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An Awfully Beastly Business #1
Werewolf versus Dragon
Are you feeling brave?
When a dragon arrives at the royal society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts, a rescue center for rare and endangered beasts, Ulf the werewolf uncovers a dark and terrifying secret. With the help of Orson the giant, Tiana the fairy, and Dr. Fielding the RSPCB vet, Ulf must stop the most evil beast poacher in the world...before it's too late.
186 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2008
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222 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
July 16, 2020
This is a really cute book for children. The story is set in a big area, where they protect fantastic creatures. It's magical and really easy to read for children, the plot is easy to follow and understand and brings a moral in the end. It's cute for adults during a long commute. I really enjoyed it and think it is perfect as a gift for a child.
October 11, 2011
Featured at An Abundance of Books
The Beastly Business series take place in a modern world where mythical creatures aren't so mythical - and they're protected by law. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts (RSPCB) exists to not only protect these creatures, but set up breeding and conservation programs, healing and helping to rehabilitate beasts so that they can return to the wild. Ulf is a young werewolf who has grown up at the RSPCB main headquarters which doubles as a 10, 000 acre rescue home for beasts. He'll remain there until he's able to care for himself. Ulf spends his days learning about and caring for various creatures on the compound and assisting Dr. Fielding, the RSPCB's vet. One night Dr. Fielding was tracking a mother and child pair of dragons when the disappeared from the radar. She discovers the body of the baby dragon and brings it back for an autopsy. During the autopsy they find that the dragon was shot down with a cannon ball and report the findings to the authorities. An Agent Black comes to investigate and Dr. Fielding and Ulf learn that they are dealing with a very dangerous criminal. The agent believes that this person has started the Ring of Horrors back up - an illegal pit fight where magical beasts fight to the death. The RSPCB must stop this criminal and rescue the mother dragon and any other captured beasts.
I'll admit that this is not my type of book at all, but I can think of quite a few students who would love it. Werewolf versus Dragon is a nicely paced story with some fantastic creatures, quite a bit of potty and gross out humor, and some gore (blood, detailed autopsy, guts, etc.) Heck, there's even a ghost! Ulf was a great character who was discounted at times (maybe because of his age or his species) but really saved the day. Duddle has provided some excellent pen and ink illustrations that are humorous and a little edgy.
I think some of the more scientifically minded readers would enjoy the autopsy and cryptozoology "science" parts of the book. I would also recommend this book to kids who enjoy the Captain Underpants books but are looking for a little something different (similar humor in both series). Werewolf versus Dragon seems to straddle the line between early chapter book and a middle grades book, I'd suggest it to my students who are in third grade or higher. While I wouldn't call this a scary book, there is the blood-and-guts factor (be it frozen rats for the mountain troll or the dragon's stomach contents) and it's a bit sad and violent. These creatures are fighting to the death in the Ring of Horrors and the baby dragon was killed. I would definitely keep your reader in mind when selecting this book - this isn't a book that every kid would enjoy and it might upset some. I would tell my students the same things I'm telling you if I were to suggest this series to them.
Read full review HERE
The Beastly Business series take place in a modern world where mythical creatures aren't so mythical - and they're protected by law. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts (RSPCB) exists to not only protect these creatures, but set up breeding and conservation programs, healing and helping to rehabilitate beasts so that they can return to the wild. Ulf is a young werewolf who has grown up at the RSPCB main headquarters which doubles as a 10, 000 acre rescue home for beasts. He'll remain there until he's able to care for himself. Ulf spends his days learning about and caring for various creatures on the compound and assisting Dr. Fielding, the RSPCB's vet. One night Dr. Fielding was tracking a mother and child pair of dragons when the disappeared from the radar. She discovers the body of the baby dragon and brings it back for an autopsy. During the autopsy they find that the dragon was shot down with a cannon ball and report the findings to the authorities. An Agent Black comes to investigate and Dr. Fielding and Ulf learn that they are dealing with a very dangerous criminal. The agent believes that this person has started the Ring of Horrors back up - an illegal pit fight where magical beasts fight to the death. The RSPCB must stop this criminal and rescue the mother dragon and any other captured beasts.
