The Dragon and the Stone
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- Create Date：2022-08-07 06:51:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kathryn L. Butler
- ISBN：1433579472
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Summary
Even though she’s only 12 years old， Lily McKinley already feels the weight of the world’s brokenness。 She’s seen it in her mother’s exhaustion， her grandmother’s illness， and the cruelty of Adam， the bully at her school。 But most tragically， she experienced it two months ago when her father died in a terrible accident。
As an artistic daydreamer， Lily has a brilliant imagination to help her cope， but that imagination often gets her into trouble。 One day， it transports her to a fantasy world called the Somnium Realm， where her father’s secret history embroils her in an epic quest。 With the help of a dragon guide named Cedric， Lily battles evil shrouds， harpies， and other creatures to find her way through grief， rescue the world from evil， and discover the power of redemption。
This thrilling novel by Kathryn Butler mixes fantasy with Christian themes， taking middle school readers on a quest through castles， forests， and caverns to help a young girl find hope and usher in restoration。
As an artistic daydreamer， Lily has a brilliant imagination to help her cope， but that imagination often gets her into trouble。 One day， it transports her to a fantasy world called the Somnium Realm， where her father’s secret history embroils her in an epic quest。 With the help of a dragon guide named Cedric， Lily battles evil shrouds， harpies， and other creatures to find her way through grief， rescue the world from evil， and discover the power of redemption。
This thrilling novel by Kathryn Butler mixes fantasy with Christian themes， taking middle school readers on a quest through castles， forests， and caverns to help a young girl find hope and usher in restoration。
Reviews
Jeremy
，
WORLD review。 WORLD review。 。。。more
Joy
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good fast read
Margaret Swanigan
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A really fun middle grade time。 Gave strong Narnia vibes that I was down for。 I think the pacing and descriptions really shined。
Elizabeth Davis
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Vibrant characters and a story with great pacing make this a book you won't want to set down until you get to the end and even then you'll be wanting more。 Vibrant characters and a story with great pacing make this a book you won't want to set down until you get to the end and even then you'll be wanting more。 。。。more
Becky
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First sentence: Lily McKinley trudged into the house， plodded to the kitchen， and froze。 On the counter in front of her， with its barbed tail curled like a question mark， a dragon gobbled her mother's Crock-Pot chili。Lily's world is falling apart。 I was tempted to say seemingly falling part。 But that wouldn't be true。 No doubt， it is。 Her father has died--or at least been reported so， no body found。 Her mother is stressed， stressed， super-stressed。 Her grandmother has dementia--or presumably so。 First sentence: Lily McKinley trudged into the house， plodded to the kitchen， and froze。 On the counter in front of her， with its barbed tail curled like a question mark， a dragon gobbled her mother's Crock-Pot chili。Lily's world is falling apart。 I was tempted to say seemingly falling part。 But that wouldn't be true。 No doubt， it is。 Her father has died--or at least been reported so， no body found。 Her mother is stressed， stressed， super-stressed。 Her grandmother has dementia--or presumably so。 Her mom is carrying the weight of the world， and Lily is trying to do her share--more than her share。 She can no longer "afford" to daydream or let her imagination run away with her。 So when she sees a DRAGON in her kitchen， well， she's flabbergasted， scared， and worried。 Worried that her imagination is at play again。 How could there be an actual real life dragon in her kitchen？？？ Her mother can't handle dragons！ Her grandmother， well， she's too fragile。 So once again， Lily feels the pressure to handle something on her own。 And this dragon in the kitchen， well， it's just the start。 Things only get weirder from here。。。Lily soon finds herself NOT in this world but swept away to a fantasy realm where she， Lily， may be called upon to save the world。。。or at least do her share in saving the world。 And it all has something to do with a STONE necklace that her father left for her。 This stone is magical--not just because of who gave it to her--but because of its origin。 It is from Eden。 There were twelve stones， I think， and twelve keepers to protect the stones？？？ Anyway， the realm is in trouble and Lily （and her ever-growing company） are needed。 But beware a betrayer may be in her midst。I really enjoyed this one！ I was super skeptical when I requested it for review。 I didn't know how it would hold up。 Would it be good？ entertaining？ something that I could actually recommend？ Christian publishers and Christian authors aren't particularly well known for doing children's fantasy--C。S。 Lewis excluded。 But to be fair， the Narnia books were published in the 1950s。 But I really enjoyed this one。 I found it a compelling read。 I enjoyed all the characters introduced。 I thought the story was well-written。 。。。more
