Timothy and the Dragon's Gate (Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, #2)

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Timothy and the Dragon's Gate (Alex and the Ironic Gentleman #2)

by Adrienne Kress (Goodreads Author)

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 170 ratings · 39 reviews

From the author of "Alex and the Ironic Gentleman" comes the second tale in this magical series--the adventures of a smart-aleck young boy who must protect a thousand-year-old dragon and return him to China.

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published January 13th 2009 by Weinstein Books (first published January 13th 2008)

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Jul 01, 2012 Miss Clark rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 2.5 stars

It was not bad, per se, but truth is I was not loving it either.

I had a hard time feeling like I knew or cared about Timothy. He has behavioral issues, some of which can be attributed to the neglect of his parents, lack of discipline and his own intelligence not being challenged or directed toward something meaningful. Still, I expected a little bit more exploration of those issues and resolution and all we get is a token dinner. Alex and Timothy's "friendship" is barely existent. At w...more

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Mar 06, 2012 IndyPL Kids Book Blog rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, fantasy

Timothy Freshwater, a cool smart-aleck with a bad attitude, purposely does things to annoy his teachers and his parents. His favorite word: “Whatever.” As the story opens, he has just been expelled from school…again. Too old for a babysitter and too much trouble to be left at home alone, Timothy goes to work with his Dad and finds himself put to work as an intern. There he meets the mail clerk, Mr. Shen…who is really a dragon in human form that is required to obey whoever owns a mystical dragon...more

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Nov 05, 2009 Myckyee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Timothy Freshwater is a smart, cynical eleven year old who is almost too smart for his own good. After being expelled from the last school in town that would accept him, Timothy’s father brings him to work where Timothy meets the big boss, CEO Evans Bore and the company mail clerk, Mr. Shen. When timothy’s father leaves on a business trip, Timothy is left with a reclusive neighbour, Sir Bazalgette, a well-respected and famous architect. These three people, Evans Bore, Mr. Shen and Sir Bazalgette...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grade, adventure

This review first appeared on www.readinasinglesitting.com

Eleven-year-old Timothy Freshwater is anything but a breath of fresh air. With his unfettered cynicism and oh-so-winsome catchphrase of ‘whatever’, it’s no surprise that teachers, parents, and perhaps a sock or two quake in their boots at the very thought of dealing with this snotty little chap. With Timothy having a tongue so sharp it could cut through a block of cement, it’s no surprise that his mother lives far away in a veritable worl...more This review first appeared on www.readinasinglesitting.com

Eleven-year-old Timothy Freshwater is anything but a breath of fresh air. With his unfettered cynicism and oh-so-winsome catchphrase of ‘whatever’, it’s no surprise that teachers, parents, and perhaps a sock or two quake in their boots at the very thought of dealing with this snotty little chap. With Timothy having a tongue so sharp it could cut through a block of cement, it’s no surprise that his mother lives far away in a veritable world of make-believe, his father has thrown himself into his job much like an Olympic diver would a swimming pool, and, as of today, Timothy has been expelled from every school in the city.

Which raises some problems. What exactly does one do with a bratty eleven-year-old who has heretofore been fairly safely ensconced in a classroom? Homeschooling is out of the question, and even Mary Poppins would agree that no amount of sugar would help here. Timothy’s father quickly works out that the obvious, or perhaps most pragmatic, solution is to bring young Timothy along to work with him. Brash young Timothy makes quite the splash, and it’s not long before he’s taken under the sweaty wing of ‘fridge magnate’ Evans Bore, who is an unfortunate case of nominative determinism if ever there is one. The only thing about Bore that is not as dull as Timothy’s wit is sharp is the fact that the gold key he wears around his neck represents his mastery over a little man known as Mr Shen who, despite his unprepossessing ways, happens to be a dragon. A dragon who is cursed to live out a life of servitude in human form, and thus doesn’t really seem to epitomise dragonness, but still. Timothy, being the quick study that he is, manages to coax Bore into handing over the key, and in doing so becomes the new master of Mr Shen.

