universalbookworm 's review for:

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis
3.0

An incredible, multi-faceted read for middle grade readers! Adventurine's journey from smothered young dragon to fierce, independent chocolatier is heartwarming and sweet (pun intended!). As a new human, Adventurine learns about a variety of "ridiculous" human idiosyncrasies. Politics, politeness, money, family pressure, gender roles, and even marketing.

I was not expecting how many topics were covered in this novel, and was pleasantly surprised. This book serves as an excellent start for a young reader in several areas. It's a wonderful introduction to fantasy, with several references to dragon lore (hoarding, scholarship. and even family ties), while also serving as a fantastical coming of age tale akin to Harry Potter in it's emphasis on the importance of friendship and intelligence.

A lovely, lyrical read!

I received an ARC of this novel from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.