Charles makes sense of his world through stories and fantasy. He imagines people as dragons, trolls, and other mythical beings. Although he has trouble reading, he discovers that the library can be a magical place as well. His friend Will explains to him that at the "li-brar-y...they give books for free if you have their secret card". Even though he knows that he can gets things for free at the library, Will nevertheless, also has "tapes of Haitian music [he] stole from the library."
My reading goal for 2024 has been to read 60 books about dragons (because it is the year of the dragon, and I turned 60). So far I have read fify-eight and a half dragon books. I have every reason to expect that I will reach my goal. I did not necessarily seek out dragon books that were also library books, although serendipitously, many did fill the bill - a list is provided at the end of the post.
As part of the project, earlier this year I read The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill which told of a locked library. Evil doers were guarding knowledge from the riff-raff. The Ogress and the Orphans has similar themes.
A shape shifting dragon arrives in the village of Stone-in-the-Glen in the form of a hero who vanquishes dragons and becomes the mayor. As a dragon he first burned down the library, the school and other buildings and then as mayor convinced the villagers that he saved them. Without access to books and knowledge the villagers are convinced that the mayor alone can save them. After all "books are dangerous". The village orphanage, however, still has a library and the orphans are well read, and well equipped to truly save the town from the mayor (and itself).
For another library-positive dragon book by Kelly Barnhill read When Women were Dragons. I listened to this one on audio while in the car, so I don't have specific notes about the wonderful librarians in this work, but I will say it was probably my favorite of all the dragon books I've read so far.
As promised, other dragon/library books include:
Raising Dragons by Jerdine Nolan
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
There's a Dragon in the Library by Dianne De Las Casas
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
The Dragon in the Library by Louie Stowell
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
Daydreamer by Rob Cameron
Princess Cimorene has never been interested in the traditional proper behaviors expected of those in her station. She is especially not interested in the arranged marriage her parents have planned for her. Although they have selected a handsome prince, he is a bit dull and Cimorene doesn't want to marry in any case. She goes off to live with the dragons and offers to serve the dragon Kazul. Although she has many offers from knights and princes to "rescue" her she thwarts them all.
Kazul's private library is a mess, and Cimorene takes care to organize it. She also does research in the library to find a fireproofing spell for herself. Ultimately she is given the title King's Cook and Librarian and lives happily ever after.
One of the sixty books about dragons I'm reading during this year of the dragon in which I turned sixty.
Young Kit discovers that she is a wizard when she meets Faith Braithwaite, Head Librarian of the Chatsworth Library "a boring-looking concrete building with automatic doors that didn't work right..."
I had some concerns with some of the things in this book:
In one passage Faith tells Kit and her friends that there are certain books that they keep away from the general public "because they're dangerous...[they] have power even if you're not a wizard". She goes on to explain that they can change you into a marshmallow if you're not careful, but frankly it just sounds like good old censorship to me. Dangerous books indeed!
In another Faith asks Kit and her friends to help shelve some books:
"You just need to match the number on the spine to the number on one of the shelves. There's a list of where you'll find each number, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it quickly". Right, because everyone knows that there is no reason to train people who work in libraries how to properly shelve books. Sheesh.
Faith also asks Kit to do story time, even though Kit doesn't like to read out loud. Kit in fact does a crappy job of it. Well, she just needs to practice. Story time takes more preparation than simply picking up a book and reading it to a group of kids. It's takes planning. At the very least we'd expect that the person conducting the story time had read the book at least one time before!
Librarians may not be wizards, but we are trained professionals.
One of the sixty books about dragons I'm reading for the year of the dragon in which I turned sixty.
If you tell people you are making a project of reading books about dragons you WILL be asked if you've read Fourth Wing. There are evidently a lot of people who either love or hate this work. I found myself a bit indifferent about it. But, let's face it, at sixty years of age I'm not exactly its target audience. This is a book for "new adults" and features a group of twenty-somethings at a magical war college (Basgiath) learning how to fly dragons. The classes are deadly. Many die before they even get to their first class. Violet Sorrengail never even wanted to join the elite team of dragon riders. She wanted to be a scribe and train to be a librarian in Basgiath's archives, like her father. Her mother, however, insisted that she risk her life in the Rider's Quadrant.
Of course, her time studying to be a scribe only makes her more bad-ass, even though she is among the weakest and smallest members of the Rider's Quadrant. She knows not only the value of information, but also where to find it, how to use it to her own advantage, and to understand who gains from telling the stories.
Violet is also discovers that forbidden information is perhaps the most powerful information of all.
No one believes Max when he tells them there is a dragon eating all the books in the library - not his mother, not his father, not the head librarian, not his teacher. Only Officer Riley suggests that they go and look, but by then it is too late.
Of particular note is that the head librarian is a man. Because of course the head librarian is a man. Leadership positions in libraries always go to men. We can't really expect otherwise though. It's just so hard to find women in the field.😏
One of the sixty books about dragons I'm reading this year of the dragon, in which I turn 60.
One of the sixty books about dragons I'm reading in honor of my sixieth birthday in the Year of the Dragon I remembered reading this one to my now-adult child when he was little. What I didn't remember was that the unnamed narrator learned some of what she knew about dragons by reading a library book!
I found the whole story on YouTube.
My reading goal for 2024 is to read sixty books about dragons in honor of my sixtieth birthday during this Year of the Dragon. Kelly Barnhill’s Newbery Award winning book features a magical girl (Luna) who keeps a tiny dragon for a pet.
Luna was rescued as an infant from certain death by a witch. She had been left as a sacrifice by her village - all part of an evil plot by the town Elders and the Sisters of the Star meant to keep the rest of the villagers in line.
The Sisters are the only ones with access to the libraries, the only ones that is except for their parade of apprentices who were always sent away “once they became aware of how much learning there was to be had in the libraries of the Tower, and they became hungry for it”. The Sisters knew, of course, that "the last thing they needed was to allow the populace to be getting ideas. Ideas, after all, are dangerous." When the Sisters and the Elders are finally conquered their apprentice (Wyn) is the person who opens the library to all because "knowledge is powerful, but it is a terrible power when it is hoarded and hidden".
