Books like The Dragon's Eye

Reviewed by K. Osborn Sullivan for TeensReadToo.comAs I read THE DRAGON'S EYE, I kept getting a feeling of deja vu. It took a while to figure out why, but then it came to me. THE DRAGON'S EYE reminded me a little of the SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS books. There was that familiar emphasis on conducting research, and recording findings in little notebooks, and solving problems. Only instead of three orphans dodging Count Olaf, THE DRAGON'S EYE focuses on a brother and sister trying to escape the evil designs of the inferior dragonologist, Ignatius Crook. Unfortunately, this one didn't have the same humor in it that I enjoyed so much in the SOUE books. Overall, I have mixed feelings about THE DRAGON'S EYE. In the plus column, the novel was heavy on dragons of various types. They all have names and unique personalities. Also, it had an element of boy versus girl competition that seemed to resolve itself reasonably well. On the other hand, the frequent references to dragon diaries and research methods disrupted the action. Doubtless that was the point -- to identify the importance of learning about a subject before jumping into it and conducting a poor study. But still, the execution was a little heavy-handed for my taste. For young dragon lovers, this would probably be a popular title. I emphasize the word "young." THE DRAGON'S EYE seems geared to a younger audience than many of the books reviewed here at TeensReadToo. My 14-year-old son read it, too, and he was disappointed because it definitely felt "too young" for him. But for budding fantasy lovers who can't get enough dragons, this one has the potential to be a winner.