A review by pridiansky
Backyard Dragon by Samuel Sterman, Betsy Sterman, David Wenzel

adventurous lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

This is a solid, mid-tier children's fantasy.  I think if I had read it as a kid I would have enjoyed it, but it wouldn't have been one of my favorites.  It's fun, but not a story that grabbed my heart and makes me want to read it over and over again, like with some of the other fantasy books I read as a kid (The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc.)  There's also something about the writing that made it hard for me to feel connected with the characters.  There are illustrations, but maybe part of it is that the author never describes what any of the kids look like, probably assuming that you'll look at the pictures.  Either way, it was still fun to read, even though the last half of the book had a super silly and unrealistic way to solve a big problem.  I'll be putting this in a Little Free Library for a dragon-loving kid to find.