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Dragonbreath #2
Attack of the Ninja Frogs
Danny Dragonbreath knows girls are nothing but trouble. And the new foreign exchange student, Suki the Salamander, is the worst: she's reduced his best friend, Wendell, to a blithering, lovesick tadpole. But when a group of ninja frogs attempt to kidnap her, Danny knows he must step in. Danny and Wendell have watched lots of kung fu movies and can totally take on a bunch of ninja frogs. Or, um, so he hopes . . .
203 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2010
163 people are currently reading
864 people want to read
About the author
Ursula Vernon
78 books1,435 followersUrsula Vernon, aka T. Kingfisher, is an author and illustrator. She has written over fifteen books for children, at least a dozen novels for adults, an epic webcomic called “Digger” and various short stories and other odds and ends.
Ursula grew up in Oregon and Arizona, studied anthropology at Macalester College in Minnesota, and stayed there for ten years, until she finally learned to drive in deep snow and was obligated to leave the state.
Having moved across the country several times, she eventually settled in Pittsboro, North Carolina, where she works full-time as an artist and creator of oddities. She lives with her husband and his chickens.
Her work has been nominated for the Eisner, World Fantasy, and longlisted for the British Science Fiction Awards. It has garnered a number of Webcomics Choice Awards, the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story, the Mythopoeic Award for Children’s Literature, the Nebula for Best Short Story, the Sequoyah Award, and many others.
Ursula grew up in Oregon and Arizona, studied anthropology at Macalester College in Minnesota, and stayed there for ten years, until she finally learned to drive in deep snow and was obligated to leave the state.
Having moved across the country several times, she eventually settled in Pittsboro, North Carolina, where she works full-time as an artist and creator of oddities. She lives with her husband and his chickens.
Her work has been nominated for the Eisner, World Fantasy, and longlisted for the British Science Fiction Awards. It has garnered a number of Webcomics Choice Awards, the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story, the Mythopoeic Award for Children’s Literature, the Nebula for Best Short Story, the Sequoyah Award, and many others.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
October 22, 2020
My 8-year-old enjoyed this story. It's perfect for a young reader or a bedtime story.
June 10, 2018
I'm pretty irritated with this book, mostly in that the author is a woman and you'd think she knew better, but alas. Vernon plays right into the hands of every lazy, stupid, boring trope there is about young boys, which is a shame because she can be incredibly clever and snarkily funny.
Still, HOW COULD YOU BE SEEN TALKING TO GIRLS?! THEY ARE ALIENS. SO CRAZY. WITH COOTIES. Also, school is so uncool, and science is so boring it's more fun to make stuff up than learn. And if your best friend wears glasses and is smart, then OMFG HE IS A HOPELESS NERD. NERRRRRD. Girls all want to be something medical. All of them. And shockingly some of them aren't so bad I guess because they don't just read "Girl comics". I swear to god, Danny is the biggest bro there is, and he's literally like, 10. Please. stop. Danny is what you get when you don't raise your boys to... oh I don't know. Be decent people. Or raise them at all. Hell, just let school raise them. The line "she's not so bad for a girl" is literally in this book.
As the parent of a boy, I'm annoyed that Vernon thinks our sons should be single-minded in the pursuit of stupidity, and should never be exposed to the idea that women are people. As the parent of a girl, I am annoyed that these boys are out there and are the next generation of guys who aren't convinced girls are real individuals. Having read this to said four-year-old girl, I had this conversation more than once:
Me: "Wow, ok. So Danny doesn't know want to have lunch with girls [think girls don't like comics/doesn't like science/thinks all girls want to be veterinarians]. What do you think of that?"
Her: "That's dumb."
I agree, that *is* dumb. Please. If you don't talk to your kids about lazy stereotypes, who will?
Still, HOW COULD YOU BE SEEN TALKING TO GIRLS?! THEY ARE ALIENS. SO CRAZY. WITH COOTIES. Also, school is so uncool, and science is so boring it's more fun to make stuff up than learn. And if your best friend wears glasses and is smart, then OMFG HE IS A HOPELESS NERD. NERRRRRD. Girls all want to be something medical. All of them. And shockingly some of them aren't so bad I guess because they don't just read "Girl comics". I swear to god, Danny is the biggest bro there is, and he's literally like, 10. Please. stop. Danny is what you get when you don't raise your boys to... oh I don't know. Be decent people. Or raise them at all. Hell, just let school raise them. The line "she's not so bad for a girl" is literally in this book.
As the parent of a boy, I'm annoyed that Vernon thinks our sons should be single-minded in the pursuit of stupidity, and should never be exposed to the idea that women are people. As the parent of a girl, I am annoyed that these boys are out there and are the next generation of guys who aren't convinced girls are real individuals. Having read this to said four-year-old girl, I had this conversation more than once:
Me: "Wow, ok. So Danny doesn't know want to have lunch with girls [think girls don't like comics/doesn't like science/thinks all girls want to be veterinarians]. What do you think of that?"
Her: "That's dumb."
I agree, that *is* dumb. Please. If you don't talk to your kids about lazy stereotypes, who will?
April 28, 2023
The second book and BOY I am glad I found this series because it is just so much fun to read! This time a new dragon appears, there are ninjas (frogs) and samurai-like (geckos), someone is a reincarnation of a ninja lord, Mythical Japan (and is there anywhere the bus doesn't go?), will Danny be able to breathe fire?, there is a new character joining the crew for a bit and I really liked her (for reals, we need more Suki), Danny is in overdrive with all of this because he is way into ninja movies and to be actually get some real life ninja action? The dream! The book flew by and I will be reading the next one very soon~ Oh oh, and I love the comics throughout the book and how they told the story. Fun!
January 8, 2020
Follow Just A Girl High On Books for more reviews.
In the whole series (since I'm writing this after having read the entire series), the book begins with a dream that Danny has. This can be a literal dream like the one we have during the night or it can be a daydream. Each time he dreams something in the beginning it more or less relates to the theme of the book. This one starts with Danny as a ninja.
When he wakes up and finally reaches the real world, he finds his best friend, Wendell talking to a girl. Now he knows girls are trouble. But this one in particular ends up being far more trouble than he would have asked for. Except that, it was the kind of trouble that got him excited. You see, Suki the Salamander is Wendell's friend, but she has suddenly been cornered by ninja frogs a lot of time. This confuses them and scares Suki. And only Danny and Wendell know about this trouble (because only Wendell is her friend.) So they take a trip to mythical Japan to meet Danny's great-grandfather who knows a lot about ninjas and the likes.
Now here is where things get really exciting. First off, whenever Danny is on the bus, the bus can take them to weird places. For example, going to Japan only takes two hours while Suki, the exchange student from Japan had to have a long airplane ride before anything else. This creates a lot of confusion, until of course, they reach mythical Japan and Great-Grandfather Dragonbreath helps them.
Now the best thing about this book wasn't the adventure or the comedy but the female presence in it. Vernon made a good decision by rectifying her mistake. She barely had any females in the previous one. At the same time, the book was very interesting. The way it was presented was very funny too. I love Danny so far. Wendell is funny, too but he annoys me a little. Danny's excitement over everything dangerous is infectious, making the book a lot more fun. Suki seemed like the balance between these two. It was fun to watch her handle both the boys while saving her own life from the ninjas because, well, let me just say this: the reason why the ninjas are after her is really amazing!
In the whole series (since I'm writing this after having read the entire series), the book begins with a dream that Danny has. This can be a literal dream like the one we have during the night or it can be a daydream. Each time he dreams something in the beginning it more or less relates to the theme of the book. This one starts with Danny as a ninja.
When he wakes up and finally reaches the real world, he finds his best friend, Wendell talking to a girl. Now he knows girls are trouble. But this one in particular ends up being far more trouble than he would have asked for. Except that, it was the kind of trouble that got him excited. You see, Suki the Salamander is Wendell's friend, but she has suddenly been cornered by ninja frogs a lot of time. This confuses them and scares Suki. And only Danny and Wendell know about this trouble (because only Wendell is her friend.) So they take a trip to mythical Japan to meet Danny's great-grandfather who knows a lot about ninjas and the likes.
Now here is where things get really exciting. First off, whenever Danny is on the bus, the bus can take them to weird places. For example, going to Japan only takes two hours while Suki, the exchange student from Japan had to have a long airplane ride before anything else. This creates a lot of confusion, until of course, they reach mythical Japan and Great-Grandfather Dragonbreath helps them.
Now the best thing about this book wasn't the adventure or the comedy but the female presence in it. Vernon made a good decision by rectifying her mistake. She barely had any females in the previous one. At the same time, the book was very interesting. The way it was presented was very funny too. I love Danny so far. Wendell is funny, too but he annoys me a little. Danny's excitement over everything dangerous is infectious, making the book a lot more fun. Suki seemed like the balance between these two. It was fun to watch her handle both the boys while saving her own life from the ninjas because, well, let me just say this: the reason why the ninjas are after her is really amazing!
