rainbow dragon and she is the bringer of rains in the realm of Ifri. However she has been trapped and she is unable to bring rains. Because of this, the land of Ifri is drying out and the people will soon be out of food. So Drake and Ana head to Ifri to find a new dragon master and to save the rainbow dragon. Thanks to a magical map and some friendly elephants, they find the village and the new dragon master, Obi. With his help and Worms, they find the cave that the rainbow dragon lives in. She has been captured by a giant, magical spider. After a few false starts, Obi and the rainbow dragon work together to overcome the Spider and his webs. They bring rain back to the land of Ifri, but they stay behind when the dragon masters return home. As soon as Drake and Ana get back, they witness an attack of sorts from Diego, the friendly wizard to appears to be controlled by the dark wizard Maldred.

*Caution notes are not to say, don’t read the book. I only include these so that those individuals who have particular themes they do not like to read about or are not ready for their kids to read about are aware. I do not support censoring. :)

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was better than the last book, and the idea of a rainbow dragon that makes rain is fun and beautiful. I love the diversity in the various dragon masters they find. The giant trickster spider is a pretty terrifying idea, but similar to the Ice Giant the spider had a legitimate reason for not liking the rainbow dragon--the rain causes the cave to flood. His home is temporarily ruined when it rains. Obviously it needs to rain for the environment everything to have food, but it would have been nice to help the spider find a different cave that wouldn't flood, or make a dam in place or something so it helps solve the root of the spider's problem too. What's going to stop it from going out and doing something awful again when its problem will likely still happen? I guess the spider should be able to solve its own problems, but I wish something was done. Still annoyed that there hasn't been any fallout or mention of Eko and Rori just leaving her for good. Eko also had legitimate reasons for wanting to liberate the dragons--I really hope we revisit that later!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars for kids, 3 stars for adults, for an average of 4 stars.

My children LOVE these books, and they are very fast-paced and exciting (even to me). I have a hard time not commenting on some logical fallacies & oversimplifications, not to mention the absurdity of 8-year-olds being dragon "masters" or being sent to a far-away country to battle a trickster giant spider's spell and save a whole country from drought with zero adult supervision. BUT...as I said, this book was very fast-paced and exciting and kept my 7-year-old and 3 1/2-year-old riveted and really mad when I only read 4 chapters at bedtime, then begging me to read the rest the next afternoon. So I will go with a 4-star rating for the enthusiasm it engendered in my kids and for the attempt to have a couple of non-white main characters, although the series clearly isn't OwnVoices.

[Tess Jones-Orta · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter loves these books. They're decent for me. I realize who they are written for (young kids/beginning readers) and I understand the over-the-top fantasy/adventure elements. For some reason though I can't get past how the adult (a wizard teacher) let's these young, untrained kids go into dangerous situations alone in almost every book. That's too unrealistic for me. And he always has a super lame excuse. :I gotta say here and watch the castle..." "Oh, I just got this important note I need to read..." 🙄 I think the adult could be incorporated in the adventure but the kids still play the lead role in defeating the giant, spider, bad guy, etc. Otherwise, readers may feel like they can be like the dragon masters, try to take on more than they can handle in real life, and get hurt. Am I reading too much into it? 🤷‍♀️

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the others, given that for once they didn't straight out kidnap a kid and dragon. However, it is a mystery to me why the rainbow dragon needed a Dragon Master to begin with, when she just freed herself and everyone else when he asked her to. The explanation behind a legendary trickster (whom I assume is borrowing from Anansi) tricking a dragon so there would be no rain...was pretty weak. And he didn't seem very clever either.

Not sure how Griffin didn't notice Diego's red eyes before, or think there was something wrong when Diego is throwing all his books on the floor. And how has anything important has ever been safe when people can just teleport all around?

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son read the whole series, so I'm pausing with my adult reads and flying through these to have our first book-talks as father and son. It's wonderful! We talk about each one, and he loves that I'm finding out stuff that he's already read. He now understands the concept of spoilers and has some fun with those.

[Wayne D Kramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Especially by the time you're at the 10th book, you have to know what to expect from these from the standpoints of things like plot and character development. For me, it's a fun, safe, and nicely illustrated read at bedtime with the kids. These books are quite short, though, so we get through them very quickly.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been enjoying the series with my two elementary-age kiddos. This one, though, while enjoyable, had some glaring plot holes. One obvious one is the fact that Worm can teleport anywhere, so why would the kids be stuck in the desert with a malfunctioning map? Why not just zap back to the castle, get a good night's sleep and a new map, then head out?

[HEEKYUNG KIM · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the book! and i am on book: spring

i love your so much but I can't buy anything because I am a kid but I Love your books so much and I can't wait for a another book to come out!!!!😆

[Meaghan Triest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in this series. The author tied in two different legends into the story. As always the last chapter sets up the next book in the series and leaves you wanting more. My son loves this series.

[M.A.Stanglfam]

Since we read through this book first, and then 1-9, I felt like the plot with Eko and Neru got overtaken a bit this time around and with Rori's wrestling with Griffith's authority. Maybe it'll come back up later since we haven't read all the way to 20~ something books yet. So we shall see.

[Mandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This continues to hold my son’s attention. As long as he wants to read these with me I will continue to do so. I like that the author has made an attempt at being multicultural and shows my son more differences that are out there.

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course there had to be a giant spider… Sigh. A good story, but I could have done with a warning about the spider. I liked the Rainbow Dragon, even if her story doesn’t have much to do with the overarching tale of Maldred vs the Dragon Masters.

[Mira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series! I always pre order them as soon as available. The next one comes out in September!

[Schanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love Dragons

My son chose the rating because he enjoyed the book and the series. This book is one of his favorites in the series.

[Jaie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I enjoyed the inclusion of the trickster spider. I still have general concerns about these kids sent off on their own without guidance, they even forgot to pack water!