Eye of the Dragon product reviews

Both Mr Nine and I thought this book was an utter delight. He is familiar with the song Puff the Magic Dragon as his grandmother used to sing it to him, and he is into fantasy and tales of magic. It was interesting for him to find that Puff in the story was a taniwha - he had never realised that a taniwha and a dragon could sometimes be the same thing. The story itself was so interesting that it commanded his attention completely - he finished it within a day, and said it was the longest "proper" book he had ever read!

Mr Nine was fascinated by Thomas' being bullied because of his stutter and was sad for him. His aunt has had a stutter all her life but has never found it a handicap. At the age of nearly 40, she is comfortable with her speech and has never been targeted because of it. Perhaps this is because she is a strong person so it would be difficult to imagine her taking any putdowns; her friends have always accepted her as she is. Mr Nine wondered if Thomas could have stood up to the bullies too - but then we decided it would have been more difficult for him as the stutter started as a result of a shock, whereas the aunt had been like that since she first started to speak.

Lucy the dog is a lovely character, very bright and totally supportive of Thomas. Mr Nine has a dog he calls Plod; he said he wishes Plod could be a little more like Lucy because he is a "bit slow". However, despite Plod's low energy and lack of problem-solving skills, he more than compensates with his devotion to Mr Nine. Lucy is a dog in a million, working with Puff to support Thomas and frequently thinking outside the square!

Huhana, Thomas' friend, is another delightful character. She is practical and supportive, unlike many of the other children in Thomas' school. With her knowledge of mythology and tradition, Huhana reminded Mr Nine of his own best friend, a boy who enjoys a similar preference for fantasy stories and related computer games. This friend was interested to hear about "Eye of the Dragon" and has asked if he can borrow it! Mr Nine agreed but wants to read it a second time himself before he will lend it. He trusts his friend, just as Thomas trusted Huhana with the secret of Puff.

Interwoven into the story are the themes of conservation and the link between traditional Maori values and the land. This is nicely done so that the message gets across to the young reader without taking over the thread of the story proper. I asked Mr Nine afterwards what he thought about the indiscriminate felling of trees and he said it would be silly because it could cause landslides. And that it was just as well there were taniwha who could make sure people would do the right thing!