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Summary
Summary
Three adventurous children find further intrigue on the tiny Maine island where a talkative three-headed dragon peacefully lives out its days and the power of storytelling reigns supreme.
With their parents off to London on a special trip, Hannah, Zachary, and Sarah Emily are thrilled to be going back to Aunt Mehitabel's house on Lonely Island. Though their favorite aunt can't join them, they know their tummies will soon be filled with Mrs. Jone's mouth-watering cookies and their minds full of Fafnyr, the fabulous creature they befriended last summer. A glittering three-headed dragon who loves to tell stories and has a memory spanning 20,000 years, Fafnyr remains safely hidden in a cave high above the ocean, waiting for the children to return.
But is Fafnyr's hiding place safe? As the children nervously discover, a white yacht is now anchored off the private island, and a crew led by billionaire J.P. King has been scouring onshore, supposedly watching birds. Could he possibly be searching for a far rarer and more unusual specimen? The children have promised to keep Fafnyr's existense a secret, but it's hard to know if the smooth-talking Mr. King is friend or foe. Only Fafnyr's own stories can lead the Dragon Friends to the heart of the mystery, as they teach the children to think more clearly, to make the right decisions -- and to discover what is truly worth fighting for.
Author Notes
Rebecca Rupp has written nonfiction articles for many national magazines on topics ranging from the history of blue jeans to the science of ice cream.. She is also the author of THE DRAGON OF LONELY ISLAND, THE WATERSTONE, and several nonfiction books, both for children and adults. Of THE RETURN OF THE DRAGON, she says, "I hope all of you enjoy the return of Fafnyr's cave -- and hearing from Aunt Mehitabel again -- as much as I have. Much as I love the three-headed dragon, I also love Aunt Mehitabel. I plan to be just like her when I turn eighty-five." Rebecca Rupp lives in Vermont with her husband, three sons, three cats, and a tarantula named Immanuel Kant.
Reviews (4)
Horn Book Review
This sequel to The Dragon of Lonely Island reintroduces the peaceful old dragon Fafnyr as his three young friends and their mysteriously absent aunt try to protect him from commercial exploitation. The children's characters are so underdeveloped as to be indistinguishable from one another, and though the dragon's voice is delightfully ironic, its ""wise"" stories are trite and condescending morality tales. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gr. 3-6. In this sequel to The Dragon of Lonely Island0 (1998), Hannah, Zachary, and Sarah Emily return to Aunt Mehitabel's tiny island off the coast of Maine, which is inhabited by Fafnyr, a three-headed, golden dragon. Mysterious billionaire J. P. King is snooping around, hoping to capture Fafnyr and exploit him for financial gain. The children desperately want to protect their friend, but the smooth-talking tycoon confuses them about what is best for Fafnyr. As in the earlier book, Rupp includes several stories within the main story (which is narrated by the dragon) that help to illuminate the kind, gentle Fafnyr and point the children in the right direction as they contemplate their actions toward the evil Mr. King. Letters from the convalescing Aunt Mehitabel in Philadelphia contribute additional detail and important clues. While this is light on action and somewhat tame for sophisticated fantasy readers, it's a solid choice for fans of Betsy Sterman's The Backyard Dragon0 (1993) or Luli Gray's The Falcon's Egg 0 (1995). --Kay Weisman Copyright 2005 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-In this pleasant sequel to The Dragon of Lonely Island (Candlewick, 1998), the three Davis children return to the island for spring vacation. They're looking forward to a reunion with Fafnyr, the three-headed dragon-or tridrake-they had discovered. Upon arrival, they spot tents pitched on the beach and a yacht anchored offshore. They discover that the ship's owner is tenacious billionaire J. P. King, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. And he wants to capture Fafnyr and make the tridrake his prisoner. This is a quick, easy read that goes down like warm milk-it's comfy and nutritious, but bland. Like a fussy, smug old schoolmaster, Fafnyr is a little too fond of telling the children stories that teach them a lesson, and the story's conclusion ties up all of the loose ends a little too tidily.-Walter Minkel, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Actually, it's young Hannah, Zachary and Sarah Emily who do the returning, as they come back to visit Fafnyr, the golden-scaled, three-headed cave-dweller first met in The Dragon of Lonely Island (1998). As before, Rupp offers three dragon tales imbedded in a larger story. Discovering that reclusive billionaire J.P. King has come to Lonely Island on a mysterious quest, the anxious children rush to warn Fafnyr. They hear tales of young people--an ancient Greek shepherd, a young squire dreaming of knighthood and a child fleeing with her family on the Underground Railroad--who receive rescue, as well as insights into not judging by appearances, right action and the real meaning of freedom, respectively, from an amiable dragon. Though by giving the dragon the power to cloud men's minds, the author robs the climax of both suspense and a chance for the children to take any active role in foiling the menacing King, her fluent prose and savvy, lightly presented life advice make this as readable and thought provoking as its predecessor. (Fiction. 10-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Suddenly Hannah, in the lead, stopped dead. Look at that!" she said in a horrified voice. Zachary and Sarah Emily crowded behind her, staring. Someone had made a campsite on the beach. A cluster of white tents was set up behind the sheltering rise of a dune. There were five tents, one much larger than the others. "That must be the leader's," Zachary whispered. The large tent had plastic windows in it - they could be sealed shut at night with white canvas covers - and a zippered double door. A folding wooden chair was set up just outside the door with a table net to it. On the other side of the chair was a tripod to which was attached an enormous pair of black binoculars. As the children watched, crouching behind the tree trunks, the zippered door rolled open and an elderly Chinese man came out. He was tall and thin, dressed in a black suit, with an embroidered cap on his head. He stood silently, his expression grim, eyes narrowed to slits, arms folded across his chest. Then he stalked slowly across the campsite and vanished between the tents, headed in the direction of the sea. "Who's that?" Sara Emily said. She sounded frightened. Hannah and Zachary exchanged anxious glances. "A trespasser," Zachary said. They watched the camp for several more minutes, but nothing happened. The tents sat silent and deserted, their canvas doors firmly shut. "We might as well go," Hannah whispered finally. The children turned and crept quietly back through the trees, the way that they had come. "Let's go see . . . F," Zachary said. "We should warn him about this." ___________________ THE RETURN OF THE DRAGON by Rebecca Rupp. Copyright (c) 2005 by Rebecca Rupp. Published by Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA. Excerpted from The Return of the Dragon by Rebecca Rupp All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