S。K。
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This fantasy delight is going to be so fun for my kids！ It wasn't super deeply spiritual in this first installment but it certainly could be and I'm just happy for the clean read anyway！ This is a fast-paced， well-written， engaging adventure that I happily added to our sixth grade shelf。 * I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 This fantasy delight is going to be so fun for my kids！ It wasn't super deeply spiritual in this first installment but it certainly could be and I'm just happy for the clean read anyway！ This is a fast-paced， well-written， engaging adventure that I happily added to our sixth grade shelf。 * I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Paperbacks
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A new Christian fiction middle grade series starter that is sure to win the hearts of the young and the young at heart。 I always keep saying that we need more and more Christian fiction for younger readers and this one did not disappoint， I cannot wait to read the rest of the series。Lily is having a hard time， her dad has recently died， her mom has been in bad shape and the school bully is really getting on her nerves。 All that changes when she finds the necklace that her dad never takes off， tu A new Christian fiction middle grade series starter that is sure to win the hearts of the young and the young at heart。 I always keep saying that we need more and more Christian fiction for younger readers and this one did not disappoint， I cannot wait to read the rest of the series。Lily is having a hard time， her dad has recently died， her mom has been in bad shape and the school bully is really getting on her nerves。 All that changes when she finds the necklace that her dad never takes off， tucked away in the book he gave her。 What transpires is an adventure of a lifetime for Lily。 Mysterious knights in shining armor， a magical Unicorn and an evil that's spreading from the dream world to the real world。I really loved the character development and the friendship that blossoms between the main characters。 I loved the character of Cedric the dragon who was such a little hero and helper that he warmed instantly to my heart。 I loved the storyline and I could see influence from old classic stories like King Arthur and Chronicles of Narnia。 I can't wait to see where the story takes us on this adventure。*Thank you to #crosswaybooks for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Isaac
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Decent fantasy-world-lurking-behind-the-real-world story operating within a light Christian allegorical framework akin to C。 S。 Lewis's Narnia series。 Entirely inoffensive， promotes compassion， courage， and sacrifice。 Butler seems to enjoy resolving crises in the same way throughout: at the very last moment， almost by accident， involving deus ex machina elements。 The final conflict is resolved in such a thorough way （view spoiler）[without any involvement from the main characters （hide spoiler）] Decent fantasy-world-lurking-behind-the-real-world story operating within a light Christian allegorical framework akin to C。 S。 Lewis's Narnia series。 Entirely inoffensive， promotes compassion， courage， and sacrifice。 Butler seems to enjoy resolving crises in the same way throughout: at the very last moment， almost by accident， involving deus ex machina elements。 The final conflict is resolved in such a thorough way （view spoiler）[without any involvement from the main characters （hide spoiler）] that one wonders why it hadn't been done long ago。 I found the story world to be a bit tenuous in places and fraying around some of the edges， though it was quick and pleasant enough that I didn't feel too interested in picking at loose threads。 I expect young readers will enjoy it。I received a copy of the book for free from the publisher， though without any request for or expectation of a review。 。。。more
Boe
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First and foremost I need to thank the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review。Lily McKinley， is struggling with loneliness thanks to her father being presumed dead， her mother working long hours and a grandmother whose memory is clearly fading and if that isn’t enough for a 12 year old to deal with she also has to face bullying each and every day at school。 Lily’s life gets turned upside down one day when she finds both her dad’s stone necklace in one of her favori First and foremost I need to thank the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review。Lily McKinley， is struggling with loneliness thanks to her father being presumed dead， her mother working long hours and a grandmother whose memory is clearly fading and if that isn’t enough for a 12 year old to deal with she also has to face bullying each and every day at school。 Lily’s life gets turned upside down one day when she finds both her dad’s stone necklace in one of her favorite books and a Dragon eating her mom’s chili in the kitchen。This is a fun and adventurous story for kids and also a very clean read！ It’s filled with themes of friendship， hope， redemption， good vs evil， worry， grief， helping others， being kind all while at the same time using these themes to further the character growth。。Also the book is a very fast read as the action scenes are one after another with very little down time。 I also really loved the nod / throwback to fantasy characters from my childhood such as Sir Lancelot， Merlin & Robin Hood。All in all if your looking for a book to recommend to young readers who are interested in dipping their toes in fantasy and you want to make sure its a wholesome/clean story then look no further as I feel this series is a good jumping off point to welcome them into the wonderful world of fantasy books。 。。。more
