Drak do kapsy

The Secret Dragon #1

by E.J. Clarke

Když nejsi běžně žijící zvíře a když nejsi vyhynulý tvor, tak co vlastně jsi?

Mari Jonesové je sice teprve jedenáct, ale zoufale touží stát se vědkyní. Maminka by chtěla, aby byla zvěrolékařkou, jenže jediná zvířátka, která Mari zajímají, jsou ta zkamenělá. A právě při hledání fosilií najde Mari malého dráčka a ví, že jde o největší objev jejího života. Mohl by změnit celou vědu! Rozhodne se tvorečka důkladně prozkoumat, než ho ukáže světu.

Naneštěstí pro Mari, její okřídlené tajemství nehodlá zůstat skryto. Možná je to prcek do kapsy, ale má obrovský talent dostat se do maléru. A to jsou s Mari dva. Malá vědkyně rychle zjistí, že když jde o přátelství, věda nemusí mít odpověď na všechno. . .

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction, Dragons, Childrens

232 pages, Hardcover

First published May 30, 2019

Reviews

[Isobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book published 2019 - The Secret Dragon by Ed Clarke

The story is a fascinating tale, it is full of adventure and excitement of Mari and Dylan’s discovery of a Secret Dragon The whole story is based on a girl’s passion to become a scientist and their excitement about the Dragon starts when the girl discovers a dragon egg when fossil hunting on the beach.The book would be appropriate for children aged 8-10. The language is easy and the children may be able to relate to the different characters in the story. The book will help children to understand the importance of friendship, family and love.

I would recommend this book as an English class read. The book is full of eventful themes and scenes that could be used as a story starter to encourage children to write an adventure story. The book can be a good read to encourage children’s imagination and this will help children to write their stories.

English
Write a narrative piece of writing to describe Mari’s feelings when she is stuck in the cave
Use the plot of the secret dragon to create a secret creature, the children can write a story of how and where they discover their secret creature.
Investigate other stories that feature the events of mythical creatures: myths and legends tales, Dragon Rider, Narnia series, How to Train your Dragon, The Lion and the Unicorn.
Create a poem to describe the appearance of the dragon.
Write a narrative with a range of adjectives to describe the features, sounds, smells of dragon.
Write a poem to describe the waves and rock cliffs by the beach

[Luna's Little Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was super excited about this book from the moment I found out about it, because DRAGONS! So being gifted a review copy was perfect.

However there is a downside to The Secret Dragon... it does not come with your own pocket dragon. I foresee a problem with this, especially as I believe readers will fall in love with Pterodraco jonathani (Gweeb for short) on mass.

In this book readers will recognise familiar themes of friendship, trust, family secrets and believing in yourself. The dragon is magical, thus lifting an engaging story to an adventure that keeps you turning the pages.

When it comes to dragons (and unicorns) I do have sparkly glasses (they are better than rose-tinted), but for this book they weren't needed. Mari is standalone character with plenty of depth left to explore. I hope that in future books other characters have the opportunity to shine like Mari.

There are some heartwarming moments in The Secret Dragon, as well as thrills and danger. For me (and I will take a guess here- a lot of readers) the dragon stole the show.

[Alesija · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eilinė knyga vaikam. Kai kurie siužeto posūkiai buvo labai akivaizdūs. Vietomis knyga buvo nuobodi, daug emocijų/įspūdžio nesukėlė.

[Maeve Littooij · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastically original story, I'm surprised no one is talking about this book. Original storyline, fun characters and a beautiful ending.

[Helen Swinyard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dear Editor of Ed's book,
Why would you let 2 children in a book get in a car with a stranger when he says "it's not stranger danger because I'm on TV" = * alarm bells * & also allow one of said children to smash a character over the head with a rock later on? Totally ruined the book for me with these details. It was going to be a 4, possibly 5-star until this put me off towards the end. I devoured it and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. Cleverly written, well though out, witty & truthful dialogue, interesting characters, great & simple concept. Disappointed. Could have been marvellous. Ed Clarke - you did a great job. Wish those tiny things could have been adjusted.

[Alice Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this over Christmas and throughly enjoyed the magic within Ed’s writing. It’s such a relatable story for children as it deals with family issues and the feeling of not fitting in with your peers.

Today, I took the book into school to read to my year five class and so far they are really loving it!

[Yasmin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm glad I read the second book first because in the first in the series Mari has very little redeeming qualities. I know the book is from her point of view but the idea that her father was struck by lightening which she thinks she remembers was badly comical and then it turns out he wasn't more than half way through was as absurd! Unfortunately in this first book none of the stories running through is held together very well. Dr. Griff Griffiths comes across as a very satirical villain but it's not written as satire. I may not be naive enough an audience for this book. The resolution with Mari's mother is odd to say the least: "Maybe I'll stick around for a bit longer though. If that's OK..." I mean yes, she's eleven, where else is she going to go? And then punching her mother playfully in the arm...what?? There is no scope for that dynamic earlier in the book and who does that with their mother in most books? Certainly not this one.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mari Jones is fascinated by palaentology and desperately wants to be a scientist like her dad was before he died. While fossil hunting on the Welsh coast she finds a fossil that breaks open to reveal a tiny dragon.

Mari has friendship issues and her scientific drive to seek the facts alienates her from others at school and her mother, trying desperately to keep the farm afloat. When a new vet and his son Dylan arrive in town and Dylan sees the dragon and provides advice on keeping it healthy and happy Mari is callenged to think of the dragon as more than a scientific experiment, and in the process, starts to learn to consider the feelings of others.

An entertaining novel for independent readers with a young dragon bent on making trouble.

[Tris The Book Whisperer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Its a MG fiction about a young girl who wants to be a scientist, who spends her days hunting the coastline for fossils. On one hunt a rock she cracks open has a surprising find inside, and Mari is thrown into a moral dilemma between her science ambitions and her conscience.
A heart warming tale full of adventure, magic and spirit. Mari is beautifully written, stubborn and flawed, she doesn't always make the right choices, but then - who of us do? :)

A firm favourite now in our school library.

[Santhi · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was interesting but for the theme, it was too small. my favorite character was Gweeb as I guess she is one of the main protagonists and VERY joyful. My least favorite character was Ffion not because she was against Mari but because she could have a more villanish role . My favorite bit was when Gweeb decided to come back to Mari. I also liked the bit where Mari and her mother finally agreed with each other. i don't believe i have any dislike i the book. I would recommend this to people who enjoy fantasy mixed with a little bit of science

[Robin Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very engaging read and very cute.Loved Mari found her somewhat relatable with the way she was engaged in her interests.Loved the plot of the story and the dragon was absolutely adorable and mischievous.The setting and character dynamics were also brilliantly done.A highly enjoyable read 5/5 stars

[University of Chester teacher readers]

An engaging dragon story. Mari discovers a tiny dragon whilst fossil hunting and she wants a make a real scientific study of it as she wants to be a scientist like her dead father. In the midst of her scientific ambitions she discovers more about families, friendship and that things aren’t always as they appear to be. Full of magic, adventure and fun. A good read.

[trijnewijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lief boekje. Ook al is het hoofdpersonage elf, onze elfjarige is duidelijk al wat ouder dan het doelpubliek. Maar zo af en toe nog eens een echt kinderboek lezen (voor 8-9 jarigen, gok ik) blijft wel fijn.

[Daramegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://daramegan.cz/recenze/drak-do-k...

[LC Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cliff hangers for a children’s book.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. This one is set in south Wales and the main character is Mari who finds a little dragon. I love dragons! I hope E.J. Clarke's next book in this series is as good.

[Poppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so heartwarming and cute.

[Roz Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a dragon? So I launched into this with happy anticipation. It's well-written, the main character is a girl, and it has a nice grip on plot--among other things the dragon has its own ideas about being "secret" which causes all kinds of problems for Mari. I see there's a sequel coming out so I'm hoping it develops the characters and takes them out of what's a bit of a stereotype in this book- and of course, brings us more dragons.

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story -- I read it with my son and we both really enjoyed it. After reading, we bought the Audible version as well and the narration is terrific in that version. Really lovely, deft characterization and a dragon tale that's fresh and unique. Love the setting, the family dynamics that underlay the story of finding the little dragon, and the true-to-life portrayal of young people. Have already bought the sequel.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was entertaining but nothing special. I think children will love this book but I am an adult and that's why this story didn't surprise me. I also didn't like the main character Mari. She was annoying and she didn't treat the dragon well. I was happy that her new friend criticized Mari and told her to be nicer to the dragon.

[Wendi (Alex) Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story even though the MC was kind of a jerk. Also, I didn't really like the narration. The narrator's voice is fine it's just the intonation fell flat, in my opinion. The intonation just didn't always match the emotions of the characters and seemed bland.
The way the scientist acted at the end is a bit cartoonish; a trope .
I am looking forward to the next in the series.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Splash but with a tiny dragon. Welsh bits are nice, but characters lack depth.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit too short for my liking, but very cute!