Synopsis: Daniel and his sister Beatrice are bitterly disappointed when their mother and father cannot make it back from India for the holidays. They have to spend the summer with a Dr Drake instead. It sounds very dull, but Dr Drake is a secret dragonologist and the summer turns out to be far more exciting than they expected.

Review: Enrolled in Dr Drake's school of dragonology and in the secret society for the protection of dragons, Daniel and Beatrice make new friends and learn about the secret world of dragons. When the evil Ignatitius Crook tries to gain power by stealing the dragon's eye, the children become involved in a desperate bid to foil him. The story is rather derivative of the world of Harry Potter, and yet through its light-heartedness and humour it succeeds in both entertaining and amusing. The introduction of each new chapter with a short extract from Dr Drake's Dragon Diary works particularly well. The character of Beatrice is also excellent.

 The tale is read by actor Dan Stevens, who recently played Edward Ferrars in a tv mini series of Sense and Sensibility. The reading is excellent, with superb voices and a light touch. It is humorous very slightly tongue-in-cheek, which works well. Parts of the tale are quite young, while some of the humour is more sophisticated. This audio would threrefore probably appeal to a range of ages, both boys and girls, from 7 or 8 years up to 12.

2007-07-24