Secret of the Water Dragon

Dragon Masters #3

by Tracey West, Damien Jones (Illustrator)

I denne tredje boka i serien prøver noen å stjele selveste dragesteinen. Det verste av alt er at Brage finner ut at det er bestevennen hans som har prøvd å stjele den. Brage og de andre dragemesterne må finne en måte å beskytte dragesteinen på og hvem som egentlig prøver å stjele dragesteinen.

Drageskolen er en serie med drager, trollmenn, konger, superkrefter, magi, humor og spenning. Serien har korte kapitler, mye action og mange illustrasjoner. Lettlest for småskole-/mellomtrinnet. Omtalen er utarbeidet av BS.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Chapter Books, Dragons, Fiction, Middle Grade, Adventure

96 pages, Paperback

Published February 24, 2015

About the author

Tracey West is the New York Times bestselling author of Dragon Masters, a series in the Scholastic Branches line. She has written more than 400 books for kids, including the Pixie Tricks series and the Underdogs series with Kyla May.

Some readers also know Tracey for writing books based on animation such as Pokémon and LEGO Ninjago.

She currently lives in the western Catskills of New York with her husband, Bill; their adopted dogs; and a whole mess of chickens.

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wieder ein schönes Abenteuer mit Drake und seinen Freunden. Diesmal geht es vorwiegend um Bo, der sich immer seltsamer verhält. Auch versucht jemand, den Drachenstein zu stehlen... Gibt es da vielleicht einen Zusammenhang?

Sehr kindgerecht aufgemachtes Buch mit großer Schrift, lesefreundlich kurzen Kapiteln und tollen Illustrationen!

So macht jede Seite Spaß. Zudem ist die Geschichte spannend, denn natürlich möchte man wissen, was mit Bo los ist. Schön ist auch der Zusammenhalt der Freunde.

Ein tolles Buch, um junge Leser für das Lesen zu begeistern :)

[Cam (Lana Belova) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An AI generated image

The books are getting even more interesting with each new installment. No wonder the kids are so fond of this series :)

Love this picture with cherry blossoms I only was able to find with a Spanish text 🙂



A plot hole or something I don't know a proper name for I came across - in here it claims that Shu has special power, but it didn't reveal itself in the second book when it was needed. A probabal reason I'm now thinking of is that back then Bo didn't have connection with her dragon yet and she could only help if being asked by her Master... It made me wondering, though - do dragons can communicate with each other? I learned later that one of the dragons Worm does have this ability and did already have the connection with his Master Drake, but it seems he couldn't pass a vital information concerning Shu's power for whatever reason...

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to start out by stating that my 3 children love these books. I started reading them with my son who is 8, soon his younger sister who is 5 joined us, and then his older sister who is almost 10 is now helping read them to the younger two. The books are entertaining and engaging from 5-45 years of age. And that in and of itself is a pretty strong endorsement.

The young dragon masters encounter a new threat in this book in the series. The main focus is on Drake and his earth dragon Worm, and Bo and his water dragon Shu. Someone tries to steal the Dragon stone which is used to find children to be dragon masters and which each master wears a piece of to facilitate communication between master and dragon. In this adventure we encounter The Raven Guard, ninja like characters, we have further adventures against Maldred and his dark magic. And a threat against Bo's family. The dragons and children will need to work together to counter all these threats.

Graham Howells does some amazing illustrations. And my children love looking at the books again and again. Almost every page is enhanced with embelishments and combining that with the stunning illustrations and a wonderful story and it makes for a great combination.

This books are highly loved by my children. We have now read the 4 books available currently in this series, and eagerly anticipate book 5's release. My children love these books so much they are willing to shut off the TV to start reading earlier than normal. And we are now working through the series a second time. They are great reads and the adventure in this one was even more intense as the tension in the series builds. This is a great read for young and young at heart.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Tracy West and Graham Howells.

[LEO · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Raven Guard tried to steal the dragon stone and Bo and Drake had to face Maldred. I really like this book series because of the adventures and dragons.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pan-Asian kingdom Bo hails from isn't awesome in terms of representation or relatability, even for a fantasy chapter book, but the story's world continues to grow organically.

[Gale Mikesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

children’s materials chapter book, so cute!! love dragons and elemental power connections :))

[Bronwyn]

Galen read on August 5-6, 2024.

[Yvonne Fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for kids that are into Dragons. Our son is in love with the Dragon Master series. He has all of them and is totally hooked. He started reading them when he was 6.

[Katlyn Boes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avery says 5 stars. Shu can break dark magic spells.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

At only 90 pages, these are quick reads. I’m reading them because my kindergartener read the whole series and I wanted to talk with her about them. They’re fun, adventurous, and perfect for early readers.

[Angela (Angel's Book Nook)]

My kid really likes the Dragon Masters series. It's great for 1st-3rd graders.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book in this series.

