The Boy Who Grew Dragons Series 4 Books Collection Set By Andy Shepherd (The Boy Who Grew Dragons, The Boy Who Lived with Dragons, The Boy Who Flew with Dragons, The Boy Who Dreamed of Dragons)

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A proper children's book... the humour and Sara Ogilvie's illustrations are just right - New Statesman Their grandad isn’t to be left out though. His love of gardening and desire to share it with his grandson is the reason Tomas is able to grow dragons. I loved how it was shown sometimes kids disappoint the adults in their life and that’s okay. His grandad is pretty fly and supports his grandson in a most loving and subtle way that I really appreciated. A wonderful, beautiful story that is filled with wonderful cast, the relationships between Tomas, his grandparents and his baby sister is adorable. They are a wonderful family and Tomas, even though things are happening around the house that he can't explain and has to keep a dragon secret from his family, it was just adorable to read about their relationship. As for Liam, eh. That guy just needs a new hobby in his life. Snooping, stalking, and bullying is just not the way to go. And then there is that thing at the end. Urgh. That is the worst thing that could happen.

My thanks to Piccadilly Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Boy Who Grew Dragons”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. So much to explore within this book - the richness of language, the relationships between the characters, the adventures, the knowledge. Being from Wales, dragons are an important part of our culture – rooted in our myths and legends to appearing on our national flag – and so from the start, I felt some kind of connection to this book. Identifying with this book is not something that only I will be able to do easily as it’s also something that many readers will immediately feel when reading this too, whether that be through the familiar characters, the everyday settings of home, school and the garden or through the sense of awe, amazement and magic in the dragon-discovery to come…

LoveReading4Kids Says

This is an early middle grade book. It’s reminiscent of a chapter book to me. This format has to be taken into account as we aren’t going going to get as fleshed story as a teen or adult might want. There is a bullying element I wanted more of, that felt like it was left hanging. I suspect we’ll get more of it in future books. Each book of the series advances the story, so by its very nature The Boy Who Grew Dragons is setup. Quite good setup, but it left me wanting more. Which is a good thing for middle grade readers. Imaginative and charming, The Boy Who Grew Dragons is a wonderfully whimsical story that kept me smiling the whole way through - Books for Topics Seeing more dragons was just such a delight, they all looked adorable, and I would have loved to see them for real. To see them shimmer and glow, to see their colours change. But only that, I don't want to handle those poo bombs. Ewww. *shivers* Oh and not to mention having to keep them away from my precious book babies. In a Nutshell: Even dragons couldn’t save this for me. It has a few merits but becomes boring after a few chapters.

Awwwwww. I bet you want one now too no matter your age. A lot of time is spent with Tomas bonding with his new little pet. I felt like this was smart because we feel like we’re bonding with our new dragon too. It also gives kids reading a sense of the responsibility that a pet brings to their life. Sure, a pet is fun and a firm friend but you also have to take care of them. Tomas like many kids his age has a small group of friends. I liked that the group was diverse and didn’t revolve around just boys. At the same time I didn’t bond with them. Each child was different and stood out as an individual, but I didn’t spend any quality time with them until the climax of the book. I don’t know that I wanted them to have dragons like Tomas. It also felt presumptuous that he would get them each one. The book is called The Boy Who Grew Dragons so the point was to grow more than one. I just wish it had been developed a bit better. Tomas enlists the help from his friends, The Superhero Squad, who are currently scattered all over the world to both help write pieces for the guide, but also to help with ideas for the current problem Tomas has. I was definitely rooting for him to just tell his friends, and I am glad with his decision in the end. As I briefly mentioned earlier, the relationship-building between characters such as Tomas and his grandfather is one to savour and this will resonate among many younger (and older!) readers reminding them of the positive relationships, for some whilst growing up, between themselves and their own grandparents or close relatives.

Andy Shepherd Press Reviews

I also liked Tomas' little sister: Lolli, or Charlotte. Sometimes little siblings are annoying, but Lolli was a cute little sister and I loved how she and Tomas worked together. :P Well... mostly Tomas trying to bribe his little sister and turning her words into something different before people found out what she was actually babbling about. But they certainly made a fun pair. Irresistible... everything you want in a book for a newly independent reader - tender realism, honouring children's inner feelings and anarchic magic, both beautiful and regrettable. Sara Ogilvie's illustrations capture both enchantment and stench... A modern classic - The Guardian He stared up at me, his twinkling eyes looking right into me. It was like gazing into one of those crystal prisms, where the light is scattered into a rainbow. Fragments of color sparkled and danced around the dragon’s almond-shaped irises. I could have looked into those eyes forever. Then, just for a second, his sharp little claws tightened on my arm again.”

A kind of Pete's Dragon with extra giggles, The Boy Who Grew Dragons takes on the rather hair-singeing challenges of finding that your grandad's garden has suddenly started sprouting fire-breathing mischief-makers and the illustrations by Sara Ogilvie really make it come alive - Waterstones BlogThis is a charming and funny little story. Tomas' narration has a conversational voice that reminds me of a boy I know, even down to how he copies phrases and expressions he's heard adults use and acts a bit dramatic. Tomas has a lot of personality but is sweet and caring, too, and I loved his relationships with his grandfather and his little sister -- they were all adorable. It's especially always nice to see positive sibling relationships.