The Dragons of Noor

Gr 5—8—This sequel to The Beast of Noor (S & S, 2006) starts with a bang—well, a crash—and never lets up. Children are disappearing, taken by the wind, including 14-year-old Hanna's little brother and students from the Meer school where 16-year-old Miles is learning music and magic. At the same time, the waytrees that form the bond between Noor and Oth, the home of the dragons, have been dying. And the dragons, who have been waiting for more than 700 years to return to Oth, are frantic. The world building and tone are just right, and the themes of friendship, loyalty, responsibility, and protection of the planet are never intrusive. Hanna and Miles are realistic teens, affected by magical events in the past, unsure of their own abilities, and capable beyond their wildest imaginings. Most of the secondary characters are equally compelling, though Taunier, a young man who can control fire and the object of Hanna's very innocent interest, is disappointingly flat. The style is pure fairy tale and quite lovely. Only at the very end, when the characters are comparing the taste of a magical fruit to papayas and peaches, are readers jarred away from this magical place. Knowledge of the earlier book isn't required, but readers who missed it will want to catch up on the first adventure.—Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library