Reviews

The Dragon Machine by Wayne Anderson, Helen Ward

mrwcc's review

3.0

Very enchanting but weird little story.

floneill's review

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

mrsbond's review

4.0

There are dragons everywhere but no one notices them. George also feels unnoticed, and begins to care for his fellow outsiders. He researches (!!) dragons at the library to learn how to properly care for them. He eventually decides that they need to go to a safe place, so he builds a machine to help make that happen. Great illustrations, a hint of steampunk.

emmaegerb's review

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

witchofthemountains's review

5.0

George is the only one who can see the overlooked and ignored dragons that twine around the ankles and sewer grates around him. That doesn't mean he knows how to take care of them, though! When the dragons become too much, George has to lead them home. And that's when his real adventure takes off.

Ward easily captures the everyday magic of childhood and turns it into an adventure that will delight readers so long as they are old enough to follow along with the illustrations. The traditional style and writing cadence makes it an easy book to read aloud and it stays low-energy enough to be a good bedtime story. I'd recommend it for ages 3 and up as the muted colors don't hold an infant's attention well and some ability to connect words with pictures will help them enjoy the book more.

emitche's review

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I found this book on booktrust.org, which is a great online resource for children's books online. You can read this book online independently, have it read to you, or have it signed to you. Although I did not use these options, I did explore them and found them to be pretty nice. The book itself has great illustrations that add such an interesting visual element to the story. They are one of the big draws of this book for me. The story was humorous as well as adventurous, and I really do enjoy a book that has a happy ending!

mat_tobin's review

3.0

The phrase 'George and the Dragon' conjures up all sorts of images but I doubt one in which George is a lonely child and the dragon a creature which remains harmless and largely unseen. In the second collaboration between Ward and Anderson (see [b:The Tin Forest|87277|The Tin Forest|Helen Ward|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1171102560s/87277.jpg|84242]), George is a young boy whose vivid imagination allows him to see that which no one else can - that our world is full of dragons. In order to save them from disappearing forever, George builds his own mechanical dragon and takes them to a place where they will be safe and live on for all time.
Children will enjoy finding all the little dragons on the different pages and siding with George in these discoveries whilst the adults in his world are too busy to notice. There is much here to reflect on with regards to the power and loss of imagination too.