Autumn in the mountains of West Virginia creates a beautiful setting for an epic adventure. A creepy principal, unnaturally hot breath, the legends of King Arthur, a school bully, a hillbilly and his dog, intense sword fights, a backpack and so much more are mixed together in Raising Dragons, the first book in the Dragons in Our Midst series by Brian Davis.
The main character in Raising Dragons, Billy Bannister, is a student at Castlewood High School, where he is called “Dragon Breath” because of his unusually hot breath. Billy’s best friend, Walter Foley, is a fellow student and a jokester, but Walter also knows when to be serious. Bonnie Silver is a new student at Castlewood High where everyone wonders why she never takes her backpack off.
I love the personalities of the characters in Raising Dragons - not just Billy, Walter and Bonnie, but also Billy’s parents, Walter’s parents, Adam Lark, Charles Hamilton, Arlo Hatfield and Dr. Whittier. These characters interact with each other in very interesting ways, which makes the book interesting and also moves the plot along.
Speaking of the plot, Raising Dragons has a great plot with smooth character introductions and several dramatic twists resulting in an epic climax; the falling action to the resolution wraps the book up very nicely, but leaves just enough questions to get the reader excited for The Candlestone, the next book in the series.
One of my favorite things about Raising Dragons is that it incorporates the legends of King Arthur, Merlin, Excalibur and of course dragons, but in a modern American setting. It has elements of epics, legends and high fantasy, but also the relatability of high schoolers in 21st century America.
Raising Dragons is a great book because of its characters, plots and incorporation of legends, but it is also fantastic because of its Christian themes, most especially the inspirational faith of Bonnie.
Not only is Raising Dragons filled with physical and emotional conflicts that heighten the tension and move along the plot, but it also uses spiritual conflict to do the same things, as well as teach its readers more about God and Christianity.
In later books, Brian Davis also uses the Christian elements to bring in some biblical characters and ideas, and this becomes even more prominent in the next two series, Oracles of Fire and Children of the Bard.
In conclusion, I love Raising Dragons and highly recommend it to any teen or young adult who enjoys reading fantasy or fiction. Be warned, once you start reading, you won’t put it down!
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