Curse of the Shadow Dragon

Dragon Masters #23

by Tracey West, Graham Howells (Illustrator)

Drake and Worm meet a Shadow Dragon in the latest action-packed installment of this New York Times bestselling series! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow! A huge shadow is blanketing the sky, spreading across every kingdom. And wizards all over the world are losing their magic powers! The Dragon Masters soon discover that a Shadow Dragon named Chaya and his Dragon Master, Aruna, are responsible for the sky-shadow. Drake teams up with Jean to figure out how this Shadow Dragon has so much power. Will they stop the sky-shadow, or will the world fall into complete darkness? And is evil magic to blame for all this chaos? With engaging black-and-white artwork on every page, kids won't be able to put down this action-packed adventure!

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Chapter Books, Fiction, Dragons, Adventure, Magic

96 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2023

About the author

Tracey West is the New York Times bestselling author of Dragon Masters, a series in the Scholastic Branches line. She has written more than 400 books for kids, including the Pixie Tricks series and the Underdogs series with Kyla May.

Some readers also know Tracey for writing books based on animation such as Pokémon and LEGO Ninjago.

She currently lives in the western Catskills of New York with her husband, Bill; their adopted dogs; and a whole mess of chickens.

Reviews

[Lindsey Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took a star away for the horrid cliff hanger!! There was no sort of resolution it just abruptly ended.

Setting that aside, dragon masters is such a delightful series. I’m so glad we discovered it

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter was very frustrated when we finished this book. First she could not believe she had finished it, in was early in her third day of reading time. Second it just ends, nothing is resolved and we do not even have a clear plan or idea where things are going next. And third based on the next two announced the story that starts in this one will not resolve until at least that second volume, and she has 5 months to wait for the next book, and then another 5 for the one after that. Those two books are: #24 Dawn of the Light Dragon and #25 Legend of the Star Dragon. We had to pre-order both the day we finished this one which was just three days after it released. That is the strength of these stories.

This is another great read in an excellent series. These books are well below my youngest daughters reading level. But she loves them so much. She reads for 20 minutes 5 days most weeks and a book in this series use to take her 10-12 days to read. This one she read in just over 2 sittings, even faster than the last one. I have said it before and I state it again, this series gets better and better. It has serious staying power. This volume we get a few more surprises, and to be honest our biggest cliff hanger ending yet! This is book 23 but we have reread a few of the volumes, making it the 35st time we have read a book in the series together, and she has read most of them 3 or 4 times waiting for new ones to come out. As a family we eagerly await the new volumes that have been announced. This volume Graham Howells is the illustrator, he has illustrated a few in the series. But let us return to this volume.

The part of the description of this volume is:

“Drake and Worm meet a Shadow Dragon in the latest action-packed installment of this New York Times bestselling series!

Pick a book. Grow a Reader!

This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!

A huge shadow is blanketing the sky, spreading across every kingdom. And wizards all over the world are losing their magic powers! The Dragon Masters soon discover that a Shadow Dragon named Chaya and his Dragon Master, Aruna, are responsible for the sky-shadow. Drake teams up with Jean to figure out how this Shadow Dragon has so much power. Will they stop the sky-shadow, or will the world fall into complete darkness? And is evil magic to blame for all this chaos?”

This story is the start of what appears to be a darker and longer story line than any of the others in the series.. My daughter reads through the chapter titles before beginning, and she guesses what might happen. The chapters this time are:

The Strange Shadow
Something is Wrong
The Shadow Dragon
Mixed-Up Magic
Darpan
A Gentle Dragon
Aruna
The Shadow Phantoms
The Wizard’s Tale
We’re Doomed!
The Escape
Find the Scroll!
Help from Afar
The Phantom’s Touch
The Next Move

The story starts with Drake and some of his friends and their dragons having a picnic in the Valley of Clouds. It starts with something dark in the sky, and Drake at first wonders if it is already night time. But the dark shadow was creeping across the sky. Worm gave Drake a warning and soon the adventure begins. They visit old friends looking for help, and another old friend shows up having a feeling his help was needed. Something evil is afoot, and Drake and his friends must find a legend to help resolve the situation. But to find out you will need to read this and at least 2 other stories.

This is another great read in an excellent series. It has real staying power. Even though they are well below my daughters reading level she still loves them! I believe they will be lifelong favourites. We can easily recommend this book and series!

[Bronwyn]

Galen finished on December 4, 2024.

[Jack Kawata · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the book was a 5 star book because it has lots of emotions.

[Aneesa]

Summer reading off to a strong start!

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, the story is about these awesome Dragon Masters who have these amazing dragons with magical powers. But something really bad is happening. There's this huge, dark shadow covering the sky, and it's making dragons lose their magic all over the world, even in the super magical places.

But don't worry, because our Dragon Masters are here to save the day! Gene is one of the Dragon Masters, and he finds out that the shadow is actually a dragon named Chaya. And guess what? Chaya's Dragon Master, Aruna, is also up to no good. Chaya and Aruna have red eyes, which means they're under a curse of evil magic. Uh-oh!