Abigail
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“The power to create is a gift， my dear。 And at one time， your people could could do so much more than produce clay kingdoms。” The Dreamkeeper Sage is a brand new middle school fiction series that reminds me of a Wingfeather， 100 Cupboards ish series。 I am really eager to see where Mrs。 Butler takes this series in the future。 It was an action filled adventure through a fantasy kingdom with an imaginative girl， a stowaway boy， a dragon， and her not so make believe friends。 I really enjoyed gettin “The power to create is a gift， my dear。 And at one time， your people could could do so much more than produce clay kingdoms。” The Dreamkeeper Sage is a brand new middle school fiction series that reminds me of a Wingfeather， 100 Cupboards ish series。 I am really eager to see where Mrs。 Butler takes this series in the future。 It was an action filled adventure through a fantasy kingdom with an imaginative girl， a stowaway boy， a dragon， and her not so make believe friends。 I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing their growth especially Adam’s。 I loved getting to see Lily’s heart and strength throughout the book。 I loved seeing their friendship grow and blossom as well。 I cannot wait to see how Mrs。 Butler continues to mature them in the books to come。 I enjoyed the storyline a lot。 It was original and I enjoyed getting to read about a new fantasy kingdom that I never thought I would get to read about。 This book had a super cute premise and I can see it getting rather popular。 The world building was also pretty cool！ I wouldn’t say it was on the same level as Middle Earth or Narnia， but it definitely was closer up there with them！ Like I mentioned before this fantasy world was unlike any I have come across before in a book。 I also really loved the biblical parallels that were found throughout this book， that did remind me of Narnia。 I knew going in that there were going to be some parallels， I just didn’t know where or how。 However， with this being the first book in the series I did feel like it was missing a little something to make it be the absolute best version of itself （courtesy of the 4 instead of 5 stars）。 But， overall this book was good and I honestly can say that I am eager to find out what happens next！ *FTC: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review。 All thoughts are my own。 I was not required to write a positive review。* 。。。more
Lynn
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This was an exciting book， and like the fact that Kathryn introduces the manuscripts from the 12 century to middle grade readers。 Crossway and Kathyrn wrote a book that would appeal to any age readers。 For that reason，Ii am looking foward to the next installment。and would highly recommended the novel。Lilli loves "King Arthur and his Knights" which takes her out of a tumultuous life that she lived with her mom and grandmother。 Lilly's mom works in a care home， plus takes cares for gran who could This was an exciting book， and like the fact that Kathryn introduces the manuscripts from the 12 century to middle grade readers。 Crossway and Kathyrn wrote a book that would appeal to any age readers。 For that reason，Ii am looking foward to the next installment。and would highly recommended the novel。Lilli loves "King Arthur and his Knights" which takes her out of a tumultuous life that she lived with her mom and grandmother。 Lilly's mom works in a care home， plus takes cares for gran who could not dress or feed herself， if this is not worse， her father died in an accident several monts ago。 No child needed to learn the death of a parent。This book was magical， and who cannot love a dragon， plus the main character was one。 。 Cedric， the mentioned dragon was the size of a labrador dog，"my name [。。。] is CedricAt your service "Along with Cedric， there was Adam， who has bullied Lilly， plus Adam stole her copy of King Arthur and is Knights。 On top of everything else she has been through， the lesson of grief is hard is a lot to take on。An incredible book with incredible characters。 Thank you Kathryn L Butler， Crossway Publisher， and NetGalley for the privilege of reading and reviewing this wonderful boo。 。。。more
Katelyn Herberholz
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This book is excellent… I have been looking for a book to rekindle my love of reading and this has done it！ The story contained in these pages is the perfect mix of Narnia meets Hogwarts meets Emily Windsnap meets Scarlet， Tuck， and Hood。 A beautifully written book with glimpses of the Cross and the redemption we have through Jesus。
Kim