December 17, 2019
Another fun adventure with Danny and Wendell... and Suki! And there are Ninja Frogs.
I did mark this one down a little bit though as there is a fair amount of "Girls, ew! They can do cool stuff or are into cool things!", and I found that a bit disappointing even though Suki was a cool character. There was some learning on that, but I just wasn't expecting it so it threw me off. Because of course girls can be anything they want to be!
As always, I love the art in these books and it was a particularly good fit for reading a "Green and Black" book during Grinchathon. Totally perfect!
Looking forward to continuing the series and seeing what Danny's next adventure is.
I did mark this one down a little bit though as there is a fair amount of "Girls, ew! They can do cool stuff or are into cool things!", and I found that a bit disappointing even though Suki was a cool character. There was some learning on that, but I just wasn't expecting it so it threw me off. Because of course girls can be anything they want to be!
As always, I love the art in these books and it was a particularly good fit for reading a "Green and Black" book during Grinchathon. Totally perfect!
Looking forward to continuing the series and seeing what Danny's next adventure is.
June 30, 2015
I love Ursula's writing - she's such a hoot! The Dragonbreath series are great, quick reads for young readers, and should particularly be enjoyed by boys. I love the random facts interspersed through the story and Urusla's sense of humour really appeals to me. She's an awesome artist too - and the quirky illustrations interspersed with the text really bring the story to life.
In this adventure, daredevil Danny Dragonbreath and his sensible friend Wendall take the bus to Mythological Japan in an attempt to help their new friend Suki, who has a problem. A Ninja problem.
In this adventure, daredevil Danny Dragonbreath and his sensible friend Wendall take the bus to Mythological Japan in an attempt to help their new friend Suki, who has a problem. A Ninja problem.
August 17, 2011
Cute story. Fun characters. The green/white/black illustrations won me over on page one. This is a fun series for young boys, and the tom girls out there.
March 25, 2016
It was a decent book.
September 15, 2022
This book was just as enjoyable as the first! I read it out loud to my six-year-old sons, and I pointed out to them that Danny shouldn't keep saying "kung fu" when talking about Japanese martial artists--only a few pages later, a character in the story pointed it out and explained it well! Loved that. It's awesome how Vernon manages to weaves in real world facts to her whimsical and humorous fantasy land so naturally. Anyway, my sons laughed many times and were eager to pick this up every moment possible (we read it in three sessions over two days)! We have already borrowed the next book in the series from the library, and I think we are going to have to get the whole series for our home collection because they love it that much.
December 30, 2021
Worked a little less well than the first, but the 6- year-old liked it ;)
July 19, 2025
Enjoyment 8/10
Concept 8/10
Execution 9/10
Illustrations 9/10
Rating: 4.19/5
Concept 8/10
Execution 9/10
Illustrations 9/10
Rating: 4.19/5
October 26, 2016
Издателство „Плеяда” излиза извън своето обичайно амплоа с издаването на серията „Огнедъх” (много приятен превод на заглавието „Dragonbreath”) от Урсула Върнън. Поредицата е в много приятна хибридна форма между роман и комикс и е насочена към по-младите читатели. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле":
https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
March 10, 2020
"Dragonbreath Attack of the Ninja Frogs" is very funny and entertaining. It really makes me laugh and it can be really intense and a book about ninja frogs trying to kidnap a student and trying to save the student is amazing an wonderful. This is what I like about it. I just love a good book with intensity and ninjas. I recommend this book to people who love adventure.
August 17, 2021
This is a cute kids' book featuring Danny Dragonbreath and his best friend Wendell. It still has the same edutainment style featured in the first book, which I appreciate. I also appreciate the large amount of art in the books; super helpful for reluctant readers.
I enjoyed this book, but I know my nephew (who's in the target age range) loves the series.
I enjoyed this book, but I know my nephew (who's in the target age range) loves the series.
December 1, 2015
Heroic veterinary skills save the day against ninja frogs and an open volcano.
June 19, 2019
Plot was entertaining and I like the characters, but I would have loved to avoid the girls = cooties and girls are less brave than boys, etc.
Really just turned me off.
Really just turned me off.
October 5, 2021
Attack of the Ninja Frogs opens up with a daydream à la Spaceman Spiff:
Except that Danny is Lord Dragonbreath, and he is snapped out of his trance when the troops he is rallying cry out, "Do you want pepperoni on that?!"
I love it! Haha!
This time the plot revolves around Suki, a salamander exchange student from Japan who Wendell is in nerd-love with, and inexplicably gets attacked by frog ninjas one day after school. The three reptiles hop aboard the strangely convenient bus (I love how attention is drawn to this) again, this time to mythological Japan, to seek the help of Danny's great grandfather (and subsequently, some samurai geckos.
As before, the book offers a few tidbits of actual educational material (in the form of Cool Ninja/Samurai Facts), and the illustrations are simple but effective. The chemistry/balance isn't compromised by the addition of a third friend, and Vernon does a good job with the placement of different plot points (Suki's wanting to be a veterinarian, the crane, etc.). Furthermore, I'd really like to see Vernon create an actual issue of Empire of Feathers.
Except that Danny is Lord Dragonbreath, and he is snapped out of his trance when the troops he is rallying cry out, "Do you want pepperoni on that?!"
I love it! Haha!
This time the plot revolves around Suki, a salamander exchange student from Japan who Wendell is in nerd-love with, and inexplicably gets attacked by frog ninjas one day after school. The three reptiles hop aboard the strangely convenient bus (I love how attention is drawn to this) again, this time to mythological Japan, to seek the help of Danny's great grandfather (and subsequently, some samurai geckos.
As before, the book offers a few tidbits of actual educational material (in the form of Cool Ninja/Samurai Facts), and the illustrations are simple but effective. The chemistry/balance isn't compromised by the addition of a third friend, and Vernon does a good job with the placement of different plot points (Suki's wanting to be a veterinarian, the crane, etc.). Furthermore, I'd really like to see Vernon create an actual issue of Empire of Feathers.
May 13, 2021
How can you go wrong for 8-year-olds with this book (at 3 years old and 14 years old they also held attention)? Dragons living in a country where the other lizards don't believe in real dragons, and trips to Mythical Japan and ninja frogs that hold a key to a Salamander exchange student's future?
All of my children have enjoyed this series as well as Princess Harriet - as in they are funny, relatable, and not a book where only one gender enjoys them.
We are currently reading the 11th book in the series; this one happens to be my favorite so far. These are great as a family read, especially if you have more than one child who can take turns reading a "character" part. We have read them as we drove to visit friends, reads while home sick from school, and for our bedtime enjoyment.
#writeadreamlife #authorssupportingauthors #raisingreaders #childrensbooks #childrenlovereading #kidsbook #singlemomlife #workingmom #booksbooksandmorebooks #bookreview #childrensbooksreviews #booklover
All of my children have enjoyed this series as well as Princess Harriet - as in they are funny, relatable, and not a book where only one gender enjoys them.
We are currently reading the 11th book in the series; this one happens to be my favorite so far. These are great as a family read, especially if you have more than one child who can take turns reading a "character" part. We have read them as we drove to visit friends, reads while home sick from school, and for our bedtime enjoyment.
#writeadreamlife #authorssupportingauthors #raisingreaders #childrensbooks #childrenlovereading #kidsbook #singlemomlife #workingmom #booksbooksandmorebooks #bookreview #childrensbooksreviews #booklover
May 13, 2021
How can you go wrong for 8-year-olds with this book (at 3 years old and 14 years old they also held attention)? Dragons living in a country where the other lizards don't believe in real dragons, and trips to Mythical Japan and ninja frogs that hold a key to a Salamander exchange student's future?
All of my children have enjoyed this series as well as Princess Harriet - as in they are funny, relatable, and not a book where only one gender enjoys them.
We are currently reading the 11th book in the series; this one happens to be my favorite so far. These are great as a family read, especially if you have more than one child who can take turns reading a "character" part. We have read them as we drove to visit friends, reads while home sick from school, and for our bedtime enjoyment.
[NOTE: Also identical review on my author page here on Goodreads]
All of my children have enjoyed this series as well as Princess Harriet - as in they are funny, relatable, and not a book where only one gender enjoys them.
We are currently reading the 11th book in the series; this one happens to be my favorite so far. These are great as a family read, especially if you have more than one child who can take turns reading a "character" part. We have read them as we drove to visit friends, reads while home sick from school, and for our bedtime enjoyment.
[NOTE: Also identical review on my author page here on Goodreads]
February 6, 2020
Ursula Vernon makes the funnest animal characters out there. I’ve read some utter rubbish to my daughter and tried many authors I was incredibly disappointed in. Vernon creates characters that Fiver loves to hear from and the stories I’m reading Fiver are ones I don’t want to put down. Danny Dragonbreath hasn’t quite made his way up to our veneration of Harriet Hamsterbone, but he is slowly finding a sweet spot in our hearts. Can’t wait for more of he and Wendell’s (and maybe more Suki) adventures!
March 1, 2023
This is a fun book that explores the emotions of young children as they grow and are attracted to others of the opposite sex. Through the story we see that both Wendell and the main character are a little embarrassed that they find Suki attractive. This leads to some awkward moments and the re-thinking of friendships. The aspect of fantasy in the book and the great-grandfather lend to the fun as they have another adventure.
September 19, 2018
Fun, likely to entertain the 8 - 10 year old set. I love the illustrations and the distinct personalities of the 3 protagonists. However, I agree with another reviewer that the vocabulary and the illustrations and cover are a mismatch - the cover and pictures look like this is for early chapter book readers, but the vocabulary and sentence structure is often fairly sophisticated.
December 23, 2018
"Then you won't last five minutes. Those frogs can do things with a shuriken that would curl your toes."
Ignoring the fact these books are written very in the aspect of what being a kid is like, girls are scary and have cooties, and boys who are smart are nerds(which many people might complain about, but this book nails kid behavior well).
Another good read.
Ignoring the fact these books are written very in the aspect of what being a kid is like, girls are scary and have cooties, and boys who are smart are nerds(which many people might complain about, but this book nails kid behavior well).
Another good read.
January 3, 2019
I didnt think I'd love the second one more than the first but it was everything. King fu fights, reincarnation, frog ninjas and more. on this Adventure, Danny and his friend Wendell try and help their exchange student friend, Suki avoid Ninja Frogs and visit Danny's Great Grandad in Fuedal Japan. I loved every minute of it. please read it if you have the opportunity.
September 29, 2019
Danny takes the bus to mythic Japan. There are ninjas. This is intentionally more ninja/samurai movie Japan than anything else. There was also a repurposed supervillain lair, complete with a volcano to drop enemies in. The book felt a little less educational than the first one. It pretty well encapsulated the feeling of middle school, too (that could have been an insult but wasn't).
March 26, 2020
Ben brought home the 2nd and 3rd books in this series from school, and I’m not sure what we missed in the first. A combo of school story and light fantasy, with plenty of illustrations and animals as characters. An annoying amount of “girls have cooties” talk and calling each other stupid, which felt unnecessary to the story. Ben thinks they’re really exciting and always wants another chapter.
June 12, 2023
Danny: "I wish I was a ninja queen."
Wendell: * gives him a smirk *
Danny: "You know what I mean!"
Wendell: "Uh huh."
This only had my cackling for a good five minutes. These books are so clever and so dang adorable you get sucked right in. I have only reas two so far, but I absolutely adore this second book so much.
Wendell: * gives him a smirk *
Danny: "You know what I mean!"
Wendell: "Uh huh."
This only had my cackling for a good five minutes. These books are so clever and so dang adorable you get sucked right in. I have only reas two so far, but I absolutely adore this second book so much.
May 15, 2025
whoa uncharacteristic sexism in this one. If there's meant to be growth on that over the course of the series, I think books for such young readers (especially since they may not read the whole series, or may mot read it in order) need to resolve it right away in one book. This is a super early Ursula Vernon book, and I've read so many later ones, I'm hoping this is just an early outlier.
December 21, 2016
It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!
Danny is in a ninja faze.
and Wendall is in love with the Transfer Student Suki.
But when Ninja Frogs attack Suki, Danny turns to his Grand dad.
They must join forces With the Gecko Samurai!
But will the stop the frogs in time?
Danny is in a ninja faze.
and Wendall is in love with the Transfer Student Suki.
But when Ninja Frogs attack Suki, Danny turns to his Grand dad.
They must join forces With the Gecko Samurai!
But will the stop the frogs in time?
June 6, 2017
Изящно оформление (адмирации "Плеяда"), неангажиращ сюжет, свежи авторски илюстрации... Абе не случайно съм го заплюл за четиво, с което ще разнообразяваме "задължителните" книги от летния списък на кандидат-второкласника.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews