The Sparkle Dragons: A Hilarious Graphic Novel About Spunky Dragons for Children

The Sparkle Dragons #1

by Emma Carlson Berne, Luke Flowers (Illustrator)

Join the spunky and powerful Sparkle Dragons as they blast their glitter fire and put their brains together to save the queendom from polka-dotted pollution in this hilarious, easy-to-read graphic novel.

Genres: Dragons, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Childrens, Middle Grade

144 pages, Paperback

Published May 17, 2022

About the author

Emma Carlson Berne is the author of the YA thrillers STILL WATERS and NEVER LET YOU GO (coming Fall 2012 from Simon & Schuster). She has also written the thrillers FIGMENT and CHOKER under the pen name Elizabeth Woods. She lives and writes in Cincinnati. Learn more about Emma and contact her directly at her website, www.emmacarlsonberne.com. Or check out Emma Carlson Berne Books on http://www.facebook.com/EmmaCarlsonBe... or follow her on Twitter.

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover is a lie. If the interior printing had been done in full color, the way the artwork is presented on the color, it would have earned a fourth star. The story itself is cute and funny, although the sneezing gag is perhaps a bit much. On the interior, though, the printing is two-color, ugly pink and black, so that all you have is black, white, grey and ugly pink. Since the story itself is about colorful dragons, a colorful princess and her hench-unicorn, it takes a great deal out of the story, because the reader has to struggle uphill against the version of the characters sitting there on the page. Repeatedly, the humor of some of the scenes is reduced. It would have been better either in full color, or without any color at all. In black and white the reader could envision colors. With ugly pink in your face all the time, that is actually much more difficult.
What's really too bad is that the story has some cute and funny moments, like the artistic troll who likes to make edible paints and use the leftovers in smoothies. Sadly, those are all printed as ugly pink, too.

[Ellon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars (It was okay)

So despite the cover being colorful, the inside pictures are black, white and pink (reminds me of the Babymouse series). This bothered me a lot when Princess Puff was being described with red colors (like ruby).

The story is somewhat chaotic. There are many characters introduced quickly and it's a little hard to keep track of everyone.

There is a theme about pollution and cleaning up messes that I appreciated. I think that younger students will probably like this more than I did. I will read the sequel because I already got it from the library.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sparkle Dragons is a cute story, written as a graphic novel for newer readers. I'm very disappointed in the color scheme within the book. The cover was so colorful, I thought the inside would be as well. Pink with a greyscale is not very interesting to a young girl (at least not my young girl). With a little more color, I think this could be a fantastic book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not quite a graphic novel not quite a chapter book, it falls comfortably someplace in between. The art work is all done and pink black and gray and is just a real joy to read. These three sparkle dragons are out to save the world, in particular their queendom. This queendom is run by a bratty princess. The mystery is simple enough but still interesting enough to keep your kids actively reading and wanting more.

[What Angela Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Emma for the e-ARC of this book in preparation for our interview. I wasn’t able to read much of it because the galley was only a couple of pages long, but from what I saw the illustrations are adorable, the characters are fun, and the story seems like something that many children will enjoy. I think this will be a great read for emerging or reluctant readers and a great series for kids to look forward to.

[Raven Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not the audience for this book. However, I know a lot of girls ages six to about nine who will love the pretty dragons, the bratty princess, and the (probably) evil unicorn. The story is both typical (magic and adventures) and modern (dealing with an environmental issue and civil rights). The illustrations were minimal colors (mostly pink and gray) that made disguising some things difficult. But I give it a 2.5 for effort and the puns.

[Shyiesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a cute read with cute illustrations. The sparkle dragons are on a mission to discover who has tainted their water supply with polka dots. All in all, the color scheme could of been grander (after all it is sparkles that were talking about), but I believe this graphic novel will reach its intended audience.

[Natelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun little graphic novel features three friends who happen to be sparkly dragons. When a mysterious illness overtakes the queendom, they decide to find out who the real culprit is. A fun little read that might just teach your little one a few important lessons about accountability and not judging people.

[Amanda Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This cute little graphic novel is going to be a hit with kids in the intended demographic. The art is cartoonish and colorful, the dragons are loveable, the villains are ridiculous, and it teaches and important lesson really sneaky like.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because I like dragons. The sparkle dragons help their friend Troll. Troll gets blamed for making the river a mess. The dragons help find out who really did it. They are good friends. (review by Samantha, 3rd grade)

[Jaymie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars = Good, solid, fine

This has cute illustrations and a fun color scheme. The story was fine - I would like liked a little more depth on the bully/villain. The princess/mean girl type is fairly standard - maybe future books will do a little more with this one to set this apart.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sparkly dragons solve a pollution mystery. Fun beginner graphic novel for ages 6+.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.