But unfortunately, ownership of dragon isn’t all about piles of gold and glorious flights through the air with the theme tune of the Never Ending Story playing in the background. There are far more serious consequences to worry about, such as ninjas. And pirates. And possessed black cabs a la Stephen King. Oh, and the upcoming Chinese New Year, which admittedly isn’t quite as dangerous (gunpowder and fireworks aside), but which represents a major turning point for Mr Shen, who in order to be freed from servitude must pass beneath the Dragon’s Gate, situated in some unknown province in China, before the celebrations draw to a close.

Timothy and Mr Shen take, admittedly, a rather circuitous route to China, travelling there via sewers, trucks, private jets, and pirate ships. But while travel by pirate ship is probably neither the most efficient nor safe way to travel around Asian waters, it’s certainly up there with the most entertaining. Timothy, having been ejected unceremoniously from the afore-mentioned private jet by the no-nonsense Emily the Ninja, finds himself flailing in the ocean before being hauled out by a youth of rather androgynous appearance–none other than the fabulous Alex from Kress’s debut novel Alex and the Ironic Gentleman. With the gutsy Alex leading the way, Timothy finds himself drawn into all manner of new adventures as they do all they can to return Mr Shen to his natural dragony state.

Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate is a competent addition to Kress’s oevre, although I have to admit that it didn’t endear me quite as much as did her debut. This has little to do with Kress’s skills as a writer, which once again are proudly on display here–she plots and quips and twists and turns with the best of ‘em, and it’s hard to go past her narrative style, which hovers somewhere between twee, bawdy, and self-deprecatingly sniffy. Rather, it’s her choice of a leading character who initially has so very little to redeem him. It’s a challenge enough not to glare at my little brother when he breaks out the oh-so-ubiquitous ‘whatever’, and being asked to empathise with someone of similar personality to whom I’m not related by blood…well, that’s a considerable ask. However, there is more than enough humour infused in the pages of this book to keep a reader chugging along until we meet Alex, who is such a pleasant and spunky lass that it’s rather difficult to feel anything but love for her. Moreover, Timothy’s chilly little heart does show some evidence of thawing as we progress through the narrative (perhaps this is to do with his ever-increasing distance from the ‘fridge magnate’ Evans Bore?), and his eventual efforts to redeem himself do help endear the reader somewhat.

A large portion of the book is set in China, or deals with Chinese characters, and Kress writes about both comfortably and in a way that highlights and problematises particular Western assumptions and stereotypes whilst never falling into a didactic or moralist trap. I applaud her for writing a Chinese-style dragon rather than a Western-style dragon into the story, and for her pointed reminders about language, culture, and custom.

While Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate is the slightly less sparkling younger sibling to the overachieving, university-bound Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, there’s a good deal here to like, and I find myself eagerly awaiting Kress’s next offering.(less)

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Nov 16, 2011 Melanie Au rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, humour

How would you like it if every teacher you met was afraid of you? Timothy has been expelled from every school in his city. And he knows it's not really because he stuffed a student into a locker, put dog poo in a teacher's briefcase or organized a student protest. It's because he's smarter than adults and it scares them.
And so, Timothy ends up at his father's workplace instead of going to school and becomes (quite accidentally) the CEO's intern, with the job of helping the CEO, Evans Bore, unde...more

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May 09, 2009 Tami rated it 4 of 5 stars

Timothy’s Dad is at his wit’s end. Timothy has just gotten himself kicked out of yet another school. With nothing else to do, the boy hangs around his Dad’s work.

This is where the adventure begins. Timothy meets a man with a strange secret. It would seem his assistant, Mr Shen, is a dragon. What’s more, this dragon needs to get to China to the Dragon’s Gate, immediately. Unfortunately, there are a few challenges along the way, including pirates and the fact that no one seems to know how to get...more

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Oct 17, 2009 Kevin rated it 3 of 5 stars

This unique follow up to Alex and the Ironic Gentleman continues the adventure but with a twist: the first half of the story focuses on Timothy Freshwater - a smart but sullen and uncooperative eleven year old. It is only in the second half of the book that Alex and The Ironic Gentleman show up. At that point Alex and Timothy team up and work together.

The style and sense of humor continues in this newest adventure, and the plot hook is equally creative, but I just didn't like Timothy as much as...more

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Jan 01, 2010 Pam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Sullen, gifted, bored Timothy gets kicked out of the last school in the city. What's a parent to do? A frazzled father, with no help from star wannabe mother, takes Timothy to work with him. Now the adventures begin as Timothy meets a bespelled dragon and unwillingly goes on a quest to help the dragon break the spell. Along the way he encounters friends and foe, never always knowing which is wihich.

This is a fun, fast-paced book that I greatly enjoyed. Filled with adventure, humor, growing pain...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Ji Mei ^_^ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure-fiction, fantasy-fiction, real-life-fiction

I loved this book! I thought that this book was a great sequel to Alex and the Ironic Gentleman. Timothy is different from Alex and his personality is a different humor. More sarcastic. I thought it was similar to the first on certain things, which was fine, but in this one, the plot had a much better purpose. I thought this one lacked the more innocent kid storytelling in the first, but this one still had its funny moments. I really couldn't put this book down, especially since I was so excited...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Kat Hooper rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Timothy Freshwater, 11 years old, has been expelled from the last school in the city. He’s played too many pranks and his teachers say he’s “too smart for his own good.” Since he’s now out of school, Mr. Bore, the CEO of the company his dad works for, recruits Timothy as his intern so Timothy can teach Mr. Bore how to make people like him. In Mr. Bore’s office, Timothy also meets Mr. Shen, a small Chinese man who happens to be an enslaved dragon. In order...more ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Timothy Freshwater, 11 years old, has been expelled from the last school in the city. He’s played too many pranks and his teachers say he’s “too smart for his own good.” Since he’s now out of school, Mr. Bore, the CEO of the company his dad works for, recruits Timothy as his intern so Timothy can teach Mr. Bore how to make people like him. In Mr. Bore’s office, Timothy also meets Mr. Shen, a small Chinese man who happens to be an enslaved dragon. In order to free him so he can regain his dragon form, someone must steal a golden key from Mr. Bore and take Mr. Shen to China so he can pass through the Dragon’s Gate. That someone turns out to be Timothy, but it’s not as easy as he hopes because he’s being pursued by a Ninja and three mysterious black taxicabs.

Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate is Adrienne Kress’s second children’s novel, following her debut Alex and the Ironic Gentleman. Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate stands alone, but Alex, the heroine of the first novel, turns up somewhere in the middle of this story.

I read one third of Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate and then I called it quits. I had three problems with the book. I would have been able to get past one or two of them, but this particular triumvirate was just too much and I eventually decided that there are better ways to spend my time.

My first issue was that I disliked Timothy. He’s sullen, cynical, and completely disinterested in other people. All he wants to do is watch TV. He’s a brat. As far as I could tell, Timothy had no positive personality traits. Based on the blurb for the book, I was expecting Timothy to be clever, but I didn’t think he was particularly clever. The author tells us he is, but I think he only seemed clever in contrast to the adults we meet.

Which brings me to my second issue: the adults in the first third of the novel, without exception, are unbelievably absurd. With parents like that, it’s no wonder Timothy’s so obnoxious. And Mr. Bore the CEO taking advice about personality improvement from Timothy and asking him to plan a fancy party? Right. I’m sure Adrienne Kress meant for the adults to be ludicrous — there’s a quirky feel to the novel that often works — but this unpleasantness was just another brick in the wall for me.

Thirdly, though I usually think an intrusive narrator is fun, I didn’t like this one. He’s supposed to be drily humorous, but it wasn’t working for me. I just didn’t think these sorts of intrusions were funny: “The crazy man nodded that he understood, or maybe just nodded because he liked the sensation of nodding, and stood quickly.” I listened to the audiobook version of Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate, produced by Brilliance Audio and read by Christopher Lane. I could not tell if I just didn’t like the intrusive narrator in audio, or if it would have come across the same way in print. I did think Christopher Lane did a great job with the character voices, though.

Again, any of these issues by itself wouldn’t have kept me from continuing Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate — there were some parts that were delightfully quirky (e.g., the fish herder was hilarious) and I was interested in the female Ninja’s story. I feel certain that Timothy’s nasty personality would have mellowed and redeemed itself by the end of the book, too. But the journey wasn’t pleasant for me and I didn’t want to be around Timothy and all those stupid adults anymore, so I quit. I think I would have liked Adrienne Kress’s first novel, Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, better. (less)

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Mar 27, 2009 Doug rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I don't have any children. I've never really felt any desire to be a parent.

Every once in a while, though, I read a children's book and wish I had children I could read it to. "Timothy and the Dragon's Gate" is one of those books.

Young Timothy is a boy who is too smart for his own good. (Timothy, of course, disagrees with this assessment because, well, he's too smart for his own good.) He has managed to get himself expelled from every school in the city, leaving his father uncertain with to do w...more

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Oct 24, 2009 Cindy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-books

I hated this book. Timothy was a terrible child that no one could like. His attitude was beyond bad, it was out of character.

The fact that the author threw in characters from a previous book just to make a sequel didn't help.

Oh and don't forget that the adults acted like they were braindead uncaring people.

Sometimes it felt like the author tried to make her writing whitty or smart alicky to get the kids to like it but it turned readers off because it felt like a back talking teenager.

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Jun 24, 2009 Keli rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, juvenile, magical-realism

I enjoyed this book slightly less than Kress' first book, but only slightly. She creates an honest young adult voice and bring the reader into a conspiracy. For example, when the adventurers have to walk for hours to reach the coast, she states that this part of adventure is boring and "let's just get to the pirates already." There was far less absurdism in this book than in "Alex and the Ironic Gentleman," but only a little. This book was a lot of fun and full of adventure.

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Jan 27, 2010 Kelly Aley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Timothy is a very annoying, whiny, brat. I did not really enjoy him at all. In fact, I was almost rooting for the bad guys. Then the author finally had him meet Alex from her first book and it became tolerable again. I still enjoyed the writing style and Ms. Kress does a good job at moving the story along. This would be a great 9-14 yr old book for boys or girls. Nice and clean. (but I liked the first book better!)

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Feb 01, 2013 Peregrine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite

Pirates, a Canadian ninja, three menacing black cabs, a dragon in human form, a realistically flawed but still lovable main character, and a wonderful cross-country trek to save the day? Everything I expected plus more from the sequel of one of my favorite books.

It seems a lot of people didn't like Timothy. I can see why: he's got an attitude and is much more cynical than the amazing Alex. But I liked him. He was a realistic human being. And he does change towards the end.

The thing I love abou...more

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Dec 07, 2011 cat rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 100-in-2011

2011 Book 116/100

Not until V and I were halfway through the book was the character of Alex introduced and we realized that we had read this author's book Alex and the Ironic Gentleman and LOVED it. This book was a bit less of a success for me, but the 10 year old adored it.

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Nov 30, 2010 Katie20 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-term-reading

This is a fun filled action packed adventure about a boy who has been kicked out af all the schools in his city and a dragon named mr Shen. it is a fast paced book with excitment around every corner. a little bit slow to start but all in all a very good book!!!!!!!!:-)

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Jan 30, 2012 Melissa marked it as to-read

Shelves: didn-t-finish

Ugh. I'm not going to finish this book. The main character is more than a tad abrasive and I'm tired of him. Perhaps I should have given the book a little more time, but I have a stack of books I want to get through. This one just doesn't seem to be worth my time and effort...

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Apr 24, 2009 Jerm rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

So, this one started off not being a sequel to Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, but then it was, so yay. Just as funny as the first one, without the weird, long, unsettling train ride.

