Dragonbreath: Lair of the Bat Monster

Danny Dragonbreath, and his iguana pal, Wendell, have been through many hair-raising adventures together. They have their system down pat--"Danny was fearless, and Wendell was terrified, and it worked out between them" (page 163).

But in Lair of the Bat Monster, the fourth installment of Ursula Venron's Dragonbreath saga (Dial 2011, 202 pages), Wendell has to be the hero, and crawl into the titular lair to save his friend! Because Danny has been adopted, or captured, depending on how you look at it, by a mama Camazotz, the most giant of mythical bats...and only Wendell can crawl through the rocks to reach him.

This is perhaps the most comprehensible of all the Dragonbreath stories--sure, it's utterly fantastical, but it makes sense. And it's also, I think, the most overtly education--one learns quite a bit about bats (the real ones). This time out, Danny and Wendell have headed down to Mexico, where Danny's cousin (a feathered serpent dragon named Steve) is a bat researcher.

Comprehensible and educational are both things I like, and the humor that I've come to expect from this series is here too. But as usual, what really appeals to me are Vernon's lovely drawings. I utterly adore the expressions with which she endows her characters--they make me happy.

A great one for the 8 to 10 year old looking for some fun!

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