Bradley Wallace Murphy just
turned thirteen, and life sucks. He doesn’t fit in at school, he’s no good at
sports, a bully torments him, he’s a disappointment to his parents, and his
only “friends” are fictional characters on a TV show called “Dark Shadows.”
He’s growing up but wants to stay a boy, like Peter Pan. Then he finds the egg
and everything changes. From this egg hatches Whilly, a supposedly mythological
dragon that bonds with him physically, emotionally and spiritually. The sudden
responsibility of hiding a rapidly growing dragon in a small California city in
1970 forces Bradley Wallace to grow up whether he wants to or not. Feeding a
hungry dragon involves lots of raw meat, and the horrible reality of death
sickens Bradley, turning him vegetarian, and upsetting his mother. Through
their adventures together, boy and dragon learn the true nature of their
symbiosis, and Bradley Wallace comes to understand that he is not just a misfit
kid who happened to find a misfit creature from some other time. He is
something far more dangerous, a ‘super-hero’ with powers he didn’t know he had.
He could be killed if the truth comes out. When the attacks begin, Bradley
Wallace realizes he is up against overwhelming evil forces. Can he and Whilly
survive?
What an amazing, magical
adventure. Everyone who has ever imagined having a dragon, flying with it, and
befriending this wonderful mythological creature will jump right into this
book. Author Michael J. Bowler has such a gift for recreating the experiences
and muddled logic of a 13-year-old self-confessed misfit. He also brings the
Seventies to life in wonderful detail, a time of Drive-ins, Eskimo Pie, Star
Trek, and long summer holidays. I loved this story and the delicately flowering
relationship between Whilly and Bradley Wallace is peppered with humour,
misunderstanding, forgiveness, and a lot of acceptance (after Bradley discovers
what happened to the neighbourhood cats…). The author cements the bonds that
must survive the terrible tests facing the boy and the dragon. The story sucks
the reader right into Bradley’s life, along with his slightly dysfunctional
family, his bossy older sister, and the school bullies. Kids will love this
adventure and adults will relish remembering being 13 again. The book is long
but all the elements merge into a satisfying whole to perfectly capture the
boy-dragon symbiosis. This book is intended as the first in a trilogy and I am
sure young fans will eagerly await more from Bradley Wallace and Whilly. Available from Amazon. Highly
Recommended. 4 stars
(The book mentions definite
adolescent physiological changes so I advise parents to stick to the age recommendation of YA 13+)
First reviewed for Readers
Favorite
by Fiona Ingram
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