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Tales from the Five Kingdoms #4
The Flight of Dragons
This is a hilarious fourth book in the "Tales from the Five Kingdoms" series which began with the popular "The Robe of Skulls" and features many of the same much-loved characters. Marcus, Prince of Gorebreath, has a plan - he wants to take Gracie Gillypot on an adventure for her birthday, preferably to see a dragon or two. But then he discovers that there may be a dragon's egg somewhere within the Five Kingdoms and, what's more, it could be due to hatch at any minute! A newly hatched dragon would be highly dangerous in the wrong hands and the race begins to find the egg before the zombies, werewolves, deep witches and sorcerers get to hear about it. The tiny dragon hatches under the watchful eye of its parents, and all three fly off into the sunset...just as Gracie remembers that this is the day of her birthday.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2010
11 people are currently reading
233 people want to read
About the author
Vivian French
592 books142 followersVivian June Isoult French MBE was born in 1945 and educated at Exeter University.
Vivian French was best known in school for being extremely skinny and for talking a lot. At school she developed an attachment to words and later became an actor, then a storyteller, and finally a writer of children's books. She is the author of more than two hundred books. Ms. French lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has four grown daughters.
Vivian French was best known in school for being extremely skinny and for talking a lot. At school she developed an attachment to words and later became an actor, then a storyteller, and finally a writer of children's books. She is the author of more than two hundred books. Ms. French lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has four grown daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
February 25, 2014
Beloved by my daughter and not hard to see why - a ripping yarn with plenty of humour thrown in. Here's to the sixth and final book, "The Snarling of Wolves" being published soon!
April 13, 2014
I have mixed reviews of this book. I will say I have not read the rest of the series. I came across this book looking up dragon books so I grabbed it. I was disappointed there was hardly anything about dragons really. It was one of those situations when you look at a title and wonder where exactly is this going but at the same time, I did enjoy the characters. The twins are a bit creepy but they do fit into the story well.
December 19, 2018
Fourth and penultimate book in this series by Vivian French, and it is all a bit hit and miss for me, with more missing to be honest. I feel like the whole house of fantasy cliches including the kitchen sink has been thrown at me, and I'm not sure where I stand with the feeling that all these different scenarios are muddled about inside meh head! Anyway an average tale but not really my cup of tea.
July 11, 2012
Dragon sightings and the arrival of an evil cook at the palace of Niven's Knowe portend trouble for the Five Kingdoms, but Gracie and Marcus take care of it all without much ado. This series started out strong, but to me there's a lot of same-old same-old to the latest episode, as well as a distinct lack of the clever sorts of twists that animate earlier outings. Alas!
May 18, 2015
ok, the charm of these books is wearing off... maybe i should be reading them here and there, not all at once... still, they are cute and funny, but a bit heavy on miscellany...
December 19, 2020
Each book I reread in this series reminds me of how good it is and how much I loved it as a child and this one is no exception. This also might have been where some of my love for dragons comes from. This series is just brilliantly inventive and I love seeing all these characters that I loved so much as a child again and this series honestly just makes me smile so much!
Note: the main villain of this book is described as being rather large and shapeless and a big plot point is one of the royal families eating loads of enchanted food and getting fat. While I am not an expert this could read as fatphobic and I wanted to mention it in case it's a deal breaker for anyone.
Note: the main villain of this book is described as being rather large and shapeless and a big plot point is one of the royal families eating loads of enchanted food and getting fat. While I am not an expert this could read as fatphobic and I wanted to mention it in case it's a deal breaker for anyone.
July 1, 2018
This has strong potential. I wanted an ebook to read that was shorter for waiting in lines at the amusement park. I picked this juvenile book from my library app because of the creepy cover art. However, I was confused as heck when first reading it. I know this is the 4th in a series so I just don’t think the author did well at rehashing some of the basic aspects of the story. I found myself going to the character list regularly and it took a bit for me to get the gist of all the players and the context. The overall story is not too bad, but the presentation and setup of it is not ideal.
September 23, 2024
I think this might be my favorite of the series so far. It is getting a little tiring that everything is sort of deus ex machina solved by Gracie being a trueheart, so I appreciated that there was a bit more to the win in this book. Love the characters, love Gubble, love the bats, love Queen Bluebell. Excited to read the last book but sad it will be over.
