Gauge

Chris D'Lacey's THE DRAGONS OF WAYWARD CRESCENT provides a fun story of a town council that wants to demolish an old clock and replace it with a modern one - earning the wrath of Lucy's mother and a timing dragon called Gauge. Black and white drawings pepper a fun story of a dragon intent on saving an icon.

Another delve into the Pennykettle's past, as we witness the creation of a little dragon named Gauge. Lucy, her mother and Gauge are a little stumped at what Gauge's gift is. Mom is also distracted with protesting the demolition of the town clock. But Gauge does something Pennykettle dragons almost never do: he leaves the Pennykettle home unnoticed. The dragon then takes an interest in the town clock, and what he finds changes some things. I find these back stories charming as they revisit the dragons we have come to know and love from The Last Dragon series (especially while awaiting the next book, Dark Fire). The Dragons of Wayward Crescent books are magical and readable, even if you haven't read The Last Dragon series.

Lucy Pennykettle lives in a rather unusual household at 42 Wayward Crescent. In this house, it is entirely normal for small dragons to fly about fixing minor problems. You see, Lucy's mother, Liz, has a pottery studio at home where she usually makes small ceramic dragons. However, when something troubles her, she makes special dragons that come to life. In this volume of //The Dragons of Wayward Crescent// series, Liz becomes concerned by the town council's intention to demolish the old library clock. The council wants to replace the old clock, which is rumored to be haunted by a ghost, with a flashing digital one out of character with the old town square. From Liz's concern, Gauge, a delightful little dragon with a penchant for measuring time, results. While Liz and other townspeople protest at the library, Lucy, Gauge and a ghost named Sir Rufus Trenchcombe attempt to fix the clock and thwart one councilman's devious intentions. //Gauge//'s cover design, with its eye-catching metallic sheen and charming drawing of Gauge and his tuning device, is sure to the attract the attention of chapter book readers interested in magic and dragons. Once open, the adventure inside will keep those readers turning the pages to find out how Gauge saves the day. Reviewed by Annie Peters

Cute book for the younger crowd. Then grow into the "Fire" series by Chris d'Lacey.