The Boy Who Grew Dragons Series 4 Books Collection Set By Andy Shepherd (The Boy Who Grew Dragons, The Boy Who Lived with Dragons, The Boy Who Flew with Dragons, The Boy Who Dreamed of Dragons)

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Shepherd delights in describing crazy situations, and the book's heartfelt message is one of care and friendship - Literary Review Their grandad isn’t to be left out though. His love of gardening and desire to share it with his grandson is the reason Tomas is able to grow dragons. I loved how it was shown sometimes kids disappoint the adults in their life and that’s okay. His grandad is pretty fly and supports his grandson in a most loving and subtle way that I really appreciated.

Tomas like many kids his age has a small group of friends. I liked that the group was diverse and didn’t revolve around just boys. At the same time I didn’t bond with them. Each child was different and stood out as an individual, but I didn’t spend any quality time with them until the climax of the book. I don’t know that I wanted them to have dragons like Tomas. It also felt presumptuous that he would get them each one. The book is called The Boy Who Grew Dragons so the point was to grow more than one. I just wish it had been developed a bit better. I also liked Tomas' little sister: Lolli, or Charlotte. Sometimes little siblings are annoying, but Lolli was a cute little sister and I loved how she and Tomas worked together. :P Well... mostly Tomas trying to bribe his little sister and turning her words into something different before people found out what she was actually babbling about. But they certainly made a fun pair. In this story we follow Tomas. He finds a mysterious tree at the bottom of his grandparents garden. He doesn't know what to expect, or that hidden behind the strange fruit a dragon is waiting to hatch. A piece of fruit is about to change his life forever. His life is about to get a little bit more fun, exciting and maybe a little bit dangerous.It is through these features that I know that this book will be a catalyst for reading for young readers, because this tail(!) is sure to fire up the imagination and a love for reading as it will claw its way not only in to the minds of its readers but also in to their hearts. Even though it is thoroughly entertaining, I particularly like that it also shows a softer, warmer, friendlier side to dragons which is slightly different to what sometimes is typified in many other stories that children read or films that they may watch of dragons being beasts and monsters to fear and flee from. I was definitely rooting for him to just tell his friends, and I am glad with his decision in the end. This is a charming and funny little story. Tomas' narration has a conversational voice that reminds me of a boy I know, even down to how he copies phrases and expressions he's heard adults use and acts a bit dramatic. Tomas has a lot of personality but is sweet and caring, too, and I loved his relationships with his grandfather and his little sister -- they were all adorable. It's especially always nice to see positive sibling relationships. As you can probably tell from the quote I loved this book. It’s dragon lore is quite creative with little twists from your typical dragonology. It’s all just enough to tantalize any dragon lover, but in particular young dragon lovers who think they know all about dragons. The Boy Who Grew Dragons delivers fun twists and sets it up in a normal boy’s life. I can’t help but feel more interested in exotic fruit and gardening too. Irresistible... everything you want in a book for a newly independent reader - tender realism, honouring children's inner feelings and anarchic magic, both beautiful and regrettable. Sara Ogilvie's illustrations capture both enchantment and stench... A modern classic - The Guardian

The story is a heartwarming account of one boy's struggle to look after a mythical creature whilst juggling the reality of life at school and at home with lots of laugh-out-loud funny moments and peppered with bold illusstrations that will keep young readers enthralled - The School Librarian Imaginative and charming, The Boy Who Grew Dragons is a wonderfully whimsical story that kept me smiling the whole way through - Books for Topics This was just a terrific, wonderful, amazing, magical book about a boy who, while gardening with his grandpa, stumbles upon a dragon-fruit tree. But oh, not that kind of dragon fruit, this one actually contains dragons! Oh my!

A hilarious rip-roaring adventure. Perfect for fans of Roald Dahl and Cressida Cowell - South Wales Evening Post In a Nutshell: Even dragons couldn’t save this for me. It has a few merits but becomes boring after a few chapters. As I briefly mentioned earlier, the relationship-building between characters such as Tomas and his grandfather is one to savour and this will resonate among many younger (and older!) readers reminding them of the positive relationships, for some whilst growing up, between themselves and their own grandparents or close relatives. I did love the illustration at the end showing Tomas’ bully. I won’t reveal what it shows, but it says to me that there is some enlightening commentary on bullying to come.

Awwwwww. I bet you want one now too no matter your age. A lot of time is spent with Tomas bonding with his new little pet. I felt like this was smart because we feel like we’re bonding with our new dragon too. It also gives kids reading a sense of the responsibility that a pet brings to their life. Sure, a pet is fun and a firm friend but you also have to take care of them. My thanks to Piccadilly Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Boy Who Grew Dragons”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

A kind of Pete's Dragon with extra giggles, The Boy Who Grew Dragons takes on the rather hair-singeing challenges of finding that your grandad's garden has suddenly started sprouting fire-breathing mischief-makers and the illustrations by Sara Ogilvie really make it come alive - Waterstones Blog Tomas enlists the help from his friends, The Superhero Squad, who are currently scattered all over the world to both help write pieces for the guide, but also to help with ideas for the current problem Tomas has. Seeing more dragons was just such a delight, they all looked adorable, and I would have loved to see them for real. To see them shimmer and glow, to see their colours change. But only that, I don't want to handle those poo bombs. Ewww. *shivers* Oh and not to mention having to keep them away from my precious book babies.