A Book Dragon - Softcover

Kushner, Donn

4.05

288 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0380707691 ISBN 13: 9780380707690

Publisher: Avon Books, 1991

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Nonesuch, the last in a line of dragons, uses his unique ability to change in size to survive for six centuries, during which time he observes such different humans as a medieval monk, an eighteenth-century London chemist, and a modern American bookseller.Nonesuch, the last of a family of dragons, survives six centuries, including visits to plague-stricken London and a modern bookstore, without being discovered

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-8 Dragons are scarce these days, but they can still be found if you know where to look. Young Nonesuch, seeing his proud family wiped out by brutish humans during the Wars of the Roses, shrinks down to the size of a large insect to escape notice and sets out to learn more about people, and to find treasureas his grandmother always said, ``a dragon without a treasure is nothing but an ugly flying reptile.'' Something draws him to a gloriously-illustrated Book of Hours, and he accompanies it on its bumpy journey through the centuries. It comes to rest at last in the back room of a quiet bookstore on this side of the Atlantic, and Nonesuch guards it there still; a small, ferocious presence, seldom seen but comforting nonetheless. Plenty of lively characters help animate this rather leisurely story, from Lopped Cedric the one-legged bandit to the nameless rat who teaches Nonesuch to read and Abercrombie, the suave, ruthless real estate developer who learns that dragon justice is sudden and simple. Historiated initials and occasional small, sprightly drawings in the text and margins give the book a slightly antique look. As with Kushner's other books, this treasure house of dragon lore will appeal most to patient readers. John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

This new novel by the author of award-winning The Violin Maker and Uncle Jacob's Ghost Story follows the life of a dragon, Nonesuch, from his birth during the Dark Ages up until the present day. Nonesuch survives the changes of history (the War of the Roses, the great fire of London, etc.) by becoming as small as a large insect. He forsakes his family treasure of goldthough his dragon nature demands that he guard somethingand finds treasure of his own: a Book of Hours lovingly illuminated by a monk during Nonesuch's youth near the end of the Middle Ages. He learns to read from a rat during the Black Plague. Centuries later, Nonesuch and his book are in the New World. How he becomes enmeshed in human affairs is at the center of Kushner's quiet, intelligent book. His matter-of-fact treatment of history and philosophical discussions makes this a thought-provoking work. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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