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Soonie and the Dragon
Left all alone in the world after the death of her aunt, Soonie sets out to seek her fortune and finds it by rescuing three different princesses who had been stolen by a dragon.
84 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
Shirley Rousseau Murphy
63 books529 followersShirley Rousseau Murphy is the author of over 40 books, including 24 novels for adults, the Dragonbards Trilogy and more for young adults, and many books for children. She is best known for her Joe Grey cat mystery series, consisting of 21 novels, the last of which was published when she was over 90. Now retired, she enjoys hearing from readers who write to her at her website www.srmurphy.com, where the reading order of the books in that series can be found.
Murphy grew up in southern California, riding and showing the horses her father trained. After attending the San Francisco Art institute she worked as an interior designer, and later exhibited paintings and welded metal sculpture in the West Coast juried shows. "When my husband Pat and I moved to Panama for a four-year tour in his position with the U. S . Courts, I put away the paints and welding torches, and began to write," she says. Later they lived in Oregon, then Georgia, before moving to California, where she now enjoys the sea and views of the Carmel hills.
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Murphy grew up in southern California, riding and showing the horses her father trained. After attending the San Francisco Art institute she worked as an interior designer, and later exhibited paintings and welded metal sculpture in the West Coast juried shows. "When my husband Pat and I moved to Panama for a four-year tour in his position with the U. S . Courts, I put away the paints and welding torches, and began to write," she says. Later they lived in Oregon, then Georgia, before moving to California, where she now enjoys the sea and views of the Carmel hills.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 26, 2019
A favorite from my girlhood days, I carried this book with me into my adulthood home, because I loved it so much
November 13, 2025
It's not fair for me to keep this little treasure, three stories about Soonie that form a very satisfying arc. If I crave an original, creative, feminist fairy tale, I'll read this again on openlibrary.
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I've listed on paperbackswap and there have been no takers. How sad that this is so very obscure. I're reread it for at least the third time, and am still completely charmed. I really would love for it to find a new home.
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Read yet again. This time I'll put it on the 'keep-forever' shelf. It's not just the stories & themes & characters that charm, but also the language, the style.
I should clarify, though, that the blurb is about just the first of the three stories. The second is about the king of the Fae, and the third is about how Soonie finds a partner who suits her just right.
Oh, and also, if you live in the US, I'll ship it to you free. I really don't need to read it a fifth time. (smiles)
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I've listed on paperbackswap and there have been no takers. How sad that this is so very obscure. I're reread it for at least the third time, and am still completely charmed. I really would love for it to find a new home.
---
Read yet again. This time I'll put it on the 'keep-forever' shelf. It's not just the stories & themes & characters that charm, but also the language, the style.
I should clarify, though, that the blurb is about just the first of the three stories. The second is about the king of the Fae, and the third is about how Soonie finds a partner who suits her just right.
Oh, and also, if you live in the US, I'll ship it to you free. I really don't need to read it a fifth time. (smiles)
April 21, 2020
I enjoyed this more than Silver Woven in My Hair, but I don’t think either of them quite merit the high ratings they have on Goodreads. That said, the target audience seems quite clearly girls, not boys, much less MAM...
July 11, 2026
Lovely fairytale story, with a different adventure in each chapter. Except for the young man who could change shapes and turned into an old woman at a few points in the story, I loved this book so very much. 😊
December 23, 2021
Neat story in the old fairy tale style. Wonderful illustrations by Susan Vaeth.
September 20, 2023
Cute original faery tale.
August 15, 2015
Soonie is a pretty great character. Two out of three stories are preoccupied with getting a man, which could be really annoying, but in both she is first herself, and second a little lonely, and, let's be honest, most teenage girls are at least a little preoccupied with boys. It's fairly realistically written, for all its fairies and five headed griffons.
Cute story, delivered in an honest and simple way, about a bright, cheery, bold young woman. I would not hesitate to hand this book to a young girl.
Cute story, delivered in an honest and simple way, about a bright, cheery, bold young woman. I would not hesitate to hand this book to a young girl.
March 31, 2012
Soonie saves her village from a dragon.
Read
March 31, 2014this book is just for my little child
April 24, 2015
I enjoyed reading about Soonie. My kids were all interested in the story and I appreciated Soonie's independent spirit.
December 2, 2013
One of my favorite books as a child, I still love to re-read this one :)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews