Dragons aren't just fire breathing, treasure hoarding lizards. In these stories they are half human, shape shifters, and comic relief. Try one of these books and discover a new side of a legendary creature.
Compiled by:
Becky F.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Ortiz)
Lana Torres has always preferred dragons to people. In a few weeks, sixteen countries will compete in the Blazewrath World Cup, a tournament where dragons and their riders fight for glory in a dangerous relay. Lana longs to represent her native Puerto Rico in their first ever World Cup appearance, and she's given the chance.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Ness)
Sarah and her father, outcasts in their little town of Frome, Washington, are forced to hire a dragon to work their farm, something only the poorest of the poor ever have to resort to. The dragon, Kazimir, has arrived at the farm with a prophecy on his mind, which involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents in hot pursuit.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Ross)
A fierce young queen, an exhausted young soldier, and a Golden Dragon paths cross at the fringes of a war between monsters and men, shapeshifter queen and reluctant hero strike a deal that may finally turn the tide against the rising hordes of darkness.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Bruchac)
Young Prince Rashko believes that his parents and his older brother Paulek, while loveable, are utter fools. He's even more convinced of this after the King and Queen depart castle Hladka Hvorka unexpectedly, the hostile Baron Temny gathers his army outside the castle walls, and Paulek invites Temny and his troops inside. Now it's up to Prince Rashko to stop the baron and save the kingdom -- but, smart as he is, is he up to the challenge?
(Juvenile Fiction – J Lee)
Min, a thirteen-year-old girl with fox-magic, stows away on a battle cruiser and impersonates a cadet in order to solve the mystery of what happened to her older brother in the Thousand World Space Forces.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Mckinle)
When Jake Mendoza, who lives in the Smokehill National Park where his father runs the Makepeace Institute of Integrated Dragon Studies, goes on his first solo overnight in the park, he finds an infant dragon whose mother has been killed by a poacher.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Paolini)
In Alagaesia, a fifteen-year-old boy of unknown lineage called Eragon, finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with dragons, elves, and monsters.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Soria)
Raised to kill dragons along with her sister, Dani Rivera unexpectedly forges a rare and magical bond with one who makes her question everything she thought she knew about dragons, which pits her against her sister.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Munda)
Annie and Lee were just children when a brutal revolution changed their world. Annie's lowborn family was executed by dragonfire, while Lee's aristocratic family was murdered by revolutionaries. Growing up in the same orphanage forged their friendship, and seven years of training have made them rivals for the top position in the dragonriding fleet
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Barnhil)
Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. Xan rescues the abandoned children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey. One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this enmagicked girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Fforde)
Fifteen-year-old Jennifer Strange runs an agency for underemployed magicians in a world where magic is fading away, but when visions of the death of the world's last dragon begin, all signs point to Jennifer--and Big Magic.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Ciccarelli)
In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be darkness -- and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death-bringer. These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up learning in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn't until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari -- a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Kim)
After the destruction of her entire Talon gang, eighteen-year-old Shin Lina--the Reaper of Sunpo--is forced to become a living, breathing weapon for the kingdom's most-feared crime lord. All that keeps her from turning on her ruthless master is the life of her beloved little sister hanging in the balance.
(Science Fiction & Fantasy - SF Shannon)
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction--but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position oflady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic. Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel. Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Hartman)
In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals, while she struggles to accept and develop her extraordinary musical talents.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Wells)
Maren, desperate to save her kidnapped girlfriend, plans to steal one of the emperors' dragons and storm the Aurati stronghold, but her success depends on becoming an apprentice to the emperor's mysterious dragon trainer, which proves to be a dangerous venture.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Lim)
The exiled Princess Shiori must unravel the curse that turned her six brothers into cranes, and she is assisted by her spurned betrothed, a capricious dragon, and a paper bird brought to life by her own magic.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Johnsto)
In an alternate world where industrialization has caused many species of carbon-eating dragons to thrive, Owen, a slayer being trained by his famous father and aunt, and Siobahn, his bard, face a dragon infestation near their small town in Canada.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Kagawa)
Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser. Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Hartman)
In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons can be whomever they choose. Tess is none of these things. She speaks out of turn, has wild ideas, and can't seem to keep out of trouble. Then Tess goes too far. What she's done is so disgraceful, she can't even allow herself to think of it. Unfortunately, the past cannot be ignored. So Tess's family decide the only path for her is a nunnery. But on the day she is to join the nuns, Tess chooses a different path for herself. She cuts her hair, pulls on her boots, and sets out on a journey. She's not running away, she's running towards something. What that something is, she doesn't know. Tess just knows that the open road is a map to somewhere else--a life where she might belong.
Graphic Novels
(Graphic Novels - GN Nimona v. 1)
Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc.
(Graphic Novels - GN Scales And Scoundrels v. 1 )
This adventure follows treasure hunter, Luvander, as she searches for gold and glory. As she dives into an epic journey along with a young prince, his stern bodyguard, and a plucky young dwarf, our heroes will discover a secret that will bring light to a world encroached upon by an ancient darkness.
(Graphic Novels - GN Tea Dragon Series v. 1)
After discovering a lost Tea Dragon in the marketplace, apprentice blacksmith Greta learns about the dying art form of Tea Dragon caretaking from the kind tea shop owners.
(Juvenile Graphic Novels - J-GN Xu Tidesong)
Sophie is a young witch whose mother and grandmother pressure her to attend the Royal Magic Academy. Frustrated, Sophie attempts magic on her own, but the spell goes wrong, and she accidentally entangles her magic with the magic of a young water dragon named Lir. Lir is trapped on land and can't remember where he came from. With his help, Sophie might just ace her entrance exams, but that means standing in the way of Lir's attempts to regain his memories.