The Dragon Masters need to stop Chaya and Aruna from spreading the shadow and making more trouble. They have to work really hard and be really brave. The coolest part is when they show a picture in the book where Chaya is getting more power, but it looks like he's being zapped by lightning. It's like when you give a lightning bolt to a Lightning Dragon, it becomes stronger. But if you give lightning to the ground, it doesn't do anything. So, the Dragon Masters have to be careful, or their dragons could get hurt!

The book taught me something important too. No matter what happens, you should always be yourself. Even if you try to be someone else, you'll still be you inside. It's like a really cool lesson from the Dragon Masters.

So, if you like dragons, magic, and big adventures, you should totally read "Curse of the Shadow Dragon." It's exciting and a little bit spooky, but in the end, it's all about being true to who you are. I can't wait to read more Dragon Masters books to see what happens next!

This book is amazing, and I can't wait for you to see my full review on my YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/Xejibk-YTLM

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

We get a new problem! A shadow dragon causing a shadow to spread throughout the land! The backstory is interesting: they were just trying to stop a power-hungry wizard from taking this super powerful flower which is admirable. Also this idea of a shadow realm is kind of terrifying, so I'm glad they didn't stay there for too long. I'm a little confused how they could just leave the shadow dragon to keep spreading and causing havoc to go find these other dragons... but whatever. I'm sure they'll solve the problem.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange black shadow is creeping across the sky, and it's anything but good. At the same time, wizards everywhere are losing their powers and only the dragons have any magic left in them. Dragon Masters Drake and Jean travel with their dragons to go find out what is causing the dreadful black shadow. Will they be able to get rid of it and restore everyone's magic?

I can see why our elementary students like this series. Even at book #23, the storyline still has pull to keep you reading.

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to an audiobook of this one and it was really good. The voice for Worm was the best. I liked how only the wizards were affected by the shadow dragon’s magic. The phantoms created by the shadow dragon is really creepy! And of course it was a power-hungry idiot who caused all of this. It’s interesting how the dragons’ magic work. A good story.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragon Masters v23

In the twenty -third volume of the Dragon Masters’ we meet the Shadow Dragon. The Shadow Dragon seems to be cursed along with his Dragon Master. Hopefully Drake and the other Dragon Masters can find a Star Dragon.

[Hannah Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightful book in the Dragon Masters series! This is a delightful new mission for Drake and his friends. The plot is a new one for this series, which is impressive 23 books in. It made me and elementary-age kids excited for the next book!

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an exciting story! My kid was so excited to read this one - but the cliffhanger! I do love how these stories do such a great job prepping kids for series that are “older”. This book is now below reading level for my kiddo but I think it will be a series returned to again and again anyway.

[Karli Efron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this with my 6 year old and it’s the first of this series we’ve explored - so I know I’m missing a TON of background. But my daughter LOVED this adventure and immediately ran for the next in the series.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The new characters we met who turns into a shadow and another wizard, they take your through another journey of the Dragon Masters! Shocking end. Great new book!

[Shankar B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked when the dragon defeated the Indian girl’s dragon. The Indian girl’s dragon couldn’t put any more shadow phantoms.

[PottWab Regional Library]

A, SM

[Mandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different evils/villains which keep the story fresh and entertaining.

[Pamela Zeiger · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6 year old loves this series. This book just introduces this dragon and sets up the next couple of books.

[Heather Fryling · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read for kids learning to read.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Haley Culin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book while babysitting. I definitely would have been into this series as a kid.

[Ashlee Seelos · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6 year old loves this series

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jumping to book 23 from book 4 was another bold move by our reader. There were so many new characters that we had a harder time following the story. We sure do love dragons though, apparently.

[Lizzie Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm so excited for Claire to be able to read these to herself :)

[Paxton Cabigon · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was actually scary

[Efox · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are still obsessed with Dragon Masters - even after 23 books. And this one is absolutely as much fun as the previous 22. We loved the mystery of the shadow that is taking over the entire world. Jean from Shine of the Silver Dragon is by far one of my kid's favorite other Dragon Masters so her return with Argent was greeted with a lot of enthusiasm. We also really loved the siblings at the center of the Shadow Dragon mystery, Darpan and Aruna. Another creative and engaging story. The illustrations are fantastic and both my 7 and 5 year old absolutely ate up every single chapter of this book, multiple times.

It's going feel like forever before the conclusion of this particular Dragon Masters story arc, waiting for the next book or two is going to be hard for all of us, but everyone at our house is very excited to find out what happens next.

[Tess Jones-Orta · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter loves these and the story was ok in this one but previously used themes are coming up again and Griffith, the wizard in charge of young people, continues to be incompetent.

[Starbubbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am having a hard time remembering everyone's name. But it was still a pretty good setup for the next arc.