شاگرد جدید مدرسه

Dragon Slayers' Academy #1

by Kate McMullan, Bill Basso (Illustrator), فرزانه مهری (Translator)

مجموعه «مدرسه نابودکنندگان اژدها» ماجراهای جالب «ویگلاف» پسربچه‌ای را روایت می‌کند که از دست برادرانش کتک می‌خورد و توسط پدر و مادرش استثمار می‌شود. یک روز، خواننده دوره‌گردی به او می‌گوید که یک قهرمان به دنیا آمده است ولی ویگلاف در زندگی‌اش کاری به جز سابیدن ظرف‌ها و غذا دادن به خوک‌ها بلد نیست. ویگلاف اعلامیه‌ای را که بر روی درخت اعلانات زده شده می‌بیند و به ناگاه زندگی‌اش تغییر می‌کند چرا که او تصمیم گرفته وارد مدرسه نابودکنندگان اژدها بشود و راه و رسم کشتن اژدها را یاد بگیرد. اما مشکل بزرگی که سر راه اوست این است که او حتی نمی‌تواند به یک عنکبوت آسیب برساند چه برسد به یک اژدهای غول‌پیکر! خوشبختانه او که در مدرسه دوستان خوبی پیدا کرده حالا یک سلاح مخفی نیز دارد. او بلد است که از مغز خود استفاده کند. مجموعه «نابودکنندگان اژدها» داستان‌های جالبی هستند که همه چیز را به شوخی می‌گیرند و هیچ‌چیز در این داستان‌ها از شوخی در امان نیست: خانواده ویگلاف، برادران کودن و تنبلش که مدام کتک‌کاری می‌کنند، پدر خانواده و معلم‌ها و… داستان‌هایی پر از خنده و شوخی که حتی سخت‌گیرترین خوانندگان را علاقه‌مند می‌کند.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Dragons, Humor, Fiction, Adventure, Juvenile

124 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1997

About the author

Kate McMullan is an American children's book author.
She is the author of the Dragon Slayers' Academy series. She is married to author and illustrator James McMullan.

She also has books published under the name: Katy Hall.

Reviews

[Teneka Howland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grades 4-5

McMullan tells the story of Wiglaf, a young boy who feels maltreated and decides to join a special school that trains heroes, The Dragon Slayer's Academy. Once there, Wiglaf realizes that the school is odd, but he learns to make friends. The story is full of comical adventures and jokes. The illustrations in the book are all black and white, but are very detailed. The pictures are spread out with about three to four pages of text in between. This book will appeal to children by enticing their imagination with an alternate world of reality. Through reading this book, they will joing Wiglaf and his friends on this wonderful journey to find and slay the dragon.

Related Content Areas:
English Language Arts, Social Emotional Learning

Lesson Idea:
A review on figurative language would work well with this story as it is full of it from cover to cover. The teacher could have the chidren locate different types of figurative language in the text and identify them. They could also come up with some examples of their own.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

With wizards, dragons, and a medieval setting, this book introduces elements of fantasy while maintaining a light tone found in Wiglaf’s jokes and mishaps. This is a fine book for children who want to experience fantasy, but aren’t able to read Andrew Lloyd Alexander or J.K. Rowling yet.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars for me, probably higher for my kids. The audio book was a bit dramatic and slightly annoying, but my kids enjoyed it.

[E8RaH!M · Rating 3 out of 5]

این مجموعه کتاب خیلی برای بچه‌های سنین ۸-۱۲ سال جذابه. مخصوصا نسخه صوتی‌ش.
قسمت اول این مجموعه ی ۱۲ جلدی همین کتابه که به معرفی مدرسه نابودکنندکان اژدها و موسسش و شاگردها و پرسنلش می‌پردازه.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to my boys, we have 1-10. They thought it was hilarious and I laughed as well. I recommend them to anyone, although I think they would appeal more to boys. We are excited to read the next one.

[Shadyside Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty straight forward and simple. Not a unique story but could still be enjoyed by a young fellow interested in the fantasy genre!

[Eli Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this series when I was like 9 or 10 and now I’ve re-read it before sending on to my nephew who is 9! Still just as wacky and entertaining as I remember.

[Jean-Baptiste · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai aimé ce livre car l'auteur a eu beaucoup d'imagination.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Dragon Slayers' Academy series by Kate McMullan. Our girls have been reading a few different dragon stories and so this one piqued their interest.

One of the series we've been reading (the Dragon Keepers series by Kate Klimo) paints the dragon as the hero and the slayer in a bad light. But this story gives us more of a typical look at dragons and their slayers, although the story is riddled with tongue-in-cheek humor.

