Dragonhaven
by Robin McKinley

    DRAGONHAVEN by Robin McKinley
    Category:  Fantasy
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  9/20/07
    Publisher:  Putnam
    Reviewed by:  Allison Fraclose
    Rating:  4 Stars


    For his entire life, Jacob Mendoza has lived in Smokehill National Park, one of the last and largest wildlife
    preserves for Draco australiensis in the world. His father, who heads the Institute dedicated to the study of the
    endangered dragons, has kept a tight leash on him since Jacob’s mother died while on sabbatical a few years ago.
    Finally, though, Jacob’s father has agreed to let him finally go on his first solo overnight stay deep in the park.

    Although not as excited as he probably would have been about it before his mother’s death, Jacob hikes out on
    his own, determined to cover some good ground before he has to meet up with the head Ranger the following
    morning. However, his plans for doing so are cut short when he comes across a horrific site.

    A wounded mother dragon who has just given birth lies next to the remains of the poacher who presumably
    attacked her. Jacob creeps up to the massive creature and finds himself drowning in her eyes before she dies,
    leaving him with strange sensations of anger, despair, and hope swirling inside him. