Home › Find a book › The Boy Who Lived with Dragons
The Boy Who Lived with DragonsAndy Shepherd
The Boy Who Lived with Dragons
by Andy Shepherd
Tomas has more dragons than he can hide, and dragon fruit is now growing in places it definitely should not be.
A story about children and magical creatures, funny and warm in tone. We would put it with children of 6–9, and at a reading age of about 7 for reading alone.
Nothing flagged
We have not flagged any content in this one that a parent would usually want warning about.
Part of a series
This is book 2 of the The Boy Who Grew Dragons series, so there is more to read if it goes down well — which is worth a great deal with a reluctant reader.
Our take on this book
Tomas grew a dragon from a fruit at the bottom of the garden, and now he has rather more dragons than one boy can reasonably hide — and the dragon fruit has started sprouting in places it absolutely should not, threatening to give the whole secret away. Andy Shepherd's series has an irresistible premise for a young animal-lover: tiny, characterful dragons with distinct personalities and one significant drawback involving their fiery digestion. It is short-chaptered, softly illustrated and warmly told, ideal for a child moving up from picture books who wants a gentle magical adventure rather than anything with real jeopardy. Nothing in it is frightening; the trouble is comic and domestic — dragons in the shed, mess in the garden. For a six- to nine-year-old, especially one who dreams of a magical pet, it is a cosy, charming read and the start of a series that reliably keeps them coming back.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
The Boy Who Grew DragonsAndy Shepherd
CliffhangerJacqueline Wilson
The Naughtiest UnicornPip Bird
Mr MajeikaHumphrey Carpenter
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.