This tale offers an interesting take on the dragon/knight saga. The story centers around a school where children are taught to become dragon slayers, primarily for the purpose of enriching the school's headmaster with the slain dragon's hoard. So far he hasn't been the beneficiary of any dragon gold, but I get the feeling that with 19 books in the series, he will keep sending his boys out, hoping to succeed at long last.

It's a very entertaining story, with lots of subtle humor and word play within the narrative. It's a quick read and we really enjoyed reading it together. We will certainly look for more of the books in this series at our local library. We look forward to learning more about Wiglaf and his friends.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start of the book is pretty normal, a poor normal boy start it own adventure by get into the dragon's slayer academy. I think it's a good start because it's simple, it can let reader understand it easily and hook the readet for the next step. The middle of the book it also really simple, the boy got into the academy and started learn about how to slay a dragons and information about dragons. I think the author can improve the middle part of story by adding more exciting movement and action, which can make readers excited. The end of the story it about the boy with a girl went to the forest to slay the dragon and find the dragons' weakness, jokes, but this part also don't have much excitement. The author can make lots of actions, like fighting movements, which I think can make the story better. The story,Dragons Slayers' Academy can improve all the kids imagination and writing skills I think, so it's a great book to read, and it's not really hard to read.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awarding a bonus star as I think a younger audience would enjoy it.

Wiglaf is the youngest and smallest of a very large family, and looked down upon by all his brothers and his parents. (Kind of depressing setup.) He befriends a bard, and sees a way to become a hero by becoming a Dragon Slayer. He joins a school, which is also designed to take advantage of people (also kind of depressing) and, even with a fear of blood and general concern, he defeats the dragon with his humorous skills.

The ending is fun. I have trouble, as an adult, not feeling bad for everyone being exploited, even though Wiglaf succeeds in becoming a hero. I think it'd be fine for lower elementary kids getting into chapter books. It includes several full page illustrations scattered throughout.

My edition is bundled with book 2, which spins off this book.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this with my daughter, and it just wasn't very good. It was slow, surprisingly mean-spirited, and kind of scary for kids still this young.

You have this kid whose family doesn't like him (let alone love him), how am I supposed to explain that to my kid? A functional reality, sure, but not a conversation I can have with a three-year old right before bed.

The violence is mostly cartoonish, but it rarely served a purpose. It wasn't funny, it didn't build a character. He just stabbed the guys toupee for a cheap laugh.

Ultimately, let's not make more out of this book than what it is. It is written for children, and I simply didn't care for it.

Magic Tree House books are still the best.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a boy named Wiglaf who is told he is destined to be a hero. He goes to the Dragon Slayers' Academy where he defeats a dragon by telling him bad jokes. It's a funny story about adventures and friendships.
I choose this book because of it's humor and fun adventurous spirit and because it is a part of multiple series.
This book is science fiction and would be best suited for grades 2-5.
I would recommend this book to students in my class who were wanting to read the Harry Potter books, but weren't ready. It's a great way for kids to use their imagination and build their vocabulary.

[Teri-K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series was recommended for me to read aloud to my 7 year old grandson who isn't crazy about books. We really enjoyed this one. The humor is silly - just right for his age, with knock knock jokes and silly names. There was enough story to keep him interested and several times he asked me to read another chapter. Which is always a good sign. And the book was short enough that we could finish it before it was due back at the library. We already have another one checked out.

[Kristy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Think Harry Potter meets How To Train Your Dragon...but vastly less enjoyable than both. I felt like my IQ was dropping while reading this. I really would have quit the book if it wasn't so short (read it in an hour). The best part of the book was the "Pig Latin" speaking pig. I obviously won't be reading the rest of the series.

[DivaDiane SM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure a lot of the jokes and nuance of this book went straight over my 5 year old's head, but he loves dragons and we just recently graduated to chapter books for read aloud books. Reading aloud means I can explain the unfamiliar vocabulary as well. He thoroughly enjoyed it and Mommy found it entertaining as well.

[Juliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading this series out loud to my 8 year old and we are loving it. It is perfect for his age and a great introduction to fantasy. Cheesy and fun at all the right moments.

[Meghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read with a student. We both found the book to be a bit dull. I thought the use of medieval language was good but the overall story was lacking.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhere, sometime – probably during a visit to Costco – I picked up a boxed set of eight books, plus a bookmark, of the first eight books in this series of silly kiddie chapter books, all with cover art by Stephen Gilpin and illustrations by Bill Basso.

Briefly, they depict a medieval boy named Wiglaf who escapes being picked on by his 12 big, dumb brothers and nelgected by his single-minded cabbage farmer folks, to attend (duh) Dragon Slayers' Academy. It's a run-down castle staffed by oddballs, run by a certain Mordred the Marvelous, who's only in it for the gold, and who send unprepared children out to rob dragons of their hoard. Quite by accident, Wiglaf becomes the first student in the school's history to actually slay a dragon, and then another one, despite having a horror of blood and never mustering the nerve to poke his sword into anything. On a lot of his adventures, he's accompanied by fellow students Angus (Mordred's eternally hungry nephew) and Eric (who only Wiglaf knows is actually a Princess Erica), more or less the Ron and Hermione to Wiglaf's Harry. And of course, what could go wrong without the "help" of a cracked wizard named Zelnoc, who is responsible for (among other things) teaching Wiglaf's pet pig, Daisy, to speak Pig Latin.

I believe you can guess where this is all going, so I won't belabor the synopsis other than to say that at least once in almost every book in this set, I laughed out loud. I believe the first time was when a minstrel, by way of inspiring Wiglaf to seek his fortune as a dragon slayer, told him that every dragon has a fatal weakness; like a certain dragaon who hated to be teased, and was thus slain by a knight who said, "Nonny noony poo poo, you old sissy" to it. If that just made whatever you're drinking shoot out of your nose, we may share an appreciation for these whimsical books, in which the problems of modern-day school kids are cosmetically touched up with Middle Ages trappings and the anachronisms (look that up) are perhaps the funniest part.

There are 20 books in the Dragon Slayers' Academy series. From book 9 onward, they include 97 Ways to Train a Dragon; Help! It's Parents' Day at DSA; Danger! Wizard at Work; The Ghost of Sir Herbert Dungeonstone; Beware! It's Friday the 13th; Pig Latin – Not Just for Pigs; Double Dragon Trouble; The World's Oldest Living Dragon; Hail, Hail, Camp Dragononka!; Never Trust a Troll; Little Giant, Big Trouble; and School's Out – Forever! Kate McCullan is also

[Mark Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

My name is Wiglaf, and a traveling minstrel says I'm destined to become a hero. I can't imagine how that will come true when I'm the smallest son in a family of thirteen boys. I don't suppose being a great dishwasher or pig slopper will help much when slaying dragons. Then, my life changed when we visited a festival going on in the town. I saw a sign posted inviting families to send their sons to the Dragon Slayers' Academy, but it'll cost seven pennies to attend. My parents can't afford that much money, but maybe the school will let me pay them using the gold I find after killing dragons. I suppose my dislike for blood and hurting living creatures may be a problem.

This book was a very quick read, as I completed it in about thirty minutes while exercising on the elliptical machine. The story is humorous, as you might imagine, with a great deal of funny situations and personalities. It's not a far stretch of the imagination to recognize the headmaster at the school is only in it for the money. Even though Wiglaf is impressed by his one-day education, he's hardly prepared for his first quest into danger. He's accompanied by another character who ends up sharing an important secret. Due to the book's shortness, there's little time to develop characters, so it feels like an appetizer. The whole series could have become a nice novel if the different books were combined to create chapters. Nevertheless, the book is an amusing tale, and it's worth your attention if you have a little time to spare.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reviewing books in a series for young kids. This one proved to be worth my while! Wiglaf, one child of many in a family that doesn't appreciate him in medieval times. He decides to go to they Drangan Slayer's Academy in order to get a hoard for his family. He and his pig, Daisy arrive after meeting a wizard in the swamp. He gives Wiglaf an old rusty sword without magic words and Daisy is able to speak pig latin! Classes are a little different for him, but he is soon designated to slay Gorzil, the dragon, with Eric. Eric makes a stand but his sword is soon knocked out of his hand. It is up to Wiglaf. His sword not working, he begins telling knock knock jokes, bad ones at that. Soon Gorzil is dead from bad jokes. Eric turns out to be a princess, but he promises not to tell.

There is a map of the academy in the back. There are also character reveals-teachers, staff and students.

The illustrations are wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Wiglaf sees an advertisement for the Dragon Slayers' Academy, he manages to convince his father that he'd better serve the family off slaying dragons and gather hoards than helping his twelve brothers in the cabbage fields. By some miracle his father says yes, and Wiglaf gleefully leaves home (which wreaks of unwashed boys) and is off to school. There's just one teensy problem. Wiglaf may have issues with blood and gore, and killing things in general.

A delightfully quirky boarding school adventure with a satisfactory amount of dragon appearances. I particularly enjoyed the unexpected way Wiglaf manages to vanquish his first dragon. He kills the dragon with knock-knock jokes. So funny. Definitely will need to check out more in this series. And I can't see going wrong recommending this to kids who like fantasy or humor.