Timothy has been kicked out of every school in the city, and doesn’t really know what will come next. As it turns out, it’s a dragon. But in human form. And he is forced to be the servant of whoever holds this gold key. Because he was a mean greedy dragon in the past. But now he’s a weird old Chinese guy. Anyway, if...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Isaac rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: october

This book was good if you liked books about people who are just there to annoy others. The whole book Timothy was ignoring others and insulting others, and the insults weren't even good either. They say he's super smart, but every time something went wrong, he wouldn't even try to find a solution. And since he's ignoring everyone, nothing happens. When something does happen, he won't do anything. I found that Timothy was rude and obnoxious and when he tried to be funny, it failed. The book was a...more

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Apr 22, 2009 faelinwolf rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: librarylove

Unfortunately, I read this before I read Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, but I wasn't too lost. :) I really enjoyed this book--it was funny and sweet and full of adventure. Kress creates interesting characters. I'm looking forward to reading about Alex now!

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May 18, 2009 Nioniel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2009

Warning! Very, very mild spoilers!

Firstly - The ninja was Canadian! Yay!

Secondly - The villain's self-given name was The Man in the Beige Linen Suit! And really, how much cooler can you get than that?

Thirdly - The whole dragon thing was kind of wrong, and the dragon thing is kind of the whole idea of the book, which is unfortunate. BUT! Everything else was fantastic, so that's OK.

Fourthly - I loved how Timothy met up with Alex right after the events that happened in Alex and the Ironic Gentleman...more

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Jul 30, 2009 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the sequel to Alex and the Ironic Gentleman which I absolutely loved, and it was a bit of a disappointment.

It certainly wasn't bad, just a let down from Kress' first effort which was, what I believe, the archetypal children's book should be like. The main character was much less likable than Alex (much like how Harry Potter gets when he's going through puberty in book 5, except we don't have the history with Timothy to really care about seeing him through it), and the humor was just less...more

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Apr 06, 2009 B rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: j-fantasy, j-adventure

boys and girls grade 4-6 will enjoy- action packed, short chapters

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Dec 11, 2010 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, juvenile-lit

While the audiobook was still engaging, I thought this story wasn't as good or as funny as Alex and the Ironic Gentleman. Plus there was no "Make Cold 1000".

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Feb 18, 2009 Aileen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Kress' quirky writing is refreshing. She lost me for a while in the middle, when the connection between Timothy and the dragon was not believable enough. The end was fun and left me satisfied.

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Mar 04, 2013 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved the style of writing.....

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May 09, 2013 Eva rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-aloud, 52-in-2013

We listened to this on audio and the reader (Christopher Lane) really brought the story to life. The kids absolutely loved it!

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Feb 04, 2013 Fire_Dragon_ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

So much better than "Alex and the Ironic Gentlemen".

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Jan 03, 2013 Rachel Ramm rated it 4 of 5 stars

Between 3 and 4 stars. Liked it, but I didn't think it was as good as the last book. Lots to love about Adrienne's writing style though.

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About Adrienne Kress

Adrienne Kress is a Toronto born actor and author who loves to play make-believe. She also loves hot chocolate. And cheese. Not necessarily together.

She is the author of two children's novels: ALEX AND THE IRONIC GENTLEMAN and TIMOTHY AND THE DRAGON'S GATE (Scholastic). Her debut YA novel, THE FRIDAY SOCIETY, launched in the Fall 2012 from Dial, Penguin and her first ever quirky YA paranormal roma...more

More about Adrienne Kress...

Books by Adrienne Kress

Alex and the Ironic Gentleman (Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, #1)

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Quotes from Timothy and the Dragon...

“There are certain bits of stories that, because of their nature, are rather dull. This is because very little happens in them. And for some reason, they also always happen to take place over a rather tediously long period of time. So, yes, I could tell you of the five-hour trek Timothy and Alex took to reach the hidden bay. I could tell you that when they reached the fort, the view was rather impressive. I could also mention that Timothy lost his footing at one point as they made their way through the thick forest on the other side and, had Alex not grabbed the back of his jacket, his tale would have ended there rather abruptly.
But honestly...
Let's just get to the pirate stuff already.” — 8 people liked it

“He would rock back and forth in his chair, making sure it squeaked ominously. He always found a chair that squeaked ominously. He was so good at squeaking ominously that he managed to make year-six teacher number two burst into tears.” — 3 people liked it

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Timothy and the Dragon's Gate (Alex and the Ironic Gentleman #2)

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