Dragon Rider discussion

Wow, this book is so lame, I was ACTUALLY cheering for Nettlebrand!!! Sorrel was dumb, Firedrake's a stupid name, and Ben... Well... Ben was... What's the word? oh yah, STUPID! I'd rather read a history book, and THAT'S sayin something!!

I agree i read this book a few years ago the whole plot is pretty dull and the characters aren't all that interersting

Pollywolly wrote: "Wow, this book is so lame, I was ACTUALLY cheering for Nettlebrand!!! Sorrel was dumb, Firedrake's a stupid name, and Ben... Well... Ben was... What's the word? oh yah, STUPID! I'd rather read a hi..."

i agree it was a bit wacky... But it's a kids book. Maybe it just wasn't for you're type of audience. I liked the book because the way it was written made me feel like I was part of their adventure. I did find the characters and story lacking though. I disliked Sorrel for some reason. Firedrake is a bad name.
Ben I didn't mind so much. I hated Nettlebrand he just didn't seem like a worthy bad guy. The mannequin was my fvorite character. I found him to be really cute. xD But sorry that you disliked the book.

Muhammad wrote: "I agree i read this book a few years ago the whole plot is pretty dull and the characters aren't all that interersting"

if you thought that why did you rate it 5 stars? o.O

Olivia wrote: "Pollywolly wrote: "Wow, this book is so lame, I was ACTUALLY cheering for Nettlebrand!!! Sorrel was dumb, Firedrake's a stupid name, and Ben... Well... Ben was... What's the word? oh yah, STUPID! I..."

totally agree :3

should have said this, the book had its moments hear and there when it was interesting but overall it lacked a fire to it inspiration I guess I cant really describe it

Muhammad wrote: "should have said this, the book had its moments hear and there when it was interesting but overall it lacked a fire to it inspiration I guess I cant really describe it"

ah, okay :)

well it got five stars cause when I was younger I enjoyed and when I looked back I thought it was a waste of time but I judged it on how I felt about it the first time I read it.

P.s Is that neji

Muhammad wrote: "well it got five stars cause when I was younger I enjoyed and when I looked back I thought it was a waste of time but I judged it on how I felt about it the first time I read it.

P.s Is that neji"

Yea. He's my favorite character. I don't know why...

hey!!!!!! i am 13 but i still LOVE it!!!!!!!!!11

Yeah, it's a bit wacky, but I like it. :D

I thought the book was pretty good until he got to his daughters house. that part was kinda a waste of time in the book. :(

Ikr. :D

I didn't even finish it lol

Reading through this book was a chore. Hopefully, when I read The Thief Lord it won't be as bad as this.

I thought this was a cute story for the age group it was written for.

Rainy wrote: "Reading through this book was a chore. Hopefully, when I read The Thief Lord it won't be as bad as this."

I read the The Thief Lord, and I actually liked it.

I hate to say bad things about a book, but this particular book I only read it to take a quiz at school to get a lot of points for this school wide reading competition. Truthfully I read only like half of it and eventually got bored with it. and so I stopped.
Sorry 'Dragon Rider' Just saying the truth~

Cynthia wrote: "Rainy wrote: "Reading through this book was a chore. Hopefully, when I read The Thief Lord it won't be as bad as this."

I read the The Thief Lord, and I actually liked it."

Yeah you are right Cynthia! :) I really enjoyed the book too. I watched the movie also. It was pretty good. :)

I think this book needs much younger crowd to find its appeal. I read it as an adult and simply could not finish it. There are plenty of better kids lit out there. It would fill a hungry reader, but not satisfy.

I loved it. I was right there with the characters the whole time, especially Twigleg. I was so in touch with him, I was nearly crying at the part with his confession.
To me, Funke's books are all about characters; they sprout beauty in the wake of a difficult read.

Eh... It was dull... Are you kidding me? It sucked like heck! Stupid names, stupid characters, even my science encyclopedia was more entertaining... then again, I do love to read them. Oh well! The point is, yes, I do agree with you. Dragon Rider sucked. But the Inkheart trilogy was pretty good,right?

Wise wrote: "Eh... It was dull... Are you kidding me? It sucked like heck! Stupid names, stupid characters, even my science encyclopedia was more entertaining... then again, I do love to read them. Oh well! The..."

yes your right it sucked, and yes Inkheart trilogy was good

But... Noooooooo, I loved this book! You just have to get over the weirdness and tacky emotions because it's really written more for children.

You haven't read many books then.