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I found the book quite enjoyable and will be recommending it。 I do agree with others that based on the vocabulary this book is probably best for middle grade readers。 A very proficient upper elementary student would likely enjoy this as well。 A fun， magical adventure。
Kim
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Wonderful， allegorical tale with biblical themes。
Terese
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This was such a sweet book， I'm always looking for something to read to my nieces and though they were still a little bit too young for this title， it will definitely be read to them in a year or so。 I loved the focus on friendship in this book and how we， often， are quite stubborn and set in our ways in a way that can hurt both ourselves and those around us。 The adventure was fun and imaginative， it never dragged and I think there is a great potential for rich world-building。I also love anythin This was such a sweet book， I'm always looking for something to read to my nieces and though they were still a little bit too young for this title， it will definitely be read to them in a year or so。 I loved the focus on friendship in this book and how we， often， are quite stubborn and set in our ways in a way that can hurt both ourselves and those around us。 The adventure was fun and imaginative， it never dragged and I think there is a great potential for rich world-building。I also love anything with a talking dragon so， check！ Cedric， I love you。I'm curious to see where this saga will go， because it did seem to wrap up more neatly than I had expected it too， so I'm very interested to see what the author has planned for a continuation of the story。 I have some mixed feelings on certain aspects of the ending， pertaining to fathers， but it wasn't anything that really bothered me。 I only have two complaints and they are somewhat minor， the first thing is that the first explanation of Eymah， by Cedric， was a bit obscure and I did feel like it was maybe a bit too advanced （in comparison with the rest of the book） depending on the target age of the book。 If I were to read it to my nieces， even in a year， I would probably try to use simpler language。My second complaint is granted a bit niche。 But it is a pet peeve of mine。 Start of rant: Now。。。it is technically and widely accepted to spell the plural of octopus as "octopi"， a latin ending （to a greek word， mind。 as I'm sure everyone knows）， but my pet peeve is that really it should have a proper English ending， especially when directed at kids， i。e。 octopuses。 It has no business having a Latin ending， especially when even the Latin conjugation recognizes it as a third-declension noun meaning that the plural ending is octopodes， never octopi。） Long story short， let's end the madness and teach kids that in English it is octopuses from the get go。 End of rant。 I'm sure no one cares much about that， but it is just one of those things that bug me whenever I see it。But， what other potential readers can take away from this review is that this was a really fun kid's adventure with some great moments， and a probably even richer continuation in store。 。。。more
Charity Henico
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I'm reading this to my 4 youngest kids， ages 5， 8， 10， and 11。 We are all LOVING it！ I've already decided that we'll be buying this book and the next one in hard copy。 This is a great fantasy book for all ages。 It has a dragon （thus the name）， soothstone， dream world， and all the fantasy stuff you could want。 The kids don't ever want to stop after just one chapter。 According to my 11 year old， "it's very mysterious and a very good suspense book。"Highly recommend！ I'm reading this to my 4 youngest kids， ages 5， 8， 10， and 11。 We are all LOVING it！ I've already decided that we'll be buying this book and the next one in hard copy。 This is a great fantasy book for all ages。 It has a dragon （thus the name）， soothstone， dream world， and all the fantasy stuff you could want。 The kids don't ever want to stop after just one chapter。 According to my 11 year old， "it's very mysterious and a very good suspense book。"Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Libby
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Butler takes many tried and true fantasy elements and adds some unique twists， including creating a world where dreams become real。 There were moments when I was carried away by Lily and Adam's adventures and their unusual companions， but I was also easily able to put the book down。 That may be because of my adult sensibilities。 I've read too much Christian fantasy that all feels vaguely familiar。 I suspect many middle grade readers won't mind。 I also wish the book had more diversity among the c Butler takes many tried and true fantasy elements and adds some unique twists， including creating a world where dreams become real。 There were moments when I was carried away by Lily and Adam's adventures and their unusual companions， but I was also easily able to put the book down。 That may be because of my adult sensibilities。 I've read too much Christian fantasy that all feels vaguely familiar。 I suspect many middle grade readers won't mind。 I also wish the book had more diversity among the characters。 My non-white readers would love to see characters that look like them traveling to fantastic realms and fighting evil。 Recommended for those readers wanting something after they've finished other series like "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Wingfeather Saga。" 。。。more
