Where The Dragon Waits
Tom Moorhouse
David Fickling Books

When out sailing, twelve year old Ed and his dad are involved in a crash. When the boy comes round, he’s on an almost deserted beach but his dad is nowhere to be seen. The only person anywhere around is a rather bossy girl named Steff. There’s also a white butterfly that perches on his thumb. “There’s weirdness afoot,” Steff tells Ed as they sit together under a strangely white sky.

It’s not long before the two of them are are fleeing from a swarm of butterflies. They find themselves in the Realm on a curious quest in search of a dragon that rules this magical land and lives at the top of a rocky spire. Protecting the Realm is grumpy, armoured pangolin named, Astolpho.  The creature informs the children that in order to return home, they must obtain the tears of the dragon. Further danger in their quest comes in the form of bloodthirsty wolves. These wolves are on the hunt for Ed and Steff as their presence in the Realm draws butterflies that the wolves are deathly afraid of, so Astolpho tells the children.

Meanwhile we readers realise that Ed’s parents are waiting anxiously by his hospital bed as he lies in a critical condition. With further perilous situations to contend with, will he ever return to them. And Steff: what is her fate to be?

Utterly engrossing, this twisting, turning amalgam of fantasy and reality is hugely thought-provoking, exploring as it does the importance of courage, loyalty, ingenuity and family There’s humour too and plenty of excitement and intrigue. Who could ask for more?