I'll admit that this is not my type of book at all, but I can think of quite a few students who would love it. Werewolf versus Dragon is a nicely paced story with some fantastic creatures, quite a bit of potty and gross out humor, and some gore (blood, detailed autopsy, guts, etc.) Heck, there's even a ghost! Ulf was a great character who was discounted at times (maybe because of his age or his species) but really saved the day. Duddle has provided some excellent pen and ink illustrations that are humorous and a little edgy.
I think some of the more scientifically minded readers would enjoy the autopsy and cryptozoology "science" parts of the book. I would also recommend this book to kids who enjoy the Captain Underpants books but are looking for a little something different (similar humor in both series). Werewolf versus Dragon seems to straddle the line between early chapter book and a middle grades book, I'd suggest it to my students who are in third grade or higher. While I wouldn't call this a scary book, there is the blood-and-guts factor (be it frozen rats for the mountain troll or the dragon's stomach contents) and it's a bit sad and violent. These creatures are fighting to the death in the Ring of Horrors and the baby dragon was killed. I would definitely keep your reader in mind when selecting this book - this isn't a book that every kid would enjoy and it might upset some. I would tell my students the same things I'm telling you if I were to suggest this series to them.
Read full review HERE
April 14, 2018
Wanted something easy and lighthearted for my next read—something fun and this one was interesting—I was intrigued to say the least and tried this new Scholastic series on the Royal Society for the Preservation of Cruelty to Beasts (RSPCB) and their mission is to shelter and protect the magical creatures of trolls, fairies, werewolves, sea serpents, demons and other rare and endangered beasts..The story follows Ulf who was born and raised at the society and never allowed beyond their gated walls—Ulf is locked up every month there is a full moon as he is of beast blood and turns into a werewolf……but during the day he is a little boy and assistant to the veterinarian Dr. Fielding..As they keep up with the beasts they come across a dead dragon and there is a real autopsy scene to find out what killed this huge creature while you as the reader are privy to a side scene of three villains plotting to steal a dragon..
When it is discovered that someone shot the baby dragon down in an attempt to lure in the Mother Dragon the RSPCSB has a real case and are on the hunt to find who is hunting beasts and why….No real spoilers but they find out the reason for a mystery man stealing dragons which is to recreate the violent Ring of Horrors where humans came and paid to watch beasts fight to the death. The Ring of Horrors is built and when the main attraction falls through and Ulf appears to save the Dragon the fight becomes Werewolf vs. Dragon and the last pages end the matchup and start the series…I must say I wasn’t bored or anything and it read fast and fun so I will pass this one on to 5th/6th graders especially.
November 12, 2024
New Words Learnt - 0
I liked the world-building, and the imagination used in including and creating so many fascinating creatures. The story was neat enough but I think overall this book was too young for me. Story-wise I think it was gearing up for bigger things, and it did not shy away from darker themes but overall the story, plot, writing, humour, dialogue and action were very simple. I would recommend this for 7-12yo age range. For these reasons also I will not actively pursue this series (I believe there are 6 books in total).
DRAGON-O-METER
Long time since I've done of these, so let's get right to it. The subject of this review's dragon-o-meter is the titular mother firebelly dragon. For those unfamiliar with my dragon-o-meters, I take the dragons of literature that I can come across and rate them through several different attributes and give them a final score out of 10 of how worthy of the dragon name they are. THIS SECTION CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS SO PLEASE TREAD CAREFULLY.
