A great book for reluctant readers, kids who love the fantasy genre, and video game players.
Claw of the Dragon (Mirrorstone, ISBN: 978-0-7869-4719-5), the first book of the Endless Quest series, is an exciting adventure story for young adults. Author Bruce Algozin lets the reader choose the path of the story by giving kids control over the main character’s actions.
The Opening Plot
The reader becomes the main character in Claw of the Dragon. As Tory, a young settler living in a new farming community, the reader finds himself in a land of dangerous dragons and other fantasy creatures. Tory and his younger brother, Barnaby, are spending the day hunting for dragon scales. They hope to find enough dragon scales to sell for gold. With the dragons attacking their newly built farm, their food supply is scarce, and Tory and his family need the extra money to keep them alive until the farm crops come in.
As the boys are walking a loud shriek startles them, and they run to see what has made the noise. To their amazement, they see a red dragon attacking a gold dragon. They watch as the two dragons fight until the red dragon gets the upper hand and throws the gold dragon a fatal blow.
The Reader Decides Which Action the Characters Will Take.
The red dragon flies off, and Tory and Barnaby stare at the dying gold dragon. What will happen next? Tory wants to speak to the dragon to find out why dragons have been attacking the settlement’s village. Barnaby, on the other hand, wants to finish killing the dragon so that they can collect the dragon’s scales for money. The reader decides which action the characters will take.
Fun Reading
Claw of the Dragon is full of action, fantastical creatures, and, of course, lots of talking dragons who are both good and bad. From a dark magician to a storm giant and even a tricky leprechaun, kids will not be able to set this book down until after they’ve explored each choice, and each path of the adventure.
This book is an excellent tool for reluctant readers because of its fast action and easy vocabulary. Parents of children who play video game will love this series because it will give their kids a more active role when reading books. Teachers can also use this book for reading sessions, allowing students to take turns choosing the path the main character will take.
Search for the Pegasus, book 2 in the Endless Quest series will be out in July of 2008. Book 3, Lair of the Lich, will be out in December of 2008.
