Review by Booklist Review
Creel's aunt plans to end the family's poverty by foisting her orphaned niece on the local dragon, hoping that the knight who comes to Creel's aid will want to marry the rescued maiden (and share his riches with her relatives). This daffy reasoning gets George's debut novel off to a lurching start. Once Creel meets and befriends the local dragon, though, the story takes off. Creel heads to the city, where she hopes to start a dress shop, and along the way, she befriends new dragons and receives a mysterious pair of slippers that link her to a dangerous political plot. A chance meeting with a prince becomes a warm friendship, and Creel calls on her dragon cohorts to help him restore peace in the land. The plot elements are sometimes awkwardly stitched together, but the exciting, fairy-tale action and vivid scenes, from glittering dragon cave to posh dress shop, are captivating, and readers will easily connect with brave Creel, who weathers betrayals and learns to value true friends and her own talents.--Engberg, Gillian Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Orphaned Creel is taken in by poor relatives, including her silly aunt who hatches a plan to get the girl captured by a dragon so that a knight will rescue her and marry her, thus lifting the rest of the family out of poverty. However, the dragon wants no part of this arrangement, and in order to avoid the trouble of fighting a knight, agrees to let Creel select one item from his hoard (he collects shoes) and encourages her in her ambitions to become a seamstress in the royal city. Unbeknownst to Creel, the simple blue slippers she selects have a history that dates back centuries and the power to control dragons. When the slippers fall into the wrong hands, Creel may be the only one able to turn the tide of the war that threatens her country. Fans of Gail Carson Levine will likely enjoy the adventure and humor as well as the strong female heroine, and readers of Patricia C. Wrede's "Enchanted Forest Chronicles" (Harcourt) will find another good book about a friendly relationship between girl and dragon. Some secondary characters are rather flat and stereotypical, and a lot of details are tied up too neatly and quickly at the conclusion, but the plot is sound and well written.-Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When Creel's aunt gives her to the local dragon, Creel thinks she's cooked. She manages to escape after talking the shoe-hoarding dragon into parting with his treasured blue slippers. Once free, Creel learns the slippers tether her to her kingdom's dragons. George tells Creel's story with a light touch, including unexpected, imaginative details. Headstrong Creel is a resourceful heroine. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Creel wants to go to the King's Seat so she can earn her living by embroidering her unique designs. But danger and adventure ensue. There are dragons, magic slippers and a handsome prince. There is also treason, war and destruction. But Creel is not meek or passive; she takes the initiative and leads perilous defensive and offensive maneuvers that eventually win the battle. George weaves a picaresque tale with a cast of quirky characters into a medieval fantasy. Relationships among social classes and the trials and tribulations of women trying to improve their lot are nicely incorporated into the context of the story. While the names and events sound suitably archaic, at times the syntax of the narration and dialogue has a decidedly modern twist. But this serves to make the tale more accessible and Creel a more sympathetic and human creation. Not entirely original, but clever, well-plotted and good fun. (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