Size - Large, but not overly so. (5/10)
Personality - Beast-like in nature, but otherwise non-existent. (2/10)
Appearance - 4 legged, no feathers, overpowered scales, fire-breathing, and interesting biology. Not a fan of the frill though. (7/10)
Intelligence - Again, beast-like, with very basic understanding of words. (3/10)
Power - Apart from the usual fire-breathing and strength, none (4/10)
My Approval - The ratings look harsh, so I've decided to be a bit generous in this section as the dragon falls within 'acceptable' versions of 'beast dragons'. (5/10)
OVERALL - 26/60 or 4.3/10
I liked the world-building, and the imagination used in including and creating so many fascinating creatures. The story was neat enough but I think overall this book was too young for me. Story-wise I think it was gearing up for bigger things, and it did not shy away from darker themes but overall the story, plot, writing, humour, dialogue and action were very simple. I would recommend this for 7-12yo age range. For these reasons also I will not actively pursue this series (I believe there are 6 books in total).
DRAGON-O-METER
Long time since I've done of these, so let's get right to it. The subject of this review's dragon-o-meter is the titular mother firebelly dragon. For those unfamiliar with my dragon-o-meters, I take the dragons of literature that I can come across and rate them through several different attributes and give them a final score out of 10 of how worthy of the dragon name they are. THIS SECTION CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS SO PLEASE TREAD CAREFULLY.
Size - Large, but not overly so. (5/10)
Personality - Beast-like in nature, but otherwise non-existent. (2/10)
Appearance - 4 legged, no feathers, overpowered scales, fire-breathing, and interesting biology. Not a fan of the frill though. (7/10)
Intelligence - Again, beast-like, with very basic understanding of words. (3/10)
Power - Apart from the usual fire-breathing and strength, none (4/10)
My Approval - The ratings look harsh, so I've decided to be a bit generous in this section as the dragon falls within 'acceptable' versions of 'beast dragons'. (5/10)
OVERALL - 26/60 or 4.3/10
December 24, 2024
Ulf lives at a magical beasts rescue center until he's old enough to be released into the wild (he's a werewolf, you see). But the sanctuary is threatened when someone shoots down a dragon not far from the preserve and starts showing signs of coming to the center to kidnap another beast for nefarious purposes. Ulf isn't sure that the inspector will be able to solve the case in time, so he and some of his mythical companions start investigating on their own.
This book has a delightfully thrilling plot with a variety of little twists and the addition of quite a few charming mythical characters. It got quite gory for a book in this genre, but while I'd suggest young or sensitive readers approach with caution, I imagine most would find the autopsy and dragon fighting quite thrilling. I don't know if I'll read the sequel, but I was thoroughly engaged throughout this book and found the audio book the perfect companion to a little housekeeping.
This book has a delightfully thrilling plot with a variety of little twists and the addition of quite a few charming mythical characters. It got quite gory for a book in this genre, but while I'd suggest young or sensitive readers approach with caution, I imagine most would find the autopsy and dragon fighting quite thrilling. I don't know if I'll read the sequel, but I was thoroughly engaged throughout this book and found the audio book the perfect companion to a little housekeeping.
October 25, 2019
A very entertaining kids book, if you think your child can handle the content.
Light mystery, a fun hero (a werewolf kid) and a nice sense of fantasy.
One early scene was a little too bloody. At one point the good guys dissect a baby dragon that was killed... it gets a little graphic and a little gross. I selectively reworded that part when I was reading to my son.
Later there’s a gladiatorial fight between a dragon and a giant. Both are good guys. It might be too tense for a young kid.
The accompanying art was a little wacky, but nice all the same.
My 5yr old son enjoyed the book very much. But he was scared at one point of the art depicting the bad guy (no gore, just a spooky looking guy.)
Light mystery, a fun hero (a werewolf kid) and a nice sense of fantasy.
One early scene was a little too bloody. At one point the good guys dissect a baby dragon that was killed... it gets a little graphic and a little gross. I selectively reworded that part when I was reading to my son.
Later there’s a gladiatorial fight between a dragon and a giant. Both are good guys. It might be too tense for a young kid.
The accompanying art was a little wacky, but nice all the same.
My 5yr old son enjoyed the book very much. But he was scared at one point of the art depicting the bad guy (no gore, just a spooky looking guy.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2018
Aștept cu nerăbdare sa creadă Dami și sa o citească,cred ca o sa i placa la fel cum mi-a plăcut mie,cine știe,poate o sa i-o citesc eu.
Ulf,un baiat vârcolac, alături de Dr Hellen F se afla la conacul Farraway(SRPC-Soc.Regala pt protecția creaturilor) îngrijind o mulțime de alte animale.
Mordecai vrea sa desființeze SRPC, având se gând sa înființeze “Circul Ororilor”-lupta între viața și moarte a animalelor,folosindu-se de animalele din conac...
Planurile ii sunt dejucate de către Ulf,zâna Tiana...
Ulf,un baiat vârcolac, alături de Dr Hellen F se afla la conacul Farraway(SRPC-Soc.Regala pt protecția creaturilor) îngrijind o mulțime de alte animale.
Mordecai vrea sa desființeze SRPC, având se gând sa înființeze “Circul Ororilor”-lupta între viața și moarte a animalelor,folosindu-se de animalele din conac...
Planurile ii sunt dejucate de către Ulf,zâna Tiana...
April 24, 2021
A rescue center and preserve for rare and fantastical beasts is the home of Ulf, a young werewolf, his friend Tiana the fairy, Orson the giant, and Dr Fielding the vet. Together they must stop the villainous Baron from harming the beasts and destroying the RSPCB. Reluctant readers, especially boys, will be drawn to the idea of the story and they will enjoy the easy to read short chapters. The pen and ink illustrations by Duddle are at times in conflict with the text, but will probably go unnoticed by the readers.
October 31, 2018
First entry in a series by a group of authors who on the cover of the book call themselves The Beastly Boys. Nothing remarkable here, a normal array of mythical creatures this one of course featuring dragons and werewolves, in what is a fairly standard adventure yarn.
April 3, 2023
Gelezen om mijn Frans te oefenen. Het verhaal was vrij voorspelbaar en niet zo speciaal. Maar voor een kinderboek kan ik wel begrijpen waarom kinderen dit graag zouden lezen en de verhalen van Ulf zouden volgen.
February 27, 2019
It was a fun read, a bit slow to get into but after that it's nice. Reminds me of when i read similar books when i was younger
Read
October 20, 2019My kids liked hearing it- I didn’t really enjoy reading it aloud since it seemed so simple. I wouldn’t mind getting them another to read on their own though.
Read
November 6, 2019Ultimately my 7 year old said he enjoyed it and wants to read the next one, but it took us a while to read it and overall wasn’t as engaging as some similarly themed middle grade novels we’ve read.
May 19, 2020
I really loved Tiana the fairy! I also loved the rest of the fantastic creatures in the book.
October 20, 2020
Mycket bra bok rekommenderas för er som gillar äventyr, spänning och fantasy.
October 20, 2020
Found this on my shelf where it's been for at least 10 years, if I was still in the age group then I would definitely be buying the rest in the series.
June 24, 2021
I read this a few years ago, and I decided to reread it today and it stays good. I really love Ulf and Droes! Idk what their english names are but this book is just incredible 😆❤
August 11, 2022
Fun read aloud series with the boys! If I wasn’t reading it to them, they would definitely read it in their own.
October 9, 2025
I was searching for a humorous werewolf story and found, "Werewolf versus Dragon" recommended to me. It's a middle grade story from the, "An Awfully Beastly Business" series by David Sinden.
I wasn't too impressed. I listened to the audio version, and maybe the lack of illustrations hindered my experience.
The main character is a boy werewolf that is charged with protecting a menagerie of injured magical creatures. He assists a female vet as an evil villain is trying to kill all mystical beasts, particularly the dragon 🐉 in the title.
The pacing was good and the characters were cute, but it just didn't have much oomph that would make me care about the plot or want to continue on in the series. If you can recommend a humorous werewolf book, I'd love to hear from you. 🙂
I wasn't too impressed. I listened to the audio version, and maybe the lack of illustrations hindered my experience.
The main character is a boy werewolf that is charged with protecting a menagerie of injured magical creatures. He assists a female vet as an evil villain is trying to kill all mystical beasts, particularly the dragon 🐉 in the title.
The pacing was good and the characters were cute, but it just didn't have much oomph that would make me care about the plot or want to continue on in the series. If you can recommend a humorous werewolf book, I'd love to hear from you. 🙂
October 11, 2016
its ok and to be honest I really enjoyed reading this book
March 14, 2017
good, but short
November 1, 2009
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
WEREWOLF VERSUS DRAGON starts off with Ulf and Dr. Fielding watching a radar screen at the RSPCB (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts). On the screen, they see two blips, which Dr. Fielding explains are dragons. The mother and baby dragon are migrating further north and passing over the RSPCB.
Later though, Dr. Fielding and Orson the giant retrieve the body of the baby dragon. It was found dead and Dr. Fielding is determined to discover what caused it to die. Little does anyone at the RSPCB realize that someone called the Baron had his minions do what they could to shoot the dragons out of the sky. However, the evil Baron doesn't want the mother dragon dead...he has other plans for the huge beast.
Dr. Fielding reports the dragon attack to the National and International Criminal Emergencies (yes, aka NICE). Soon, an inspector shows up. The inspector hints that the dragon attacker may have plans to hurt the beasts at RSPCAB, and Dr. Fielding, Ulf, and Orson secure the grounds. But there's something not quite right with the inspector, and the story grows more twisted once Inspector Black appears.
WEREWOLF VERSUS DRAGON introduces the reader to Ulf, Dr. Fielding, Orson, the RSPCB and scary Marackai. The story is a quick read, and boys will certainly be drawn to this AN AWFULLY BEASTLY BUSINESS series. With many mythical beasts and crazy villains, the action and adventure will surely be appealing. Marackai calls to mind the villainous Count Olaf and the crazy schemes that he gets up to.
For more adventures with the RSPCB against Marackai, check out SEA MONSTERS AND OTHER DELICACIES.
WEREWOLF VERSUS DRAGON starts off with Ulf and Dr. Fielding watching a radar screen at the RSPCB (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts). On the screen, they see two blips, which Dr. Fielding explains are dragons. The mother and baby dragon are migrating further north and passing over the RSPCB.
Later though, Dr. Fielding and Orson the giant retrieve the body of the baby dragon. It was found dead and Dr. Fielding is determined to discover what caused it to die. Little does anyone at the RSPCB realize that someone called the Baron had his minions do what they could to shoot the dragons out of the sky. However, the evil Baron doesn't want the mother dragon dead...he has other plans for the huge beast.
Dr. Fielding reports the dragon attack to the National and International Criminal Emergencies (yes, aka NICE). Soon, an inspector shows up. The inspector hints that the dragon attacker may have plans to hurt the beasts at RSPCAB, and Dr. Fielding, Ulf, and Orson secure the grounds. But there's something not quite right with the inspector, and the story grows more twisted once Inspector Black appears.
WEREWOLF VERSUS DRAGON introduces the reader to Ulf, Dr. Fielding, Orson, the RSPCB and scary Marackai. The story is a quick read, and boys will certainly be drawn to this AN AWFULLY BEASTLY BUSINESS series. With many mythical beasts and crazy villains, the action and adventure will surely be appealing. Marackai calls to mind the villainous Count Olaf and the crazy schemes that he gets up to.
For more adventures with the RSPCB against Marackai, check out SEA MONSTERS AND OTHER DELICACIES.
May 20, 2010
Werewolf Versus Dragon is the first book in the Beastly Business series, which is being republished and repackaged throughout the year. It's a great read for kids, and would be perfect for fans of Tommy Donbavand's Scream Street series. There aren't quite as many laughs, but there are some brilliant characters and some equally brilliant beasts!