I loved Dragon Rider, but I didn't really read in an adult frame of mind. I read some of it to my grade school aged niece at bedtime while traveling. But, most of the book she read to me the next day while I was driving. It is a good memory, but I enjoyed the story, also. It is such a pretty book, I have the cover turned so it is viable on my book shelf.

Hi there.
Wow everyone has completely different oppinions.
Firstly just thought I'd point out that ... if one of the reasons you disliked it was the style, you have to remember that it was translated from German, into English, so it might be better in the original language. Just a thought.
When I read it the first time, both my friend and I loved it, it was really good, and I definately didn't notice any of the things you guys have pointed out.
Just recently, remembering it was a good book, I tried it out again. This time I found it not so thrilling, because since reading it the first time, I've read a lot more books than I had before, and found better series' and styles.
I don't understand when people say that the book was "stupid", "boring", the names were "stupid" and the plot was "terrible". How was the plot terrible? I'm guessing the names would have been quite different in German ... maybe they sounded better? I don't get how the plot was terrible.
So yeah. I think it was a great book ... it was just written for younger children. The plot couldn't be really complicated if it was written for young kids right?
Thanks for hearing me ramble. Just couldn't help voicing (or typing) my oppinion :)

Hi there.
Wow everyone has completely different oppinions.
Firstly just thought I'd point out that ... if one of the reasons you disliked it was the style, you have to remember that it was translated from German, into English, so it might be better in the original language. Just a thought.
When I read it the first time, both my friend and I loved it, it was really good, and I definately didn't notice any of the things you guys have pointed out.
Just recently, remembering it was a good book, I tried it out again. This time I found it not so thrilling, because since reading it the first time, I've read a lot more books than I had before, and found better series' and styles.
I don't understand when people say that the book was "stupid", "boring", the names were "stupid" and the plot was "terrible". How was the plot terrible? I'm guessing the names would have been quite different in German ... maybe they sounded better? I don't get how the plot was terrible.
So yeah. I think it was a great book ... it was just written for younger children. The plot couldn't be really complicated if it was written for young kids right?
Thanks for hearing me ramble. Just couldn't help voicing (or typing) my oppinion :)

No, I don't agree with you. I read it as a child and I loved it, and I probably still do just because of the memories about it. Although I can understand your point that the plot isn't very complicated and , but the simplicity is meant to be there and it's the strong point of the book (it's for children and children can actually read it). The names weren't very 'stupid' when I read the book, translated from German to Dutch, maybe because Dutch and German is a bit alike. Well yeah... Opinions vary often about Cornelia Funke's books, but I still love them.

Marije wrote: "No, I don't agree with you. I read it as a child and I loved it, and I probably still do just because of the memories about it. Although I can understand your point that the plot isn't very complic..."

Exactly :)

Personally, I love almost everything Cornelia Funke writes. Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath, Reckless, The Thief Lord, Dragon Rider, you can NOT convince me that any of her books are bad unless I read them and agree with you.
I read Dragon Rider twice and I fully enjoyed it both times because 1) I LOVE dragons, 2) it's a simple story that's relatively easy to read and easy on the brain, and 3) I enjoy the simple stories that aren't full of drama, adventure, heart-wrenching sadness or danger(particularly after being dragged through books like Mockingjay or Moby Dick).
So sue me if I'm almost in my twenties, and I still enjoy this book. I think the characters, though not fully-developed, are still fun and likable, and I think the plot was fine for a book that was geared for kids. And who cares about names? Does that honestly make a character a character?

Allyson wrote: "I didn't even finish it lol"

Me neither! Barely got halfway through before I almost threw it at a wall, it was so boring...

I rather enjoyed the book, but I listened to the audio version. The narrator was fabulous and the story was simply delightful. I listen almost exclusively to audiobooks and sometimes that format can bring life to what might otherwise be a less than excellent story. As an adult I read nearly all genre of books and enjoy stories in all age groups; having young children who love to read I want to know what they are and like reading, as well as be able to offer up suggestions to them.

Actually, there were many inspiring moments in The Dragon Rider and it was filled with adventure that was not overwhelming for young minds. Once you start to widen your horizons in reading you may find this easy-to-read and understand story not to your liking, but if you read it as a child it will likely be one that is not forgotten. Never be ashamed of the simple books you have read, often they can easily convey a message or put a smile in your heart that lasts a lifetime.

I thought it was good, but I see no reason to make it so long. She keeps adding things to the book that have nothing to do with the actual plot.

I couldn't stand Sorrel when I reread this (and for some reason I'd remembered the rat- who appears in one or two scenes in the very beginning- as the main character), but remember that it's a children's book. I loved it when I was little.