Dragons in a Bag
Dragons in a Bag, Book 1

I Picked Up This Book Because: Seemed like good at the time.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: HCPL
Dates Read: 2/27/24 - 2/28/24
Stars: 3 Stars
Narrator(s): Ron Butler

The Characters:

Jaxon
Ma
Jaxon’s Mother, Treb, Mr. Ambrose, Jaxon’s friends whose names I cannot remember

The Story:

This is an interesting world. It was an excellent adventure, rich world building and the characters felt very real. It is very clearly the beginning of a longer story. I think this would be an excellent book to read with your 3rd, 4th, 5th grader. Not sure if I’ll read book 2 though as I said it reads very young. ( )

Really sweet, slow paced book about magic in a modern setting ( )

A series featuring a brown-skinned protagonist with magical powers, this book captivated me from the beginning when Jaxon find out his mean grandmother is actually a witch. He and his friends are trying to deliver baby dragons to safety, but they accidentally break the rules right from the start, which enhances the pull of the story and makes you want to keep reading. Urban fantasy for the win!

I loved this one. It has a very simple narrative but is brilliantly written as a introductory fantasy novel for young readers. It places the narrative behind a single character and takes him on a whirlwind adventure through time and reality. Things I liked about this book: magic and science are presented as one and the same. I would classify this book as both an introduction to fantasy and science fiction. Any young readers interested in getting into Harry Potter would do well to read this one first. It eases the reader into world building as a narrative concept. The author states that her intention with this book is to subvert the commonly used fantasy trope that secret fantasy worlds are only for a select few. ( )

As Jaxon’s mom has to go to court, the young boy has to stay with a grandmother he never heard of. But the old woman isn’t who he expects. She is in fact a witch. And she is hiding three baby dragons in a tin box in her bag. Of course there are rules : Do not let them out of the bag, and whatever happens, do not feed them, especially anything sweet.

I loved Dragons in a Bag so much ! It is an adorable middle grade novel, full of magical creatures and genuine, courageous diverse characters. Jaxon is a colorful character, a young boy who discovers that magic is real and wishes to become Ma’s apprentice, an old witch who protects out of our realms creatures.

Zetta Elliott created a very imaginative and exciting urban fantasy novel, the first book of the Dragons in a Bag series. I really can’t wait to read the rest ! ( )