July 10, 2018
The book was really really good filled with excitement and adventure. I really love all the characters in it and the whole book is just wooooaaawaah and yah. I really really love this book and I think more people should read it. I mean everyone MUST read it because everything in the books are all sooo adorable.
February 22, 2021
Dragons mean no harm
April 11, 2023
DNF at 32%. I've really enjoyed this series, but this book just wasn't doing it for me. It's very slow-going, and the characters are all starting to blend together. I've decided to move on.
October 30, 2023
Not my favorite in the series, but good
September 2, 2011
Reason for Reading: next in the series.
Book 4 in this series returns us to the original delight of Book 1, Robe of Skulls. Books 2 and 3 were very enjoyable too, but both1 & 4 have that special something about them. This time around dragons are seen flying around the borders of the Five Kingdoms. They were banished 8o years ago and this brings concern when it is figured that they may be looking for a dragon egg getting ready to hatch. Prince Marcus and Gracie Gillypot go on another adventure to find the egg and return it to the dragons but there is an evil presence lurking just outside the border who plans on taking over the Five Kingdoms. As he manages to infiltrate the border, he makes use of relatives, including the Canker twins to help him reach his goal. On the hunt for the egg Marcus and Gracie meet up with the evil Granpappy Canker and must stop him before he finds out about the dragon's egg which could double his powers.
A lot of fun, this addition to the series. Virtually every character we've met so far either makes an appearance or is referred and along with the new characters introduced for this book, we have an enormous cast of characters, therefore it is more than welcome that a Cast of Characters list has been included at the beginning of the book. The plot of this book was one of the better ones since Book 1 and I really enjoyed the new evil characters along with the new good characters. As always, the illustrations are a great accompaniment to the text and we have about one per chapter. If one is so inclined, these books could be read out of order as there is no overall story arc. Each book is its own adventure, except that there is a plot development between the main characters Grace and Marcus, a budding romance, plus the other regular characters also have a small story line that moves forward but these are not for the most part involved with the plot. Reading them in order is recommended though as each book gradually adds more and more characters and the author tries to at least mention their existence, if not include them, in each story. Gracie and her troll Gubble, plus the family of bats who help her out are all fun characters and I'm always excited to sit down with their newest book and "The Flight of Dragons" was a good-time read.
Book 4 in this series returns us to the original delight of Book 1, Robe of Skulls. Books 2 and 3 were very enjoyable too, but both1 & 4 have that special something about them. This time around dragons are seen flying around the borders of the Five Kingdoms. They were banished 8o years ago and this brings concern when it is figured that they may be looking for a dragon egg getting ready to hatch. Prince Marcus and Gracie Gillypot go on another adventure to find the egg and return it to the dragons but there is an evil presence lurking just outside the border who plans on taking over the Five Kingdoms. As he manages to infiltrate the border, he makes use of relatives, including the Canker twins to help him reach his goal. On the hunt for the egg Marcus and Gracie meet up with the evil Granpappy Canker and must stop him before he finds out about the dragon's egg which could double his powers.
A lot of fun, this addition to the series. Virtually every character we've met so far either makes an appearance or is referred and along with the new characters introduced for this book, we have an enormous cast of characters, therefore it is more than welcome that a Cast of Characters list has been included at the beginning of the book. The plot of this book was one of the better ones since Book 1 and I really enjoyed the new evil characters along with the new good characters. As always, the illustrations are a great accompaniment to the text and we have about one per chapter. If one is so inclined, these books could be read out of order as there is no overall story arc. Each book is its own adventure, except that there is a plot development between the main characters Grace and Marcus, a budding romance, plus the other regular characters also have a small story line that moves forward but these are not for the most part involved with the plot. Reading them in order is recommended though as each book gradually adds more and more characters and the author tries to at least mention their existence, if not include them, in each story. Gracie and her troll Gubble, plus the family of bats who help her out are all fun characters and I'm always excited to sit down with their newest book and "The Flight of Dragons" was a good-time read.
August 21, 2011
Readers of E.D. Baker's "Tales of the Frog Princess" will greatly enjoy this fairy-tale series set in the realm of the Five Kingdoms & centering on the adventures of Gracie Gillypot, a girl so genuine & kind that there's a term for her - Trueheart. Gracie has her hands full helping three old crones keep the Five Kingdoms safe & free of trouble of the evil sort. In this installment, things have taken a turn for the worse in the Kingdom of Niven's Knowe, where a truly evil creature known as Granpappy Canker has gotten the royal family under his thrall in the hopes of taking over himself. Reports have also been coming in about the possible return of dragons to the area, a definite complication. Will Gracie & her gang of friends be able to save the day again? Good fun, & good illustrations, too.
August 13, 2011
Definitely not the strongest story in the series, but I still enjoy all the characters. My favorite in this book was Gubble, although the boy who follows him at the end also turned out to be rather interesting.
I don't remember if we learned Gracie's and Marcus's ages in one of the earlier books, but I can't figure out whether they ought to be 12 or 15 or somewhere in between. I would guess on the younger end, but with Marcus's twin Arry practically courting, I am not so sure. It shouldn't make much difference, but with the hints at a future relationship between Marcus & Gracie, I just begin to wonder how far off such an event might be. :)
I don't remember if we learned Gracie's and Marcus's ages in one of the earlier books, but I can't figure out whether they ought to be 12 or 15 or somewhere in between. I would guess on the younger end, but with Marcus's twin Arry practically courting, I am not so sure. It shouldn't make much difference, but with the hints at a future relationship between Marcus & Gracie, I just begin to wonder how far off such an event might be. :)
October 29, 2013
The Five Kingdoms, bordered on all sides by monsters and other undesirables, protected and watched over by the Ancient Crones, is once again under threat, this time by an amorphous evil called Old Malignancy. It all begins when newlywed Princess Fedora insists on exercising her authority and fires all the servants. A series of mishaps and unfortunate events pave the way for a new cook to arrive, one whose food is so amazing that it causes stupor and an insatiable craving for more. The cook's actual agenda, however, is not to feed people. It will be up to Prince Marcus and Gracie (and Gubble) to save the Five Kingdoms. Another winner in this delightful series. 4th grade and up.
October 21, 2013
This series is so much fun! A perfect, light-hearted mix of silliness, suspense, and loopy characters. French's seemingly effortless writing style keeps the plots interesting and moving. And I never thought a family of bats and a mentally-challenged troll could become favorite characters in a book. It's fantasy that entertains and brings a smile, and even on occasion warms the heart.
September 16, 2013
This wasn't quite as amazing as the other novels. At times, it felt like two different stories were being forcibly mashed together; two stories that were each great on their own, but together, didn't make much sense.
January 22, 2016
The fourth in the Tales from the Five Kingdoms series, this is an excellent series for middle school students. Dragons return to the Five Kingdoms after being banned for too many years. As with most books in a series, I recommend reading them in order so you know the back story.
May 16, 2016
Gracie and Marcus get a little closers in this 4th book in the series. A new bag guy, grandfather to a pair of evil twins is trying to get back into the 5 kingdoms. he must be stopped so enter Gracie and Marcus to save the day again...right? Maybe not...better raff the book to find out.
February 24, 2012
A very fantastic journey, again by Vivian French. Hopefully there would be more. And I would be waiting for it.
March 16, 2024
I love love love theses books I don't care if they're meant for younger readers! I love them!!
June 13, 2013
It was a really funny book in my opinion and the starts a tiny bit boring but if your a person that gets bored easily please im begging u give this book a chance it will be worth it
September 8, 2015
At last! This book is just as strong, entertaining, intriguing and charming as the first book. This book makes me want to find the last two to read them.
September 16, 2015
My friend lent me that book, oh and it was amazing, I finished it rapidely, I actually devoured it. The writer Vivian French knows how to relate a story and keep you focused in an amazing manner.
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February 9, 2016Gracie on her birthday must stop the Malignant One who was awakened by twins who are his grandchildren. A long forgotten dragon's egg holds the key to everything and Gracie must find it.
March 14, 2016
Book 4 in the series. I really enjoy this series. Lots of humor, adventure and fun characters.
August 17, 2016
I liked the characters - especially Gubble - but I thought the villain showdown was a bit anti climactic.
July 10, 2024
Sometimes self help books are so bad they almost wreck your kingdom.
October 15, 2013
The other books in this series have been far better. Seems to have lost some of it's charm.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews