The New Kid at School (Dragon Slayers' Academy Series #1)

by Kate McMullan

Overview

When a traveling minstrel foretells that he is to become a hero, Wiglaf sets out to fulfill his destiny: he signs up at the Dragon Slayers' Academy. But how can he ever hope to be a dragon slayer when he can't even stand the sight of blood?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101142028
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/12/2003
Series:	Dragon Slayers' Academy Series , #1
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	963,138
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Kate McMullan is the award-winning author of more than seventy-five books for children. She lives in Sag Harbor, New York.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Wizards, dragons, a secret princess, a pig who speaks Pig Latin, and a hero who is served boiled eel on a bun. What more could you possibly want in a book." -Jon Szieszka

"Here's a young hero who could well be Harry Potter's little brother." -Mary Pope Osborne

Editorial Reviews

This first episode of McMullan's (Nutcracker Noel) Dragon Slayers' Academy series is a silly, good-natured spoof on tymes of olde when dragon slaying was the chosen pastime of the bravest hearts. When a minstrel befriends young Wiglaf, he relates tales of a fearful dragon and bequeaths to the boy a rusty sword that is magicalthough he can't recall the words that will activate its power. Before wandering off, he predicts that the boy will one day be a "mighty hero." Wiglaf then spies a notice advertising a school with just the classes he needs to achieve that lofty status (e.g., How to Stalk a Fire-Breather and 101 Ways to Slay). He and a classmate eventually best a beast by discovering its secret weakness: an intolerance for bad jokes. This caper, at its most comical moments, incorporates Monty Python-esque slapstick and language ("We shall go thitherward to carry out our plan!"); it also sinks to some gratuitous grossness (slime from Gorzil's nose "spattered on the ground in greasy yellow puddles") and over-the-edge inanity (Wiglaf's dragon-slaying crony, Eric, confesses he is actually Princess Erica, daughter of Queen Barb and King Ken). Children will have a few phrases to groan over, yet plenty to chuckle about with these Arthurian-era antics. A second volume, Revenge of the Dragon Lady, is due in November. Ages 7-10. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 2-4A fantasy adventure for beginning chapter-book readers. Wiglaf, the would-be hero, lives with his large, brutish family in abject poverty. Their hovel smells worse than their pigsty. Though Wiglaf is the smallest member of the family, he is made to do all the work, and is constantly picked on by the others because he is reluctant to kill any living thing. A traveling minstrel tells Wiglaf's fortune; it shows that he can improve his lot by performing a gallant act. The boy decides to sign up at the local Dragon Slayers' Academyit guarantees to make him a hero. However, he finds life at the run-down school as difficult as it is at home, and he protests when he is sent out to slay the local dragon on his first day. When his magic sword doesn't work, he switches to another strategy. He has learned that the dragon can't stand bad jokes so he tries a few and, as predicted, the dragon expires at his feet. Wiglaf is a hero without spilling a single drop of blood. The fast-paced, snappy text is filled with jokes and insults; the accompanying black-and-white illustrations are dark and cartoonlike. The tone and style suggest Saturday-morning animated films and will appeal to the same audience. For humorous adventure fantasy that is better crafted and more nourishing, try Jon Scieszka's Knights of the Kitchen Table (Viking, 1991) and other works in the "Time Warp Trio" series.Virginia Golodetz, Children's Literature New England, Burlington, VT

School Library Journal

"Wizards, dragons, a secret princess, a pig who speaks Pig Latin, and a hero who is served boiled eel on a bun.  What more could you possibly want in a book." -Jon Szieszka

"Here's a young hero who could well be Harry Potter's little brother." -Mary Pope Osborne

From the Publisher

Wiglaf just isn’t like his boisterous and belligerent brothers and sisters. When a traveling minstrel befriends him by sharing a tale of brave deeds and a fierce dragon, the first story that Wiglaf has ever heard, he knows he has found his calling. As luck would have it, Wiglaf's parents see the merit in sending their meek son to the Dragon Slayer’s Academy. L.J. Ganser narrates with gusto--a blustery father, droll siblings and students, and an exceedingly excited Wiglaf. With child-friendly humor, Ganser exaggerates or understates each absurdity. Not a single tongue-in-cheek detail is whisked aside, and all add to the mirth. Look out dragons! A.R. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

AUG/SEP 05 - AudioFile