Bibliographic Citation
Crun, S. (2010). Thomas and the dragon queen. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Summary
Thomas, the oldest of ten brothers and sisters, is always tending to them. But he longs to become a knight. Finally his chance comes and Sir Gerald takes him to the castle to train. Thomas is mistaken for a younger age since he is so short and tiny. But eventually he is made a knight. The Princess is stolen by the Dragon Queen. All the other knights are off fighting and Thomas is the only one who can rescue her. The King sends him off on a donkey since all the horses are gone. Along the way he must fight a lake monster and he loses his sword and his shield and his jerkin. Finally he finds the Princess who is taking care of ten baby dragons. Thomas assists her in taking care of them until the Dragon Queen wakes up. Thomas befriends the Dragon Queen when she learns he killed the lake monster. Thomas continues to help the Princess care for the baby dragons. The King, the Princess, Sir Gerald and Thomas's family celebrated with the Dragon Queen and the baby dragons.
Impressions
This was such a fun story. It was a different type of knight and dragon story. You are not expecting the Princess Dragon to have ten baby dragons. There was a mystery to the making of Thomas's sword that ended up being part of the lake monsters tooth. There was friendships made between Thomas and the stable boy. Barthlomew the donkey is a special character in aiding in the Princess's rescue.
Suggestions For Use in a Library
1. Comparison to another dragon and knight story such as Saint George and the Dragon or The Dragon and the Knight.
2. It also has a good cover for predicting what this story would be about.
Reviews
Tiny Thomas is always being mistaken for someone much younger than he. The oldest of ten children, he is used to tending to the needs of babies and toddlers and is always looking out for other people. But despite his scrawny frame and low birth (he is the son of a leathersmith), Thomas dreams of knighthood. When a visiting knight, Sir Gerald, sees promise in this little guy with the big heart, Thomas grabs onto each new challenge with gusto. Whether he is taking care of his donkey, learning his manners, showing his stuff on the dance floor, battling an ancient foe, or trying to rescue the missing Princess Eleanor, Thomas shows Sir Gerald and the king himself that he is up to the challenge. Thomas is a chivalrous knight with a modern-dad sensibility, even falling in love with an unlikely brood of dragons. Crum's story moves right along and will be embraced by young readers, despite the occasional mayhap and thence. Amusing black-and-white drawings jibe well with the rollicking tone of the tale, especially later in the book when our hero, shirtless and unarmed, faces the enormous dragon mother. A sure-fire hit as a read-aloud, this is an engaging book featuring a hero filled with bravery, quick wits, and heart.
Smith, R. L. (2010). Thomas and the dragon queen. Horn Book Magazine, 86(4), 104.
. Gr 3-5-In this medieval tale, pint-size Thomas, 12, finds that he has been elevated from squire to knight against all odds. To put it simply, he's too young, tiny, and inexperienced for such an important position. He can't even hold a proper sword. Yet the king has requested that he liberate the princess from the clutches of the feared dragon queen: all the big knights are off battling the enemy. Thomas sets off on old Bartholomew the donkey because he's too short for a horse. He learns that he must defeat a monster along the way, one that has sent many a good warrior to his grave. In a quest that is full of peril and adventure, Thomas must face everyone's worst nightmare: Does he have what it takes? This endearing story is both heartwarming and full of surprises. Thomas learns that a boy cannot be judged by his size or his intentions, but by the decisions he makes and the trials he must overcome. What sets this story apart from other knightly tales are the unusual size of the hero, the tools -- or lack of tools -- he has for fighting evil, and the delightful events awaiting him once he finds the princess. Expressive illustrations, many of them spreads, accompany each chapter. Memorable characters enrich the realm by giving purpose to the hero's ordeal. This is a must-read.
Gioia, R. (2010). Thomas and the dragon queen. School Library Journal, 56(8), 72.
A teenage knight sets out to rescue a princess kidnapped by a dragon and discovers that compromise will (sometimes) solve more problems than violence. So eager is Crum to make this worthy point, however, that she's neglected to embed it in a tale that has much to offer beyond trite story dements and scenes more described than experienced. Stout heart beating in a pipsqueak body, Thomas rises speedily from leatherworker's son to Knight of the Realm, then borrows a donkey to chase after the dragon who has seized the aging King's only daughter. Along the way, Thomas loses his sword, donkey and much of his clothing, reaching the dragon's lair to discover that Princess Eleanor was taken to be nanny to a gang of cute-as-puppies dragon hatchlings. Being the eldest of ten siblings, Thomas expertly lands a hand--and as courage, honesty and courtesy are his only remaining "weapons," the dragonlings' huge mom obligingly limits herself to the same for their climactic competition. Fans of Gerald Morris's similar tales of knightly morality will find this one disappointingly thin. (Fantasy. 10-12)
Thomas and the dragon queen. (2010). Kirkus Reviews, 78(11), 519.
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