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great way to dig in on Bo's character. All young readers who love fantasy books will cherish this.

[Aubrey Leger · Rating 5 out of 5]

this one takes place in China.

[Aneesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you go to the library hoping for a specific book, it's not there, run into your friends, who just returned the book!

[Clive Oberholtzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the water dragon and the ninjas! The suits that the ninjas wore looked cool. When the water dragon used his special powers, it was really really interesting. If you’ve read the other two books in the series, you will like this one.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since one can never have too many dragon books it's nice to have a series that works well for early chapter book readers. Not only are the stories fun with lots of action but the illustrations are pretty awesome as well. The illustrations are mixed in nicely with the text making the text not so intimidating. Secret of the Water Dragon is the third book in the series and focuses on Bo and his dragon whose powers are revealed as the story progresses. Bo receives a letter that leads him to try to steal the Dragon Stone. After he tells the others why he did this, the others try to help him rescue his family and stop the dark wizard from getting his hands on the stone. A fun-filled adventure with themes of courage, friendship, and loyalty mixed in throughout the story.

[Jasmyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is one of my son's favorites. The dragons are all so unique and somewhat mirror their dragon master's personalities. They all work together very well and in each story they have a new adventure featuring a different dragon. In book three we get to learn more about Shu the water dragon and find out what type of unique power he has.

The book is very engaging - even as a parent I was drawn into the story. There are just enough pictures for younger readers while still keeping a detailed plot line. I have really enjoyed learning about all the dragons. Up next is the fire dragon and I bet it will be very exciting.

- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/...

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second read 2023: This one really is one of the better ones in the series.

First read: This one was really good! Lots of action and suspense, and probably my favorite of the 3 we've read so far. I wouldn't be surprised if David and I read the entire series at this rate.

[Munchie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as strong as the first two books, Secret of the Water is the third Installment in the dragon masters series. Like the first two, we are following another dragon master, see him solve a problem with his dragon and then have the dragon stone glow once he's connected with his dragon.

In this case we are looking at Bo's backstory. Because these reads are short, it may feel a bit rushed at times. But it felt really fast in this instance. We have ninjas, dragons, a different region that Bo hails from but we also have the Evil wizard planning to overthrow the kings plans by trying to control the dragon stone itself!

My problem with Bo's story is that it's extremely messy. Bo's emperor has been tainted by evil and sends his guards to give Bo a message to steal the Dragon Stone from the kingdom he sent Bo to, but apparently the emperor is kind so something must be wrong. He threatens Bo by saying he's locked up his parents. So Bo does the unthinkable. He ties to steal the stone without any sort of repercussions. He's caught and it doesn't feel resolved one bit. Then the stone is taken when no one is looking, which doesn't make sense with what just happened when it came to Griffith guarding it with a powerful spell. It felt like a loop hole, just so that the story could progress.

And of course Worm, even tho he's an earth dragon, can teleport so Drake and Bo are now in China, then instantly get captured and then they chat with the emperor.

So I'll stop there. I don't like how the emperor or Bo were represented in this book. I like Bo as being a kind character and tho he acted against his character, which is supposed to be clever, it didn't work in this instance. It's a trope that's been done a thousand times over. While the other two books have a more individual and unique story, this felt cheap.

I will keep reading the series, despite my thoughts towards this book. The world building is slowly building and I want to know how it all ends. I'm curious to see if the fourth book will hold Bo more accountable since this one left it alone.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for kids, more like 3 stars for adults. My daughter loves these books, and they are very fast-paced and exciting. I have a hard time not commenting on some logical fallacies & oversimplifications, not to mention the absurdity of 8-year-olds being dragon "masters" or being sent to a far-away kingdom to battle an evil wizard's spell and rescue one boy's family with zero adult supervision. BUT...as I said, this book was very fast-paced and exciting and kept my almost-7-year-old riveted and really mad when I only read 3 or 4 chapters at bedtime. So I will go with a 4-star rating for the enthusiasm it engendered in my daughter and for the attempt to have a couple of non-white main characters, although the series clearly isn't OwnVoices.

In this volume of the series, dragon master Bo gets a threatening note telling him his family has been imprisoned by the Emperor of his kingdom and to save them Bo has to steal the Dragon Stone. The evil wizard Maldred has put a spell on the Emperor, which Bo's water dragon, Shu, must undo. Bo and the Emperor are depicted as Asian, although it's not precisely our world, so the empire in question is vaguely Chinese or Japanese or some amalgamation thereof.

[Shoshanah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two years ago I read the first two of Tracey West’s Dragon Master books with my daughter. I went and bought the third and forth to read with her and then, they sat on the shelf. Even though she enjoyed the first two she just didn’t want to continue the series. (Since then I very rarely by more than one book of a series at a time, just in case.) But my son read the first two and wanted to read the third, Secret of the Water Dragon, so here we are two years later!

I really enjoy this series as early chapter books. The chapters are shorter so it’s easy to read a couple a night. There’s pictures on each place, so for a four-year-old who doesn’t stop moving, they’re engaging to him.

In this book the major plot is someone is trying to steal the dragon stone. As with the others there’s lot of action and adventure. (Although as the parent it’s hard not to question the adventures these kids go on, especially away from their families.)

As soon as we finished this my son insisted on started the forth, so we’ll likely be finishing that soon. (And then I’ll need to buy only just the next one!)

4/5

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{My thoughts} – So much happens in this book. Bo learns that his dragon Shu has a secret power. He learns that his dragon can wash away magic spells. This is really good for both Bo and Drake when they take their dragons to try and save Bo’s family. It appears that the Emperor in his home land is under a spell cast by a powerful evil wizard.

Bo, Drake and the dragons set everything right and then report back to Griffith. When they get back they learn that Griffith’s friend another wizard that is helping them is in a deep sleep. It appears that he’d cast a spell that left him in a sleeping trance. This spell appears to be unbreakable. Once Bo and them explain what Shu can do they have Shu break the spell that is keeping the wizard asleep. Then they learn more details about the evil wizard that is causing trouble throughout a number of kingdoms.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series very soon.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bo is blackmailed by his emperor into stealing the dragon stone in order to protect his family. After a failed attempt at stealing it, and getting caught, Bo explains to Griffith and the others that he was just trying to protect his family. Can Bo, Drake, and Griffith find a way to protect the dragon stone from falling into the wrong hands and protect Bo's family at the same time?

Such a cute series. I loved that Shu has her own secret power to wash away spells. I really like the idea of a water dragon having this sort of power. In fact it seems as if each dragon has their own secret power in addition to elemental powers such as flying, fire, wind or water .

Personally, I still think Worm has the coolest powers, but I like Kepri's personality best.

This is a great series to recommend to 2nd-3rd grade students who are still learning to read fluently, but want to get into chapter books, especially kids who are into dragons and fantasy.

[Priya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another cool read. Bought this series hoping my son will sit with me for a read aloud time, but rather became a fan of it.

The boys and girls as dragon masters are pretty good. Their dragons have a heart that reflects their masters which is in turn good.

First 2 books focussed on earth dragon, worm and sun dragon, rori. 3rd installment now focussing on the water dragon shu. Potrayal and display of shu's powers are interesting :). Relationship between drake and Bo and in general it sounds simple but an enjoyable read.

Unfortunately i seem to have a short memory, always feel like going back and reading these books again and again ... (may not actually be memory loss ;-))

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book presents a very realistic internal conflict for our third featured Dragon Master, Bo. We learn about his Water Dragon, Shu, and some of her magic abilities. We also learn a lot more about the evil wizard who will likely be the main antagonist of this series.

One thing that I love about this series is the diversity of the characters. I've asked my daughter to think of how the Dragon Masters are similar to their Dragons. There's a reason why the Dragon Stone picks them! She enjoyed this third installment and learning more about Bo and Shu.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a double cross from within the group. What's going on with Bo and why is he trying to steal the dragon stone? As the dragon riders come together to sort out this problem, they find another. Bo has good reason for what's going on - and now they have a bigger mission.

Fun series for early readers. I love how the friendships are forming between dragon riders and dragons, as well as the relationships they have between each other. I'm curious to see where this entire series goes as well. Definitely going to keep going!

[Sam The Book Dog · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second installment of the Dragon Masters series explored the characteristics of the Sun Dragon. This third installment--Secret od the Water Dragon--demonstrates, as rhe name suggests, the abilities of Bo's water Dragon.

Book three opens with concern of a thief in the castle, who is trying to steal the master stone. With it, the thief couldn't control the Dragon Masters, but he could control the dragons themselves.

Is it possible the thief is a friend? And are there circumstances in which you might forgive your friend for such a betrayal and even help him?

[Laurie Moreland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud to a grandson (age 4) who has read the series multiple times. He enjoyed it just as much with this reading. I found it to be an engaging series about dragons and their child-trainers, well enough written to keep me entertained while my young listener lived the adventure in his mind. Just enough pictures to keep him following at my side, but enough words that his second grade sister would feel accomplished having read it herself. Great discovery.

[Rebecca Saxon · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kiddo was very excited about this one because there were some ninja (though they weren't called ninja - maybe the royal guard?), and the action scenes were very engaging. There was some nice development of Bo and Drake's friendship. We also learn more about where Bo is from and the emperor there. Weirdly, it should be called an empire but it's called a kingdom in the book which I found annoying but my kiddo didn't care. Another fun outing.