The Runaway Dragon (MG)

The Runaway Dragon by Kate Coombs. 2009. FSG. 304 pages.

At first Meg visited Laddy a lot, riding her horse from the castle through the Witch's Wood to Hookhorn Farm, where her friend Cam's sister lived. Meg would sit by the fire in the big farmhouse kitchen and talk with Janna, scratching Laddy behind his ears and then along his little scarlet-and-amber dragon back. Not that Laddy was so little anymore. He was growing quickly, feasting on sausages and stew chickens at Hookhorn Farm. If Meg's father, King Stromgard, hadn't made provision for Laddy's keep, the baby dragon would have eaten Janna out of house and home.

Runaway Dragon is the sequel to Runaway Princess. Our heroine, Meg, is back for another quest. Her baby dragon, Laddy, is all grown up. And he's escaped! He has been seen here and there. And the villagers are not happy about that! No, not at all. Even if this dragon prefers sausages to humans. Meg is determined to find her dragon, give him a proper grown-up name, and get to the bottom of why her dragon is so restless. But her father, the King, and her mother, the Queen, won't let their daughter go adventuring on her own. No, she'll need companions. Proper companions. And while a few of these are of her own choosing, her own liking--like Cam, Lex, and Dilly--there are plenty of people she'd just as soon lose in the Enchanted Forest. She is not happy that her father insisted on ten accompanying guards! This quest won't be easy, but it will be fun in a dangerous, thrilling sort of way.

There is much adventure to be had in The Runaway Dragon. And I loved it. I did. I think Coombs did a great job. I was happy to return to this fantasy world she's created. Loved the richness of it. The humor in it. Characters like Quorlock and Malison. And Spinach! (How could I forget about her!) Oh how I loved meeting these characters! I definitely recommend these two books!

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews