Dragonbreath #5: No Such Thing as Ghosts

by Ursula Vernon | Children's Books |
ISBN: 9780803735279 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingGoryDetailswing of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 10/5/2020
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1 journaler for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Monday, October 5, 2020
I got this hardcover from Better World Books. It's from a children's fantasy series by Ursula Vernon (aka T. Kingfisher), whose work I've enjoyed (see Digger, a comic about a feisty wombat and her adventures in a strange underground world, and Jackalope Wives, stories set in a kind of mystical American-West surrogate).

I first encountered this series via Lair of the Bat Monster, the 4th book, and enjoyed it so much I wanted more. The series is aimed at younger readers, and is set in a world of anthropomorphic animals who live like humans in a '50s suburb, more or less - and who occasionally refer to the "other" animals, the ones that don't talk and don't wear clothes (and who thus can become food, or - sometimes - can try to devour the main characters {wry grin}). Danny, our hero, is a young dragon; his best friend Wendell is an iquana. Danny is imaginative to a sometimes-reckless degree, while Wendell is the voice of reason (and/or cowardice) - a good balance, except that Danny usually drags Wendell into his schemes.

This one's set at Halloween, with Danny happily imagining himself as the wily vampire, as per his costume. (The book is dedicated to Mom, with "I still think the javelina costume was cool"; I wish the author had included a photo of that!)

Danny's pal Wendel shows up wearing a pie plate on his chest, with another in hand; "I'm a hydrogen atom" he informs Danny. Seems his mother likes simple-and-science-y costumes, and while Wendell's not keen on it, he looks forward to getting "pity candy".

They wind up gaining a third for trick-or-treating when Danny's dad picks up Christiana, a crested lizard girl who seems to be on Wendell's wavelength science-wise; at one point they compare his periodic-table bandages with her countries-of-the-world ones. But Christiana is a bit prickly - and refuses to believe that Danny is a fire-breathing dragon, as he can't exactly breathe fire on demand yet...

The kids run afoul of bully Big Eddy and eventually take shelter in the notorious haunted house - where they get locked in, and have to spend a lot of time finding their way out while debating whether the odd noises are actual ghosts or not. Much hilarity and more than a little tension occurs, especially when a toothy little clown turns up and menaces the gang!

Not to worry; our heroes figure things out, save the day in more than one way, and eventually get to enjoy their candy - and think about the next adventure!

[There's a TV Tropes page on Vernon and her work.]

Journal Entry 2 by wingGoryDetailswing at Little Free Library, Dandridge Ave. in Salem, New Hampshire USA on Thursday, October 15, 2020

Released 3 yrs ago (10/15/2020 UTC) at Little Free Library, Dandridge Ave. in Salem, New Hampshire USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Guidelines for safely visiting and stocking Little Free Libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the LFL site here.

I left this book in the Scrabble-decorated LFL on this warm, breezy autumn day. Hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2020 Spooktacular October challenge. ***

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