YA Fantasy series. Book 1: group of heroes (incl. baby dragon, imp-like creature, annoying monkey?) on a mission, to/ from a war? One is Cursed with being extremely Thirsty. Read around 2000-2002. Spoiler ahead.

[Jade]

My friend let me borrow a book in high school, probably between 2000-2002. I can't remember hardly anything about it except for 1 scene, and I can't remember the plot at all.

A group of mismatched creatures (I think) is traveling for some reason, maybe to a war? Maybe to escape a war? I think they had a baby dragon with them who couldn't speak (yet). There is an imp-like creature traveling with them, maybe a monkey.. whatever he is, I think I remember him being annoying. He either gets bit or stung or eats something or gets cursed by something and becomes incredibly thirsty. He drinks everything in sight, starts to swell up from all the water he's drinking. Apparently the only cure is to drink from some fountain or well or spring. They eventually drag his waterlogged body to whatever this water source is and he drinks from it and is cured. This is only 1 chapter of the book. There's way more to it than that.. I think the dragon spoke 1 word at the end. I vaguely remember there might have been a battle at the end..

My friend recommended NOT reading the rest of the series because she said it gets bad and someone (maybe the dragon?) dies or something. But I'd really like to read them if I can figure out what they were. I'm really sorry that's not much to go on. We lost touch after high school and I don't have a way to contact her to ask.

[Kris]

Jade, I added a few details to the header/topic title. You can update it by clicking the small "edit" link after the header. This only works on the full Desktop website - not the Mobile website or app. (On the Mobile website, click the "Desktop version" link at the bottom of the page.)

[Jade]

Thanks for the help! I know it's not much to go on, I barely remember any of it.. But figured there may be the slightest chance someone might recognize it.

[Kris]

You're welcome. Actually you've provided a lot of clues. The group has solved requests with less information - because they're really great at this. :)

[Nicole]

These are both longshots based solely on your description of an impish, monkeyish creature. Dragon Rider and Into the Land of the Unicorns but I don't remember a thirst curse in either of them.

[Jade]

It's not Into the Land of the Unicorns (I love that series by the way), I don't think I've read Dragon Rider. I looked it up and it doesn't look familiar. Thanks for trying!

[STU]

Is it maybe one of the books based on the Monkey King?
Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy (Sea-monster) travelling with a Buddhist Monk to collect holy scriptures from India. In the TV series, the horse is actually a dragon.

[Jade]

No, it was a fantasy world.. I don't remember a monk.


STU wrote: "Is it maybe one of the books based on the Monkey King?
Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy (Sea-monster) travelling with a Buddhist Monk to collect holy scriptures from India. In the TV series, the horse is actua..."

[Jade]

giving this a bump

[Jade]

bump :)

[Jade]

still bumping

[Kris]

Who is leading the group of heros? Are there humans? Females? Do they use weapons or have magical powers?

[Jade]

Unfortunately I can't remember much of anything about it. I think there was a human girl, or something that resembled a human girl. I can't even remember if there were any grownups in the group. But it was so long ago and I was reading it on a school bus during a trip so almost all the details are lost to me.

There was probably some magic involved which I don't remember. I think the war at the end included dragons. It is definitely not one of the Enchanted Forest books or the Unicorn Chronicles. I reread them just to be sure! It was the first book of a series, and I never read any of the other books.

[Jade]

Well.. I found it.. sort of. I got 2 books mixed up. The book with the thirst curse is Dragon on a Pedestal. But it is not the book my friend let me borrow in high school, which I remember almost nothing about. So I guess I'll need to abandon the search, because I remember next to nothing about the book she let me borrow. Perhaps some day I'll find it.

Thanks for everyone's help!