Book Review: The Dragon's Boy by Jane Yolan

The Dragon's Boy by Jane Yolan is a children's chapter book in the Arthurian tradition. Artos is a lonely and regularly teased boy in the castle of Sir Ector. One day he is tasked with chasing down a dog that has run off- and somehow ends p in a mysterious cave where he meets a dragon that offers him wisdom. Despite his fear, Artos becomes the dragon's student and learns things he never imagined. Atros receives wisdom of all kinds from the dragon, but still wants to be recognized as a worthy friend by the other boys of the castle. Many lessons need to be learned, in many different ways, to complete the learning required of Artos Pendragon.

I am firmly of the opinion that Jane Yolan is an author that would have to put serious effort into writing something that isn't wonderful. Combine that with my love of Arthurian legends, and The Dragon's Boy could not lose. This book offers a new look at Arthur, or Artos's, early life and his relationship with Sir Ector and Old Linn (Merlin). I liked that Artos was a young man that new his mind, and thanks to the wisdom of 'the dragon' and his own common sense, saw through most of the faults of the other boys. However, like most going through the preteen and teen years, he still wanted to fit in even when the crowd was doing something he did not want to be a part of. The book offers a coming of age ideal with the hints of adventure soon to come. The twist of the dragon and possibilities for the future really made the book even better.

The Dragon's Boy is a book that I would recommend to all readers that love Yolan's work, have a love of Arthur, enjoy coming of age tales, and enjoy stories about being true to yourself. I really enjoyed this book, and the experience was made even better with the personal history of Yolan and some of her photographs that were included at the end of the book.