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Summary
Summary
Set during the Han Dynasty in Ancient China, this exciting sequel to Dragon Keeper continues the story of young Ping, and reintroduces readers to the endearing themes of friendship and courage.
Author Notes
Carole Wilkinson was born in 1950 in Derby England. Up until age 40 she worked as a laboratory assistant. It was then that she wanted a change of career. She began to take classes in writing at a university. She showed some of her writing to a friend who worked in the publishing industry. This lead to a commission to write her first novel for teenagers. Since then she has gone on to write several books. She has also written episodes for children's television. She is best known for her Dragonkeeper books.
She won the Aurealis Award 2014 in the category of Children's Fiction with her title Shadow Sister: Dragon Keeper. In 2016, she won the Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children's Literature in the Nonfiction category for her book, Atmospheric.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Booklist Review
Young Dragon Keeper Ping, now 12, is hiding deep in the mountains to prevent baby dragon Kai from being seized by the new emperor. Discovered by the imperial guards, the pair is taken to the palace, where at first it seems they have found a safe haven. However, treachery there leads to another perilous flight and pursuit by the evil necromancer. This sequel to Dragon Keeper (2005) is as exciting as its predecessor, and once again the tightly bonded relationship between girl and dragon forms the story's appealing heart.--Estes, Sally Copyright 2007 Booklist
Bookseller Publisher Review
Garden of the Purple Dragon is the much-anticipated sequel to Dragonkeeper, winner of the 2004 Aurealis Award and the CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers. The novel continues the story of the former slave girl, Ping, as she desperately struggles to raise the baby dragon, Kai, alone. Tracked down by the Emperor and installed in the Imperial Palace, life initially seems to have taken a turn for the better. But what role does Kai play in the Emperors obsessive quest for immortality? Where does the sinister necromancer fit in? And will Pings desire to find her family interfere with her destiny as Dragonkeeper? Wilkinson once again blends fantasy and history to create a rich and absorbing portrait of Chinese life during the Han Dynasty. The plot is thoughtful and intricate, the characters skillfully drawn, and the prose as strong and sinuous as a dragons tail. The books greatest strength, however, is its meticulous attention to historical detail, with maps, a glossary and pronunciation notes adding authenticity to the narrative. Garden of the Purple Dragon is suitable for readers 10 years and older, and will appeal to both adults and children. While it is a sequel, it is possible to read it without having read Dragonkeeper. Leonie Jordan manages the childrens books department of Dymocks George St in Sydney C. 2005 Thorpe-Bowker and contributors
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-In this sequel to Dragon Keeper (Hyperion, 2005), young Ping has rescued Kai, the baby purple dragon, son of Long Danzi, the last of the Imperial dragons, and hidden with him on Tai Shan, the forbidden sacred mountain. The old dragon appointed Ping as Dragon Keeper and entrusted her with the dragon stone, from which Kai has hatched. Ping has escaped the dragon hunter and the evil shape-changing necromancer once, but she knows she must keep Kai's existence secret or his life will be in danger. When the necromancer appears on Tai Shan, Ping must flee again. Aided by her pet rat, Hua, and by her ability to summon her qi power, she escapes, only to be captured by the Emperor's guards. Mistakenly thinking her previous friendship with the young ruler will keep her safe, she is betrayed by him and his obsessive search for immortality. She barely manages to save herself for another possible sequel. Ping is an appealingly feisty heroine, and the author paints a vivid picture of life in the Imperial Ming Yang Lodge. Readers should be warned that some of the necromancer's practices are horrifyingly graphic. The dragon's baby talk that Ping hears inside her head makes him seem more real, if a bit silly. References to events in the earlier book are sometimes confusing, but should inspire readers to explore Ping's earlier adventures. This believable fantasy should help fulfill the demand for dragon books.-Quinby Frank, Green Acres School, Rockville, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In this glacially paced sequel to Dragon Keeper (2005), Ping fusses, fumes, frets and eventually proves herself worthy of caring for the newly hatched dragon she's been given. Recaptured by Imperial troops after a few months in hiding, Ping and her purple, puppy-like charge find themselves (supposedly) back in the Emperor's good graces and (also supposedly) safe from the murderous Necromancer--who is inexplicably alive after falling down a cliff in the first episode, and still out to render the dragonling into an elixir of immortality. Many chapters of hand-wringing ensue as Ping chews on various, mostly fancied, failures. Eventually, she sets out to find her lost family--a quest that ends anticlimactically but at least jump-starts a chain of revelations and betrayals that culminate in a second, if even more obviously inconclusive, face-off with the Necromancer. A map's magical appearance at the end leads in to volume three (already out in Australia), and at least one more chance for the author to make good on the opener's promise. (Fantasy. 11-13) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.