The RSPCB is an acronym for The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts. It's a massive conservation-type area where injured beasts are rehabilitated before being released back into the wild, and reminded me of a less scary Jurassic Park. Beasts living under the care of the RSPCB include werewolves, fairies, gargoyles, dragons and phoenixes. There are also trolls and vampire owls, which I would love to see more of.
The characters of Werewolf Versus Dragon are a lot of fun to read about, and I think I've finally settled on a favourite: Druce the gargoyle. He provides much of the book's humour, and also has the ability to turn to stone. Personally, I think that's cool. I also like Tiani the fairy and werewolf Ulf, who together make a great team when it comes to getting rid of the bad guy.
3.5/5
The pacing is fast, the plot adventurous and the writing entertaining. I would have liked more humour in the dialogue, though I did laugh at a lot of the full page artwork, which mostly made up for that. I'm looking forward to reading more of these new editions of the series, especially book 4, The Jungle Vampire. I wonder if the vampire owls will make an appearance?
The RSPCB is an acronym for The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts. It's a massive conservation-type area where injured beasts are rehabilitated before being released back into the wild, and reminded me of a less scary Jurassic Park. Beasts living under the care of the RSPCB include werewolves, fairies, gargoyles, dragons and phoenixes. There are also trolls and vampire owls, which I would love to see more of.
The characters of Werewolf Versus Dragon are a lot of fun to read about, and I think I've finally settled on a favourite: Druce the gargoyle. He provides much of the book's humour, and also has the ability to turn to stone. Personally, I think that's cool. I also like Tiani the fairy and werewolf Ulf, who together make a great team when it comes to getting rid of the bad guy.
3.5/5
The pacing is fast, the plot adventurous and the writing entertaining. I would have liked more humour in the dialogue, though I did laugh at a lot of the full page artwork, which mostly made up for that. I'm looking forward to reading more of these new editions of the series, especially book 4, The Jungle Vampire. I wonder if the vampire owls will make an appearance?
June 30, 2013
I loved reading Werewolf versus Dragon, book 1 in the series An Awfully Beastly Business, by David Sinden, Matthew Morgan and Guy Macdonald.
In Werewolf versus Dragon we are taking on an adventure with Ulf, Dr. Fielding, his friend Tiana the fairy and Orson the giant. When two fire belly dragons, mother and baby, are heading from the Great Volcanoes past the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts (RSPCB) on their migration route to the Ice Mountains of Greenland they run into trouble. An evil beast hunter and his two helpers shoot down the baby dragon and kidnap the mother. Ulf, Tiana, Orson and Dr. Fielding must work together to find the mother and stop the beast hunters.
I enjoyed Ulf, a werewolf boy, who was rescued by Dr. Fielding and brought to the RSPCB.The RSPCB is a rescue shelter for mythical creatures. Dr. Fielding runs the RSPCB and provides the many creatures with shelter and medical care until they can be released back into the wild. In this book the mother fire belly dragon once lived at the RSPCB. She was hatched their by Professor Farraway 50 years ago. Professor Farraway started the RSPCB, he was the world's first cryptozoologist and an expert on endangered beasts. He passed away long ago leaving all his money to the RSPCB and leaving the RSPCB in Dr. Fielding's care.
This was a quick read for me, I finished it in 2 hours. I will be picking up the other books in the series at my library. :)
In Werewolf versus Dragon we are taking on an adventure with Ulf, Dr. Fielding, his friend Tiana the fairy and Orson the giant. When two fire belly dragons, mother and baby, are heading from the Great Volcanoes past the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts (RSPCB) on their migration route to the Ice Mountains of Greenland they run into trouble. An evil beast hunter and his two helpers shoot down the baby dragon and kidnap the mother. Ulf, Tiana, Orson and Dr. Fielding must work together to find the mother and stop the beast hunters.
