Beginning and transitional 4 - Dragons in a Bag

 

  •    Elliot, Zetta; illustrated by B, Geneva. Dragons in a Bag. Random House, 2018. Ages 6-10


After Jaxon and his mother are evicted, his mom drops him off at the house of the woman who raised her. While she goes off to problem solve their housing situation, Jaxon is left with Ma, who doesn't seem to want him around. After finding a mysterious package of Ma's, he soon learns that things aren't always what they seem. Ma turns out to be a witch and she needs help getting three baby dragons to the realm of magic. When a transporter malfunctions and Jaxon gets separated from Ma, he must not only protect the baby dragons but find a way to get back to Ma. He enlist the help of his friend Vikram and other friends of his grandmother to get Ma back. This chapter book features a Black protagonist and is the first of a series of 5 books. Set in alternating scenes of an urban city and a realm of magic, Elliot offers much needed representation for readers of color in the fantasy genre. 

    This transitional chapter does a great job of immersing readers into the story while introducing more sophisticated language and ideas. Mixing traditional fantasy tropes with more mature themes like housing insecurity, fitting in, complicated family dynamics, it dives in enough for curious readers while not overwhelming them with unknown concepts. Geneva B's accompanying illustrations are done in black and white and are sprinkled in every few pages. Beautifully detailed, the illustrations showcase the cast of color and provides another way to engage with readers. This own voices work written by two women introduce a work that is sure to captivate the hearts of older readers beginning to reader longer, more complex works on their own. This is a great work to diversify collections for readers between 6-10 years old who love dragons, fantasy, or adventure. 

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