Amy
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This was interesting， and the girls Loved it！ Certainly a series to continue！
Allie Fullerton
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The cover of this book is magical！ I was excited about the premise of this book- a dream world of creativity， grief， and redemption- but sadly the book fell short for me。 I liked the themes and the lessons but there were lots of faults。 First， the writing was not good。 It was full of clichés and many places where there should have been more creative and vivid descriptions， especially relating to Lilly's emotions （multiple repeats of "Lilly's jaw dropped"） and many examples where the reader shoul The cover of this book is magical！ I was excited about the premise of this book- a dream world of creativity， grief， and redemption- but sadly the book fell short for me。 I liked the themes and the lessons but there were lots of faults。 First， the writing was not good。 It was full of clichés and many places where there should have been more creative and vivid descriptions， especially relating to Lilly's emotions （multiple repeats of "Lilly's jaw dropped"） and many examples where the reader should have been shown what characters were feeling and seeing instead of simply being told。 {Spoilers Ahead} There were also plot issues， the biggest one being when we learn about a traitor in the council。 Right after we learn of a potential traitor， that person is revealed （what happened to some nice tension there as we wonder who it is？） To make it even worse， the traitor is quickly defeated。 Readers are pulled up and down so quickly。 That plot could have been something bigger， but it was resolved， leaving readers feeling like the story was empty and pointless。There were cases where the story felt too much like Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia as well。I feel the need to support Christian Fiction in spite of its quality IF it has good content， and this book does。 But I do so in hopes that we can push Christian writers and publishers to create books with good， gospel content AND write them well。However， all of that to be said， I think many young readers will like this book despite where it could have improved。 Content: 5/5Writing Quality: 2/5Overall: 3/5 。。。more
Megan Everitt
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4⭐️。 Read aloud with 11yo daughter who loves dragons。 She loved it and although it felt a bit wordy in some parts to me， the themes and values portrayed were refreshing。 We will definitely read the sequel when it is published。
Nicole
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I read this book hoping to find something that would interest my 7（almost 8）-year-old advanced reader。 As an adult， I enjoyed the book。 It felt rushed at times to me （I would’ve liked to see more development in some sections）， but was appropriately paced for younger readers。 I liked the allegory and the adventure and think that my son is about a year away from having the maturity to appreciate this book。 The concept of the Realm is interesting; I love the world that Butler created。 The sidekick I read this book hoping to find something that would interest my 7（almost 8）-year-old advanced reader。 As an adult， I enjoyed the book。 It felt rushed at times to me （I would’ve liked to see more development in some sections）， but was appropriately paced for younger readers。 I liked the allegory and the adventure and think that my son is about a year away from having the maturity to appreciate this book。 The concept of the Realm is interesting; I love the world that Butler created。 The sidekick characters created through Lily’s imagination were my favorite。 I look forward to reading the sequel and discussing this book with my son in about a year！ I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher via NetGalley。 All opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Taun
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Lily McKinley has troubles， the least of which is day old banana crusted into her hair。In just one day she has managed to upset her teacher， hurt her mourning mother， face off with the worst school bully， and let her imagination get the best of her。 Again。 Dragons do not exist， and certainly do not eat chili out of crockpots， after all。In a burst of light at a most desperate moment， Lily is transported to the realm of Somnium， where her Father's secrets begin to unfold， leading Lily to wonder at Lily McKinley has troubles， the least of which is day old banana crusted into her hair。In just one day she has managed to upset her teacher， hurt her mourning mother， face off with the worst school bully， and let her imagination get the best of her。 Again。 Dragons do not exist， and certainly do not eat chili out of crockpots， after all。In a burst of light at a most desperate moment， Lily is transported to the realm of Somnium， where her Father's secrets begin to unfold， leading Lily to wonder at the power of the stone she now holds & what really may have happened to her Dad。 Dragons that shapeshift， evil shrouds of cunning， creation & loss， love & redemption。 The journey is fraught with peril， especially for those chosen by destiny itself。THANK YOU to Crossway & NetGalley for a reviewer's copy of The Dragon & the Stone， in exchange for my honest review & feedback。The Dragon & the Stone strikes that perfect balance between adventure laced with danger， hope & redemption。 The book deals with loss， love， & forgiveness， all wrapped up in an a fantasy I would recommend without reservation or hesitation。 Excellent world building， engaging characters （amid which there are some familiar faces）， enemies that make your blood boil & an unexpected friend or two。 Content Notes: This book details the loss of a parent， & has some typical school yard bullying。 。。。more
Mama
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The Dragon and the Stone was such a delight to read。 I am a big fan of good vs。 evil， of light vs。 dark， of kindness vs。 greed。I took to this novel because it had wonderful Christian concepts。 I liked how the magical stones originated from the Garden of Eden。 I found the passage that mentions humans too were once magical beings at the beginning of their existence。 The passage goes on to mention how we became corrupt and greedy when we allowed evil to enter our world。 Simply Lovely This novel w The Dragon and the Stone was such a delight to read。 I am a big fan of good vs。 evil， of light vs。 dark， of kindness vs。 greed。I took to this novel because it had wonderful Christian concepts。 I liked how the magical stones originated from the Garden of Eden。 I found the passage that mentions humans too were once magical beings at the beginning of their existence。 The passage goes on to mention how we became corrupt and greedy when we allowed evil to enter our world。 Simply Lovely This novel was rich with magical elements that connected family members together across realms。 It had a spiritual element of not always being able to see our Higher Creator， mentions having faith even when no visual exist。 Goes on to reiterate that we are never alone。It was also delightful that the book wrote in elements of good old fairy tales by adding characters similar to sirens， Robin Hood， dragons， Merlin， and unicorns。Gratifying read from beginning to end。 I would recommend to anyone wanting a heartfelt， lighthearted story with great values。 。。。more
Monica
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Castles and dragons and mystery abound in the new middle-grade fantasy book， The Dragon and the Stone by Kathryn Butler。 The Dragon and the Stone begins with Lily McKinley finding a dragon named Cedric in her kitchen eating her dinner。 Things start to get really crazy for Lily after she confronts a bully named Adam in her school yard and the a stone pendent that belonged to her father， who recently passed away is now glowing， and she is transported to a magical place with the magic pendent when Castles and dragons and mystery abound in the new middle-grade fantasy book， The Dragon and the Stone by Kathryn Butler。 The Dragon and the Stone begins with Lily McKinley finding a dragon named Cedric in her kitchen eating her dinner。 Things start to get really crazy for Lily after she confronts a bully named Adam in her school yard and the a stone pendent that belonged to her father， who recently passed away is now glowing， and she is transported to a magical place with the magic pendent when she puts it on。 I enjoyed this magical book even though I don't read a lot of fantasy。 It would be a fun book to read as a family。 There are themes of faith， mourning， sacrifice， salvation， and redemption。 The Dragon and the Stone has some fun characters and is a wonderful adventure into a magical land。 I enjoyed the characters and the surprises along the way。 There were some points that would make for some great family discussion。 While it is a fun book as a whole， there are also some deeper issues dealt with in this book--bullying， divorce， and death among them。 At the end of the book， there is a chapter preview for the next book in the series， The Prince and the Blight--which whets the reader's appetite to keep going。I received a copy of this book from the publisher as part of the Amazon Vine program。 All opinions within this review are my own。 。。。more
Hailey Huntington
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3。5 StarsWhat I Liked: -The story gave me a little bit of Narnia vibes。 I think fans of Lewis will like it。 -The creative fancy of the Realm was fun。 -We need more loyal British dragons who like chili。 Cedric is fantastic。 What I Struggled With: -It took me a little bit to orientate myself in the Realm。 -There were a couple points where the plot seemed rushed。Overall Thoughts: A fun start to The DreamKeeper Saga。 I would have preferred if the author had dug a little more into the story and expou 3。5 StarsWhat I Liked: -The story gave me a little bit of Narnia vibes。 I think fans of Lewis will like it。 -The creative fancy of the Realm was fun。 -We need more loyal British dragons who like chili。 Cedric is fantastic。 What I Struggled With: -It took me a little bit to orientate myself in the Realm。 -There were a couple points where the plot seemed rushed。Overall Thoughts: A fun start to The DreamKeeper Saga。 I would have preferred if the author had dug a little more into the story and expounded things a tad more。 。。。more
