Sign of the Dove (The Dragon Chronicles, Book 3)
Grade 5-7?Fans of Fletcher's Dragon's Milk (1989) and Flight of the Dragon Kyn (1993, both Atheneum) will welcome this return to Elythia, while new readers will be inspired to seek out other titles in the series. Once again, dragons are threatened by bounty hunters and a young girl must find a way to lead them to safety. The heroine this time is Lyf, Kaeldra's frail foster sister. Fletcher frames her tale with the comments of a sly harper, a device that adds humor and suspense to the telling as well as offers a glimpse of Lyf's fate after the adventures are over. The story itself is fast paced and features a multiplicity of characters and events. While characterization of minor players is sometimes tantalizingly brief, it's a measure of the author's skill that many readers would prefer to linger with her lively creations, especially the young dragons. Lyf's development from a cosseted child to a determined, self-reliant protector of those in need takes place gradually and believably, while her unique talent (an ability to enter the consciousness of birds) plays an important part in the tale's resolution. Youngsters will appreciate the fact that despite the presence of caring and helpful adults, it is Lyf, Kaeldra's young son Owyn, and other children who effect the ultimate deliverance of the threatened draclings. Given the perennial popularity of the subject matter and Fletcher's engagingly accessible style, this book should be popular in most libraries.?Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of PittsburghCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.