[Jacklyn (ReadingBliss) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up to preread for my 9 year old. While I originally thought it held a lot of promise, being about dragons and a young reader’s skill level, I was immediately put off after the first chapter. As a Christian, I was not thrilled of the introductory character being a fortune teller because I don’t agree with that for me or my kids. Then there is serious family disfunction that also made me wonder what the rest of the quality of the rest of the story was going to be like. On chapter two, I previewed some reviews, where I came across a review by another mom who said it was mean-spirited, and I would have to agree that that seems to be the tone. I also didn’t care for the illustrations. I decided to abandon ship and cut my losses. This book isn’t for us as it doesn’t teach or encourage enough good messages for my standards. I would not recommend.

[Atbash (Emma) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will read ANY middle-grade chapter book with some wizardy stuff on the cover if it’s being removed from library circulation, but man, this series *wishes* it was Moongobble and Me.

You almost get this undercurrent that the author *wants* to enjoy what she’s writing but really wishes she was writing something else. There are these glimmers of care, cute little quips here and there, and careful detail put into the worldbuilding, but it’s almost always from the adult side characters that I catch that sparkle, and just a once or twice from our main kiddo— neither of his friends. It’s not even very good at being morally didactic. Part of me wonders if there was a different way the author wanted to take it, given the choice.

However. It is *so cute* how the illustrator draws Wiglaf’s helmet as a little backwards cap. Utterly charming.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a weird little series that I liked reading when I was a kid. This book is about Wiglaf, a young boy who enrolls at the Dragon Slayers’ Academy. Things do not go well for him.

This book series was very funny. I especially liked it when all the pseudo-medieval kids said “Zounds!” Even though I loved this series, I have a few bones to pick with the very premise.

The Dragon Slayer’s Academy is very corrupt and shabby. This worried me a lot as a kid even though it was played for laughs. The kids are also training to kill sentient beings. All the dragons are evil in this series, but it still made me think “is this genocide?”

These are just little problems, which may not even be problems looking back at this series. It was very funny and entertaining, with good characters.

[Miko · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
The book was interesting and I did like it, but it wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting more of a How To Train Your Dragon vibe. There is also an editing/grammatical error in the book that wouldn't be noticed if I was reading it to myself, but since I was reading this book out loud it stood out. I don't think I would continue with the series just because it wasn't a book that left a big impression and I felt like some of the events were really random. There was one character especially that really threw me for a loop and it didn't give any indication throughout the whole story until the ending. Over all, it was a nice read and I did like it, but not enough to say that I want to continue with the series.

[Elza Kinde · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wiglaf is overlooked and underfoot, so when word of a special school for heroes reaches home, he's eager to be off. Even if he's not completely convincing as a dragon slayer just yet.

As an introduction to the Dragon Slayers' Academy series, The New Kid at School keeps things quick-paced and humorous. Readers will enjoy the classic Medieval fantasy setting, goofy humor, and colorful characters, which I suspect equal an engaging series for beginner bookworms.

For me, this was a tad young for what I normally enjoy, but it's just right for kids who aren't quite ready for Cressida Cowell's How To Train Your Dragon series.

[Agos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a kid who finds a poster that says Dragon Slayer Academy, he gets to go to an academy to learn how to slay a dragon, he passes through a lot of problems but he always gets the way to resolve them. I liked the book because it hooked me by the events that were happening. It was really interesting to see how he passes through problems and how does he resolve them. It ends in a really good way, he finally gets to slay the biggest and powerful dragon. I really liked the book and I really recommend it to kids who are interested in fantasy stories and mostly dragons.

[juli pugliese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because even though it was short, it had a complete story. This story is about a kid who begins being a weak kid for his family, to slaying a dragon! This book is really inspiring because it demonstrates that you need to follow your dreams, and one day you will make them com true, you don’t have to give up.
Something that I found hard about it are the words, because some of them are really fancy and difficult to understand. In conclusion I liked this book, it was short, complete and a little bit hard. I recommend it to readers who like fantasy stories.

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son finished all of the Dragon Masters series and wanted more dragons to read about. This series fit the bill. This book is about a young boy that is sent to off by his parents to attend DSA (dragon slaying academy). The book has a mixture of Sword in the Stone and Harry Potter vibe going. It does use some 'ye olde language,' but it didn't seem to confuse my six year old much. The humor was sometimes a bit over his head, however I enjoyed a lot of the very sarcastic and silly jokes. Over all a decent little read aloud. It was a quick read, only took us a couple of days to get through.