I enjoyed Ulf, a werewolf boy, who was rescued by Dr. Fielding and brought to the RSPCB.The RSPCB is a rescue shelter for mythical creatures. Dr. Fielding runs the RSPCB and provides the many creatures with shelter and medical care until they can be released back into the wild. In this book the mother fire belly dragon once lived at the RSPCB. She was hatched their by Professor Farraway 50 years ago. Professor Farraway started the RSPCB, he was the world's first cryptozoologist and an expert on endangered beasts. He passed away long ago leaving all his money to the RSPCB and leaving the RSPCB in Dr. Fielding's care.
This was a quick read for me, I finished it in 2 hours. I will be picking up the other books in the series at my library. :)
April 21, 2015
I loved reading Werewolf versus Dragon, book 1 in the series An Awfully Beastly Business, by David Sinden, Matthew Morgan and Guy Macdonald.
In Werewolf versus Dragon we are taken on an adventure with Ulf, Dr. Fielding, his friend Tiana the fairy and Orson the giant. When two fire belly dragons, mother and baby, are heading from the Great Volcanoes past the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts (RSPCB) on their migration route to the Ice Mountains of Greenland they run into trouble. An evil beast hunter and his two helpers shoot down the baby dragon and kidnap the mother. Ulf, Tiana, Orson and Dr. Fielding must work together to find the mother and stop the beast hunters.
I enjoyed Ulf, a werewolf boy, who was rescued by Dr. Fielding and brought to the RSPCB.The RSPCB is a rescue shelter for mythical creatures. Dr. Fielding runs the RSPCB and provides the many creatures with shelter and medical care until they can be released back into the wild. In this book the mother fire belly dragon once lived at the RSPCB. She was hatched their by Professor Farraway 50 years ago. Professor Farraway started the RSPCB, he was the world’s first cryptozoologist and an expert on endangered beasts. He passed away long ago leaving all his money to the RSPCB and leaving the RSPCB in Dr. Fielding’s care.
In Werewolf versus Dragon we are taken on an adventure with Ulf, Dr. Fielding, his friend Tiana the fairy and Orson the giant. When two fire belly dragons, mother and baby, are heading from the Great Volcanoes past the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts (RSPCB) on their migration route to the Ice Mountains of Greenland they run into trouble. An evil beast hunter and his two helpers shoot down the baby dragon and kidnap the mother. Ulf, Tiana, Orson and Dr. Fielding must work together to find the mother and stop the beast hunters.
I enjoyed Ulf, a werewolf boy, who was rescued by Dr. Fielding and brought to the RSPCB.The RSPCB is a rescue shelter for mythical creatures. Dr. Fielding runs the RSPCB and provides the many creatures with shelter and medical care until they can be released back into the wild. In this book the mother fire belly dragon once lived at the RSPCB. She was hatched their by Professor Farraway 50 years ago. Professor Farraway started the RSPCB, he was the world’s first cryptozoologist and an expert on endangered beasts. He passed away long ago leaving all his money to the RSPCB and leaving the RSPCB in Dr. Fielding’s care.
August 4, 2013
Looking at the book as a mature adult I’d say that Werewolf versus Dragon is a predictable tale about supernatural beasties with a super obvious villain. But if I were a kid who hasn’t read a million books before, I’d say this is the coolest book ever! It’s all about perception here.
In the book we don’t discover the identity of the mysterious villain until the end. Buuut, it’s pretty easy to guess who the villain is right away, it’s really no big surprise. But perhaps it would be to a kid. So as I said, as an adult this book isn’t too amazing, but a little one would think it’s awesome.
I did love the idea of the RSPCB though. There are so many spectacular creatures in this world. The authors could do a lot with that. The series definitely has a lot of potential.
As for Duddle’s illustrations throughout the book – I loved them! His style fit perfectly with the tale and he captured the scenes flawlessly. Loved!
All in all, I wasn’t super impressed with the story in Werewolf versus Dragon. I think a young reader, who this book is intended for, would love it. But an adult wouldn’t find it all that special because of how predictable it is. So this is a werewolf book I would recommend to the kiddies, but not so much for the adults (unless you are looking for a super quick read).
In the book we don’t discover the identity of the mysterious villain until the end. Buuut, it’s pretty easy to guess who the villain is right away, it’s really no big surprise. But perhaps it would be to a kid. So as I said, as an adult this book isn’t too amazing, but a little one would think it’s awesome.
I did love the idea of the RSPCB though. There are so many spectacular creatures in this world. The authors could do a lot with that. The series definitely has a lot of potential.
As for Duddle’s illustrations throughout the book – I loved them! His style fit perfectly with the tale and he captured the scenes flawlessly. Loved!
All in all, I wasn’t super impressed with the story in Werewolf versus Dragon. I think a young reader, who this book is intended for, would love it. But an adult wouldn’t find it all that special because of how predictable it is. So this is a werewolf book I would recommend to the kiddies, but not so much for the adults (unless you are looking for a super quick read).
August 20, 2014
This imaginative book told the story of Ulf, a little werewolf boy who lived at the RSPCB(Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts) along with many other mythical beasts like fairies, giants and ghosts. Dr. Helen Fielding presided over all the creatures under her care. This first volume of the series revolved around stopping The Baron, and his evil henchman Bone and Blud, from capturing mythical beasts and forcing them to fight each other. One of the things I thought was so creative about this book was it took an opportunity to offer educational insights into various historical and scientific ideas. For example when the RSPCB found the body of a dragon that had been killed, Dr. Fielding had to do an autopsy on it and that was depicted and discussed in a scientific, yet age appropriate way. The book is fantasy, but it mixes a little reality, history and science into its plot, which I believe will help it appeal to a wide range of readers.
-Miss Jessica
This title is available from PPLC in print format HERE(less)
-Miss Jessica
This title is available from PPLC in print format HERE(less)
July 3, 2019
This imaginative book told the story of Ulf, a little werewolf boy who lived at the RSPCB(Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts) along with many other mythical beasts like fairies, giants and ghosts. Dr. Helen Fielding presided over all the creatures under her care. This first volume of the series revolved around stopping The Baron, and his evil henchman Bone and Blud from capturing mythical beasts and forcing them to fight each other. One of the things I thought was so creative about this book was it took an opportunity to offer educational insights into various historical and scientific ideas. For example when the RSPCB finds the body of a dragon that had been killed, Dr. Fielding had to do an autopsy on it and that was depicted and discussed in a scientific, yet age appropriate way. The book is fantasy, but it mixes a little reality, history and science into its plot, which I believe will help it appeal to a wide range of readers.
January 20, 2013
This book that i recently finished is about a boy werewolf named Ulf and his adventures with Tiana the Fairy, Orson the Giant, and Dr.Fielding the RSPCB vet.(RSPCB standing for Royal Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Beasts). The story line basically was about when a dragon arives at the RSPCB. Ulf the werewolf must stop an evil beast poacher from creating something horrifing.
This book was an overall a pretty good read, a nice short novel. Mainly probably meant for 4th or 5th graders in my opinion. A few things that could have been better would be that, Ulf's background could've been more developed and that the whole history of the RSPCB and the things that occured in the past should've been mentioned. Even though, it was a good book.
This book was an overall a pretty good read, a nice short novel. Mainly probably meant for 4th or 5th graders in my opinion. A few things that could have been better would be that, Ulf's background could've been more developed and that the whole history of the RSPCB and the things that occured in the past should've been mentioned. Even though, it was a good book.
May 24, 2012
I have just finished a book called An Awfully Beastly Business. By David Sinden. This book is fantasy. It's about this boy name Ulf who really is a werewolf boy. He lives in the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts(RSPCB). They are basically a rescue center for beast. The main problem in this book is when a criminal name Maracki, captures one of the dragon and left the other one dead. The criminal disguised as an Inspector and got in to the RSPCB. The theme of this book is be careful with strangers because they might trick you and things can go wrong. Just like what happened to Ulf and the RSPCB.
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