Dragon Rider

The book was dirty and had bent or creased pages

I purchased this book for my Grand-daughter's birthday, it arrived in excellent condition as promised and also in the time promised, she was thrilled

I did not like The Thief Lord very much but this book is a revelation. Astounding language written with surprising wittiness - especially Sorrel, the female brownie. You can safely re-read the book several times. She is a great writer indeed. What a book. Considering I bought this book along with Eldest by Paolini - which pales in comparision with Dragon Rider. Throw away Paolini read Funke, that should be the new Mantra !

In Dragon Rider three unlikely companions, Firedrake, a dragon, Sorrel the brownie, a catlike creature that loves to eat mushrooms, and Ben, a homeless boy, embark on a dangerous journey to find a land that might not even exist. The story begins when Rat, a friend of the dragons, brings bad news of humans to the dragons' cave. " `I've got bad news, if you want to know. Extremely bad news...' " Firedrake, one of the dragons, sets off with his brownie friend Sorrel to find "The Rim of Heaven" a sacred place where it is believed the dragons could live in peace forever. Soon along their journey they come across Ben, an orphaned, homeless boy who desperately wishes for a journey. Ben soon joins the group and gets to ride on Firedrake's back along with Sorrel on the way to find The Rim of Heaven. Along their journey, they receive help from many unexpected places and people, like a rat mapmaker, a seaserpent, and a scientist. Although they receive much help to reach their destination, trouble lies ahead for Firedrake, Ben, and Sorrel. Will they make it to The Rim of Heaven? This exciting fantasy is set in magical lands hidden in places like Europe and Africa in fantasy times when dragons and magical creatures lived around the world. I thought Dragon Rider was a very exciting and thrilling book. The author, Cornelia Funke, did a fantastic job on Dragon Rider using such realistic descriptions of characters. They were so well described that you would think Cornelia Funke lives with such creatures. Her style of writing makes the book a very fast read, and the book is the type of book you won't be able to put down. If you enjoy fantasy novels, you would love reading Dragon Rider since the book is filled with many fantasy creatures and the plot is very exciting. A book I would compare Dragon Rider to is The Shade's Children by Garth Nix. Both books are very fast pace and thrilling throughout the whole story. Dragon Rider stands out from all other fantasy books since there are many creatures that are very original in the book, ones that Cornelia Funke made up. This book is very similar to other books Cornelia Funke has written like Inkheart since all her books are very detailed and imaginative. If you enjoy fantasy books, or even if you don't, you would enjoy reading Dragon Rider.

The reason I think this book should get five stars and two thumbs up is because of all the excitement and this book offers. Not only that, but you might also get a little worried about our heroes trying to achieve their goal. They even meet a horrible creature and have close encounters with death. They also have times of joy and you will notice all these things as they meet new people. The story begins on an island where dragons are lurking in the caves. Suddenly, they hear that humans and their bulldozers are on the verge of destroying their home. So one of the brave dragons and a brownie start off on a quest to find The Rim of Heaven. There are a lot of characters, but I will name the main ones. Firedrake the Dragon, Sorrel the Brownie, Ben the Human [or Homo Sapien in scientific terms], Nettlebrand the Evil Half Dragon, Twigleg the Homunculus, Gravelbeard the Mountain Dwarf, Professor Greenbloom the Human, Vita Greenbloom the Human, and Guinevere Greenbloom the Human. If you are a blood and guts kind of reader, this story is not really your type of book. This book is for all you dragon loving fantasy readers. This book gives you fantastic fantasy reading with dragons and brownies and a half dragon with ravens as servants that are made from different animals. But on the other hand, if you like action- adventure stories with mystical creatures, this book is for you. Also the places they visit are real. Now why am I talking about the book when you can read it yourself? Go on read this great book and you'll see what I mean.

I have to admit that this is the first Cornelia Funke book I have read. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew the story would intrigue me. I certainly was not disappointed, even though I am an adult. This is a great read for kids (and for adults who like adventure that isn't too dark). This is a story of a long journey full of great whimsical adventure. Every child in the 9-12 age group should read it. I love how Ms. Funke uses flashbacks and foreshadowing to provide elements along the way that are key to side stories within the story and to the climax of the story. The only (not necessarily negative) comment I would make about the book is that the translation to English seems a bit rough in some places -- but in a way this kinda helps add to the whimsical nature of the story. I am also amazed at the length of children's books these days. I remember when a book for 9-12 year-olds was 100 to maybe 200 pages long -- not 423. It seems like J. K. Rowling started something. But this was a page-turner and should keep anyone's interest (especially kids) throughout. I think it is good to see children's books get longer -- it is more challenging (and less insulting) to a child's intelligence, and it allows them to enjoy the adventure of the story (and reading) even longer. Bravo!! Thanks, Cornelia. Like Professor Greenbloom, I too now BELIEVE in "fabulous animals". Now I need to read some more of Funke's work -- I think Inkheart will be first. To everybody who is thinking about reading this book -- DO!! You will enjoy it!!