Villain Keeper

Gr 4–6—In the middle of the night, Caden's father, King Axel of Razzon, wakes him and sends him out in the cold to slay a dragon. Caden rides atop his gallant stallion Sir Horace, proud to be on a quest that will make him an elite paladin and respected like his seven older brothers. But things are not as straightforward as they seem. Just as Caden is about to encounter an evil red dragon, he falls through a magic hole and bumps down, along with the young and uncontrollable sorceress Brynne, into current day Ashville, North Carolina. They are confused by this land with no magic and strange rules. Caden finds himself in foster care and attending a school where he begins to see this world is not as it first appeared. His math teacher, Rath Dunn, is a rival of King Axel and seems to have an evil plan to return to the kingdom. The principal is a mighty dragon, who will eat those with whom she is displeased, and the whole school is a place of exile for evildoers of his kingdom. Like a reversed version of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, this fantasy invites readers to look at their own world with an eye to magic. The plot has enough suspense and twists to keep momentum to the end and leaves enough questions to make room for a sequel. A worthy, though not outstanding, new fantasy series.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA