Searching for Dragons
by Patricia C. Wrede

Book 2 of the “Enchanted Forest Chronicles” continues the story begun in Dealing with Dragons, only from a new character’s point of view. Mendanbar, the young king of the Enchanted Forest, has a problem with princesses. Everyone expects him to marry one someday, but they all seem hopelessly silly to him. He also thinks he has a problem with dragons, because suddenly whole patches of the Enchanted Forest are turning up, burned to a crisp. So when Mendanbar sets out to ask Kazul, the King of the Dragons, about this, you can imagine his dismay when he finds not Kazul, but Kazul’s princess, at the dragon’s cave.

Princess Cimorene is not a typical princess, however. Mendanbar finds this out quickly, as the two set out together to find Kazul. The Dragon King has been kidnapped by wizards, and it will take the special magic of the king of the Enchanted Forest, together with Cimorene’s many surprising talents, to get Kazul back. Along the way they are aided by a friendly witch named Morwen, a tech-talking magician named Telemain, and many buckets of lemon-scented, soapy water. Don’t ask; just read.

The second book of this series has all of the charms of the first: witty dialogue, a hilariously twisted take on your favorite (and least favorite) fairy tales, loads of magical surprises, dangerous confrontations, bizarre creatures (to say nothing of cats), and one new element: romance. The one, slight shortcoming of this book is a tendency of some scenes to run a little longer than they absolutely needed to, and of the characters to talk just a wee bit more than necessary. But this is nothing compared to the many pleasures which will not only keep you turning pages to the very end, but will also make you glad that there are two more books in the series!

Robbie Fischer
USA

Recommended Age: 11+

10/16/2005

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