The Dragon of Middlethorpe - Hardcover

Ellis, Anne Leo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805017135 ISBN 13: 9780805017137

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, 1991

Synopsis

When rumors of a dragon and its treasure stir up greed and fear in the medieval village of Middlethorpe, thirteen-year-old Kate is forbidden to join the dragon hunt because she is a maid, so she takes matters into her own hands.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

A first novel contrived around the credulous inhabitants of a medieval village battling an imaginary dragon that represents their own fears; unfortunately, Ellis's style and plotting are not skillful enough to realize her theme's potential. Protagonist Kate, 13, has unusual hopes: interested in healing, she'd like to be apprenticed to the apothecary and to learn to read. These ambitions are interrupted by rumors of a dragon in the dreaded forest; greedy treasure-seekers, the normally rational, and the gullible are all caught up in the furor and set out to battle what is really a series of violent thunderstorms and consequent fires. Kate sneaks along, taking some ``magic'' unicorn horn powder that, hurled at the crucial moment in the battle, ``causes'' a downpour that puts the fire out. There follows a misty, dreamlike vision of a unicorn, confirming everyone's belief that Kate has performed heroically. Though the story moves along smoothly, it has a generic quality: no particular time or place, stock characters, predictable images. Most disappointing, the potent symbol of the dragon isn't really explored; a wise old herb woman tells Kate that sometime in the future people may ``no longer be in terror of dragons. Then they can struggle against other evils.'' But what those are, or why fighting the imaginary dragon is itself an evil, is never suggested. Acceptable as undemanding fare. (Fiction. 10-13) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-6-- Is there a dragon or not? Rumors of one spread through the medieval town of Middlethorpe, resulting in a panicky mob ready to do battle in the dark forest. This group includes the heroine's father, brother, and sweetheart, but excludes Kate herself, who is only a "maid," or female. Never mind--she's feisty, and she follows the would-be hunters. But even after the fires, lightning, bad smell, and weird noises, readers still don't know if dragons exist. The progress of this potentially engaging story, with its careful attention to period detail, is slowed by the use of overly familiar expressions and by a relentless emphasis on the themes of feminism and superstition; the message distances readers from the characters. Susan Fletcher's protagonist in Dragon's Milk (Atheneum, 1989) garners more reader involvement and sympathy, and her dragons thrum with life. --Susan H. Patron, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0805017135
• ISBN 13: 9780805017137
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 180