Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
The Dragon of Cripple Creek
by
Troy Howell
When Kat and her father and brother visit the Mollie Kathleen, an old gold mine now open for tours by the busload, Kat gets lost from the group and falls down a shaft, where she discovers an awe-inspiring world of fantasy come to life. She meets an ancient dragon—the last of his kind—and discovers a secret about the gold that litters the creature's den and why dragons thro...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
April 1st 2011
by Harry N. Abrams
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
158)
Dragons and gold. Done and done, right? But how about a dragon in a Colorado gold mine? That is just where Troy Howell puts his in The Dragon of Cripple Creek, a uniquely American literary fairy tale.
It is the story of Kat Graham who grew up insisting on gold everywhere: golden bedroom walls, a gold-bedecked bed, gold shoes, gold-rimmed eyeglasses, a golden-colored pony named Goldie, and even --- when she was four and into pirates --- a broken front tooth capped in gold. And so of course when go...more
It is the story of Kat Graham who grew up insisting on gold everywhere: golden bedroom walls, a gold-bedecked bed, gold shoes, gold-rimmed eyeglasses, a golden-colored pony named Goldie, and even --- when she was four and into pirates --- a broken front tooth capped in gold. And so of course when go...more
Sep 07, 2011
Kerry
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
5th-8th graders
Shelves:
j-magical-realism,
dragons
Katlin, her father and brother, Dillon, are driving west in hopes of making it to San Francisco in time for Dad to start a new job. They were living the ideal upper class, suburban life until Katlin’s mother had an accident that has left her in a coma. Her continuing care and mounting bills have cost Dad his job and bankrupted the family.
Katlin has a serious obsession with all things gold – gold shoes, gold jewelry, golden haired ponies. When she sees a road sign advertising the Mollie Kathleen...more
Katlin has a serious obsession with all things gold – gold shoes, gold jewelry, golden haired ponies. When she sees a road sign advertising the Mollie Kathleen...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
My desire to read this book was three fold. One, the author was a Troy Howell-- a man I never recognized as an author but knew as that fantastic artist for the American 'Redwall' covers. Second, the story centered around a dragon. And three, it took place in Cripple Creek, the grownup arcade, the little tone alive with coin clinking and what sounds like 50,000 gameboys blasting at once. Suffice it to see I didn't enjoy my last trip to Cripple Creek, but it's a place I know, and so the book neede...more
I actually liked this one more than I expected, especially considering that the title, plus the uninspiring green dragon on the cover did nothing to really excite me. The book isn't a "happily ever after fairy tale" and the protagonist makes that clear pretty early on. I do think there are a few too many characters to keep track of, but other than that it's a bittersweet and magical story with some really lovely writing.
Some authors get fancy with the writing and it destroys the flow of the stor...more
Some authors get fancy with the writing and it destroys the flow of the stor...more
A cool American fantasy idea that gets a bit bogged down in the telling. Kat and her family have had a rough time of it. Her mom's in a coma, her dad lost his job, and now with her older brother the three of them are traveling cross country to California. Along the way they stop in a town where an old gold mine called the Mollie Kathleen gives Kat a tour of an underground world. While there, she unexpectedly gets separated from the group and meets Ye, an ancient dragon, the last of his kind. Tak...more
Katlin Graham is on a cross-country move with her father and brother. Leaving their home (and their comatose mother) behind, the destitute family must make it to California within a few days in order for her father to land a job. While staying in the Midwest, the family goes on a tour of the Molly Kathleen, an old mine that has long been out of use. Ever adventurous, Kat literally stumbles upon a closed section of the mine, and in an Alice in Wonderland kind of adventure, falls to the deepest bo...more
1 like · like · see review
This was a sleeper hit for me. I was not crazy about the cover or the title but I met the author about six months ago and wanted to give it a try. This was an unusual twist on the fantasy genre and was surprisingly delightful. The word choices were perfect. You could see each characters voice within the word choice which perfectly help you to transition to the new character being introduced. The vocabulary was fabulous and there was a theme for adults, greed. As well as there was the enjoyable t...more
Originally posted here.
The Dragon of Cripple Creek by Troy Howell is a book about a dragon guarding gold in an Old West mine and the girl who discovers him and his dragon gold. There is also an interesting sibling story thrown in.
The novel has a lot going for it: adventure, siblings working together, a dragon. Most of it works very well too. Kat is a fun heroine, one who makes ridiculously bad decisions, but you can't help loving at the same time. Her brother is one of those characters I love, a...more
The Dragon of Cripple Creek by Troy Howell is a book about a dragon guarding gold in an Old West mine and the girl who discovers him and his dragon gold. There is also an interesting sibling story thrown in.
The novel has a lot going for it: adventure, siblings working together, a dragon. Most of it works very well too. Kat is a fun heroine, one who makes ridiculously bad decisions, but you can't help loving at the same time. Her brother is one of those characters I love, a...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Aside from most of this book being a total downer (mother in a coma, once-wealthy family now practically penniless, narrator falling down a mine shaft) it has an interesting premise and kids who like dragons unmixed with the usual pinnings of fantasy may enjoy it. Sort of a modern-day gold rush tale that would be an excellent read-aloud for a classroom of 5th or 6th graders.
Written by my friend Troy Howell this book has lovely characters and wonderful word play that kids will love to read. It was read to my 6 year old niece and she loved it so much she wanted to be the main character for Halloween. We start reading it to our girls tonight!
The story takes way too long to get into and the writing is uneven. The sections are very long. It would take a very determined reader to finish this book.
Humorous, sad, fantastical, adventure-filled...but some of the humor will not be recognized by children, I think. A good choice for summer reading.
I enjoyed this story by Troy Howell. It is his first novel and explored the nature of gold fever, family relationships, and dragons too.
Simply delightful. I thoroughly enjoyed this one day read. Loved the characters, loved the dragon. Had a good little smiling cry. Five out of five for this one!
Dec 15, 2011
Heather
marked it as to-read
"The warm and ultimately heart-wrenching relationship between Kat and the dragon is exquisite" (BCCB)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Adorable, entertaining-perfectly ok for a very young audience but enjoyable for an adult.
Absolutely fantastic. You will cry. But SO good.
ABA New Voices pick for MG 2011
Very good "Read Aloud" book. Somewhat strange back story about the kid's mother but it lay's a good backbone to a great story and adds a rich symbolism to the dragon ending.
This was a good book, one I would recommend for my kids, I think they'd really like it.
It has it's moments. It is a tale about morals. As a Cripple Creeker, I find the changes he made to the location annoying.
A must read!
A good idea that got bogged down in the telling. And the cover-art dragon looks nothing like the dragon depicted in the book. In fact, Kat makes a point of telling the "dragon fanatics" that Ye isn't green.
One Sentence Review: A thoroughly American mythology can't quite save this otherwise forgetable dragon tale that's beset with repetition.
Apr 18, 2013
Emily R.
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
I'm a Gaile (The books that haven't been published) reader and I also write reviews for local bookstores.
Apr 30, 2011 02:42pm