Dragon Trouble

by Penelope Lively, Andrew Rowland (Illustrator)

Peter's birthday gift to his grandfather turns out to be much more unusual, and much more trouble, than either of them could have guessed.

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy

48 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 1984

About the author

Penelope Lively is the author of many prize-winning novels and short-story collections for both adults and children. She has twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize: once in 1977 for her first novel, The Road to Lichfield, and again in 1984 for According to Mark. She later won the 1987 Booker Prize for her highly acclaimed novel Moon Tiger.

Her other books include Going Back; Judgement Day; Next to Nature, Art; Perfect Happiness; Passing On; City of the Mind; Cleopatra’s Sister; Heat Wave; Beyond the Blue Mountains, a collection of short stories; Oleander, Jacaranda, a memoir of her childhood days in Egypt; Spiderweb; her autobiographical work, A House Unlocked; The Photograph; Making It Up; Consequences; Family Album, which was shortlisted for the 2009 Costa Novel Award, and How It All Began.

She is a popular writer for children and has won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Award. She was appointed CBE in the 2001 New Year’s Honours List, and DBE in 2012.

Penelope Lively lives in London. She was married to Jack Lively, who died in 1998.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Peter gives his grandfather two red speckled eggs for his birthday, neither expects to find two baby dragons in their place the next morning. Delighted with their new pets at first, Peter and his grandfather are dismayed at the trouble which ensues. Jealous pet owners and meddlesome "pest" control officers convince them that they must release the dragons to their natural habitat – the sea.

A charming early chapter-book from the author who adapted the Aeneid for children ( In Search of a Homeland ), recently reprinted for the American audience, Dragon Trouble reads like a simpler variant on Bruce Coville’s Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher or Sara Sargent’s Weird Henry Berg . The edition I read was part of the Yellow Bananas chapter-book series, and was illustrated most delightfully by Andrew Rowland. I believe that this title was originally published in the UK in the 1980s, however, with illustrations by Valerie Littlewood. Recommended to beginning chapter-book readers who love dragons!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book in a box. I used to read it to my son many moons ago. Cute book about a little boy who buys his grandfather a birthday gift. It was a couple of strange eggs under a glass. That night that sat by the fire and admired the egss. The next morning the eggs hatched into two small fiesty dragons. Then the trouble begins. Cute illustrations too in a very cute litte pocket book. I kept it because I always thought it was special.

[Katharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 7 year old beginning reader was able to read most of this book with only occasional help for words like "mantlepiece", "tobacco", "antique", and some old-fashioned pausing/phrasing. Cute story about a boy who loves his grandpa and wants to get him a present. Being unable to afford the ship in a bottle, he opts for a wood stand with a glass cover with 2 eggs in it. The heat in his home causes the eggs to hatch little dragons who like to eat fish fingers and whole shrimp. Great bridge between beginning readers and more complicated (and interesting!) stories. Enough illustrations to make the chapter book less overwhelming.

[Friend of Pixie]

WHY: A friend said, "My 7 year old beginning reader was able to read most of this book with only occasional help for words like "mantlepiece", "tobacco", "antique", and some old-fashioned pausing/phrasing. Cute story about a boy who loves his grandpa and wants to get him a present. Being unable to afford the ship in a bottle, he opts for a wood stand with a glass cover with 2 eggs in it. The heat in his home causes the eggs to hatch little dragons who like to eat fish fingers and whole shrimp. Great bridge between beginning readers and more complicated (and interesting!) stories. Enough illustrations to make the chapter book less overwhelming."

[Suvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vaarin villit lemmikit.

Petteri ostaa isoisälle kirpputorilta hienon lahjan, lasikuvun jonka alla on kaksi erikoisen väristä munaa. Munista kuoriutuu lohikäärmeitä. Voiko lohikäärmeitä pitää lemmikkeinä, mitä ne syövät, minne ne mahtuvat.

[l · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for books by Lively on the library search and ordered this one because dragons. I didn't know she wrote children's books tbh. This one is just ok.