Garden of the Purple Dragon

Being an Imperial Dragon Keeper is considered a prestigious occupation, but it's not a glamorous one. There is hard work involved, which is further complicated when taking care of a baby dragon as well --- not to mention being on the run from the Imperial guards, after allegedly stealing the last known Imperial Dragon. This wasn't the life that former slave girl Ping could ever have imagined living, after escaping from Huangling Palace with her loyal pet rat, Hua, and the wise Danzi --- especially when she was left behind to care for Danzi's son, Kai, when the ailing dragon accompanied by the peculiar rat traveled to the fabled Isle of Blest. For the past few months, Ping and Kai have been living in the secluded region of Tai Shan near the ocean. As much as she cares for the young dragon, Ping is lonely and misses her old companions, including her friendship with Liu Che. Hua unexpectedly returns, but the joyous relief that Ping feels vanishes when Ping's goat is found dead. The necromancer resurfaces, and Ping fears for her and Kai's safety. Next, Ping is discovered by the Imperial guards, who accuse her of being a sorceress. They travel to the Ming Yang Lodge, where, to her surprise, there have been many changes. Liu Che is now Emperor and has appointed a Longevity Council. Ping hopes to renew her friendship with the Emperor but is met with indifference. However, it is the cheerful Imperial Magician, Dong Fang Suo, who shows the most interest in her interaction with Danzi, and then later Kai, when Ping is no longer able to secretly care for the young dragon who disguised himself as a soup ladle by shape-shifting. The Emperor is thrilled that there is another Imperial Dragon. Soon, Kai is living a life of luxury, though Ping is treated not much better than when she stayed at the lodge before. The young dragon is a delight to the Emperor while also being a little menace to the staff, including the Dragon Attendant, who Kai refers to as "Saggypants." Meanwhile, Ping hopes to gain more knowledge about her role as dragon keeper, but the Emperor seems more concerned with his meetings with the Longevity Council than helping her. To make matters worse, Ping doesn't know how to read or write, skills that have always been important to her. Fortunately, the Emperor's sister, Princess Yangxin, offers to tutor her. Ping befriends the Princess, who has had her own life of seclusion after leaving her unhappy, arranged marriage to a much older political rival. Unluckily, Ping's lessons and friendship are put in jeopardy when Hua makes a surprise appearance one afternoon. Along with the Emperor's apparent ill health, due to the bizarre regiment prescribed by the ministers, Ping feels uneasy about the current living situation and is worried that the necromancer won't stop from collecting his "fortune." She also wants to fulfill her promise to Danzi (who often visits Ping in her dreams) that his son will live the life of a free dragon. The Emperor's desire

Our family loved the first book of this series and this one was just as good. My 12 year old son (who hates to read) even likes these books! In this book the reader gets to know the baby dragon (Kai), and learn more about Ping's duties as a Dragon Keeper. We all enjoyed watching the many relationships develop over the course of the book. It was exciting and full of adventure!

I was both amazed and intrigued by the stunning Dragon Keeper, and when I realized that Carole Wilkinson had written a sequel I was absolutely thrilled!!! This sequel met my expectations after reading the original book. Re-capturing the magic of Dragon Keeper, Garden of the Purple Dragon begins on the slopes of Tai Shan where the young dragon keeper Ping is raising Long Danzi's lovable son, Long Kai Duan (Kai.) The action begins almost immediately, when Ping leaves the mountains for fear of the coming winter with Kai and her pet rat Hua. As the book progresses, Ping returns to Ming Yang Lodge, renews her friendship with the young Emperor Liu Che, and becomes the official Imperial Dragon Keeper. The plot twits unpredictably as Ping's journey progresses...she discovers dark truths, hidden enemies, and countless obstacles in the path to her destiny. This is a magical, powerful, suspenseful, and thrilling tale of one girl's epic journey...and throughout all the turmoil, little Kai adds humor and fun to to the otherwise grim plot. An excellent, fabulous story...I can't wait for book three!!!

This book is adventurous,suspensful and exciting. In the first book Dragon Keeper, the first book in the series, Ping is the main character in the series who's faced Diao, (the dragon hunter), The Necromancer and other problems. In the first book Dan-Zi the wise dragon at Huang-Ling palace flew to the Isle of the Blest to heal his wounds and left Ping to take care of the new baby dragon. Ping killed Diao in a battle but she still has the The Necromancer to defeat. Will Ping know what to do with the baby dragon? How will she defeat The Necromancer? Read the book to find out!

IN THE LAST BOOK DANZI FLEW TO THE ISLE OF THE BLEST WITH HUA THE RAT LEAVING PING AND KAI (DANZI'S SON) ALONE. IN THIS BOOK THE NECROWMANCER IS BACK AND HE WANTS REVENGE ON PING. AFTER SHE ESCAPES FROM HIM THE SECOND TIME (IF YOU COUNT THE FIRST ESCAPE IN THE FIRST BOOK) PING IS CAPTURED BY THE EMPIRE AGAIN AND IS TAKEN BACK TO MING YANG LONDG. WHAT SAVES PING THIS TIME IS THE FRIENDSHIP SHE ONCE HAD WITH LIU CHE AND KAI REVEALING HIMSELF BEFORE HIM. IN THIS BOOK PING LEARNS HOW TO READ, FINDS HER LONG-LOST FAMILY, AND DISCOVERS THE POWER OF FIVE. IN CASE YOUR WANDERING HUA DOES COME BACK TO PING AS A CHANGED RAT, BUT DANZI ONLY COMES TO PING IN HER DREAMS. AND IN THIS BOOK PING AND KAI ARE NOT SAFE FROM ANYONE INCLUDING LIU CHE. ONLY WITH THE HELP OF HIS SISTER YANGXIN, A MAGICHAIN, AND A BOY CAN PING DEFEAT HER ENEMIES AND SAVE KAI. IN BOOK THREE THE STORY CONTINUES.