Dealing with dragons

Gr 5-9‘This is a spirited reading of Patricia Wrede's novel (Harcourt, 1990). The story is acted out by a full cast, including Bruce Coville as two characters. This is a nice departure from the single narrator format used by most books on tape. Princess Cimorene, played by Johanna Elliott, is a strong-willed teenager who resents the dull, prissy life of a princess. She leaves home to avoid marrying a dim-witted prince and becomes the willing captive of Kazul, a cranky but good-hearted dragon. All the fairy tale cliches are here‘dragons, wizards, magic spells‘and Wrede makes gentle fun of them while spinning out a delightful adventure. The deliberately anachronistic dialogue flows well, especially the parts of Cimorene and Alianora (played by Lana M. Quintal), who sound like typical 90's teenage girls. This combination of medieval fairy tale themes and modern teenage sarcasm will appeal to listeners of many ages. The wit and flow of the text make Dealing with Dragons a truly entertaining listen.-Peggy J. Latkovich, Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.