Digory and the Lost King

July 1, 2007
Gr 3-5-In this genial sequel to "Digory the Dragon Slayer" (Bloomsbury, 2006), the reluctant young knight is preparing for his first tournament. Even with Princess Enid's rigorous training program, Digory isn't much good at jousting. Fortunately, his opponent is even worse and it seems impossible to find a form of combat that either of them can win. Following the lengthy contest, which proceeds from lances to fists to thumb-wrestling, Digory and Enid discover that her father, befuddled King Widget, has disappeared. They suspect that he has gone off to look for his twin brother, Wortle, who vanished 10 years earlier, and the two friends set off to find him. Sheltering in a cave their first night out, they find an abandoned, newly hatched dragon. Little Pounce is immediately adopted by Digory's horse. However, the locals are suspicious of anyone traveling with a dragon, even a small one, and Digory is arrested as a wizard and condemned to death. Fortunately, the execution is temporarily delayed when Pounce sets the stables on fire. In the resulting confusion, Digory has time to locate the missing twins. Illustrated with amusing black-and-white drawings, this lighthearted fantasy spoof is filled with mock heroic dialogue and derring-do."Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL"

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