Searching for Dragons

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Book 2
by Patricia Wrede, published 1991

“If the King of the Enchanted Forest gets killed trying to rescue the King of the Dragons from the Society of Wizards, goodness only knows what will happen.”

If you, like me, get tired of all these dark fantasy stories of kids having to save the world, then it’s time to turn to a children’s book that is just easy to read, easy to follow, and fun. Patricia Wrede has crafted yet another lighthearted children’s book, the second in a series that began with Dealing with Dragons. You don’t need to read the first to enjoy this one, and I imagine the other stories will also stand on their own merits.

What I love about this children’s book is that the heroes and heroines are straightforward, simple, and likable, despite the fact that they have immense magical powers at their command. The addition of wizards, witches, magicians, dragons, and elves only makes the book more fun. I also appreciate that the setting is not all that complex. All too often, a fantasy children’s book has too much of its own constructed world, in addition to the plot, making it tedious (to me) to follow and sink into. Here, it’s just your ordinary magical kingdom, and your ordinary dragon mountain.

I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this children’s book, from its humor to its plot, and especially the lack of gore and life-and-death drama. It’s nice sometimes to just be able to relax and read a good story. This is one of them, and I look forward to reading the others in the series.

Find this children’s book at your local bookstore