Brittany Garrett
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My kids made me put 5 stars。 They loved it！ I enjoyed the story and it was reminiscent of some of our favorite books。 The dialogue sometimes seemed repetitive and drawn out too long， but that didn’t bother my kids。 My kids are already chomping at the bit for the second book。
Noel
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The Dragon and the Stone is the first book in a new middle grade fantasy series published by Crossway。 And when they reached out to me to see if I’d like a copy I was pretty excited。 Middle grade fantasy with faith elements interwoven into the story are something I’m certainly interested in。 So thank you @crosswaybooks for the gifted copy！I didn’t love the book quite as much as I’d hoped， but this was the sort of book I definitely would have loved when I was a kid。 It’s action-packed with an int The Dragon and the Stone is the first book in a new middle grade fantasy series published by Crossway。 And when they reached out to me to see if I’d like a copy I was pretty excited。 Middle grade fantasy with faith elements interwoven into the story are something I’m certainly interested in。 So thank you @crosswaybooks for the gifted copy！I didn’t love the book quite as much as I’d hoped， but this was the sort of book I definitely would have loved when I was a kid。 It’s action-packed with an interesting fantasy-dream world and lots of fantastical creatures and a battle between good and evil。 The only reason I’m giving it three stars is because it’s very light on character development， and that is something I usually need in a fantasy novel to be fully invested。 I highly recommend this as a read aloud， or as a book to give to your kids （probably ages 8 & up）， especially kids that enjoy a fast-paced story。 My girls haven’t read it yet， but I think they will really enjoy it when they do。 Also， the cover！ It’s so beautiful 😍😍 。。。more
Emily Landon
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I loved this book！ I read it as an ARC， then bought the paperback， and pre-ordered the sequel。 What I loved was that you could see the Christian part of the story， but it wasn’t overpowering at all。 Lily is wonderful， brave， and caring。 The adventure is great fun and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next。 Great book！！
Christy
，
4 stars might be generous。 The story is decent， but the writing’s just okay。 I’m sure my kids will enjoy it。
Belles Middle Grade Library
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What a magical & heartwarming story！ Even though she’s only 12 years old， Lily McKinley already feels the weight of the world’s brokenness。 She’s seen it in her mother’s exhaustion， her grandmother’s illness， & the cruelty of Adam， the bully at her school。 But most tragically， she experienced it 2 months ago when her father died in a terrible accident。 As an artistic daydreamer， Lily has a brilliant imagination to help her cope， but that imagination often gets her into trouble。 One day， it trans What a magical & heartwarming story！ Even though she’s only 12 years old， Lily McKinley already feels the weight of the world’s brokenness。 She’s seen it in her mother’s exhaustion， her grandmother’s illness， & the cruelty of Adam， the bully at her school。 But most tragically， she experienced it 2 months ago when her father died in a terrible accident。 As an artistic daydreamer， Lily has a brilliant imagination to help her cope， but that imagination often gets her into trouble。 One day， it transports her to a fantasy world called the Somnium Realm， where her father’s secret history embroils her in an epic quest。 With the help of a dragon guide named Cedric， Lily battles evil shrouds， harpies， & other creatures to find her way through grief， rescue the world from evil， & discover the power of redemption。 A fantasy story， with so many important issues/themes too。 There are some things that made me think of things from the Bible， but its not stated out right。 I only knew because I knew these things。 So it’s definitely in no way pushing it in anyones face。 I think the only people who will notice are people familiar with the Bible and/or believe in God。 I really appreciated what came across to me， & loved every time I noticed something。 There’s also grief， bullying， loss， not fitting in or feeling like you belong anywhere。。but also this is full of HOPE & FAITH。 Then you have the magical aspects like dragons， shrouds， Merlin， Robin Hood， Sir Lancelot， a unicorn， Mist Elves， a siren， harpies， soothstones， & so much more-even unique & amazing characters like Rigel & Flint！ Love！ I also loved the friendship that grows between the characters。 Such a fast-paced magical adventure。 Cedric has my heart。 Love that dragon。 The ending was amazing， & I absolutely loved it。 Highly recommend！ This is out now。 Can’t wait for the squeal that comes out August 2nd！ BEAUTIFUL cover by Studio Muti as well！💜 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dragon and the Stone
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dragon and the Stone&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft