A Small, Elderly Dragon

by Beverly Keller, Nola Langner Malone

Terrorized by a feeble old dragon named Blystfylyl, the peasants of Minervia enlist the aid of the king, a princess, the Black Knight of Doum, and a sorceror whose sister turns the dragon into a parrot.

Library Binding

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Beverly Keller is a published author of both children's and young adult books. She lives in Davis, Ca.

Reviews

[Ashlee Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A witty, charming, quick-paced fairytale that, I believe, would appeal to all ages. I laughed out loud a few times at the dry humor and ridiculous situations the heroes and heroines of this tale found themselves in. A lovely little story told with creativity and a very unique style.

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delight. All kinds of expectations shaken up, roles shifted, characters actually treated as individuals instead of tropes. The wrapping up at the end was a bit trite, but otherwise; nearly perfect.

[Caterpickles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost a fairy tale, a charming story about a dragon who begins to think he is too old to go on a proper rampage.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a cute story.

[Jamie Jonas · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's my second go-round with this little literary wonder, and if anything I liked it better than the last time. A weirdly jumbled delight, a masterful olio of tropes from fantasy and mythology--and it features a dragon! In my old age, I'm as likely as not to veer towards any book that dips, in any way, into the pool of 'dracology.' Ms. Keller succeeds, too, in trampling any number of cliches underfoot (or paw), especially that ages-old one about the damsel in distress. The only problem I can imagine, for any devoted reader of fantasy books, is that there is quite the grab-bag of characters going on, to the extent that I almost think the author should have provided a 'cast of characters' to remind us of who is whom. Regardless, my final thought is only to wish that she had gifted the world more stories of this type, because it's a real zinger!

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this humorous story, the dragon only wants to be left in peace. But the local king insists on sending champions to kill him. Meanwhile, the king's daughter, Dorma, takes it upon herself to rescue the dragon and turns him from foe to friend. Recommended for students in grades 5-8, this story is sure to elicit many a chuckle from dragon fans.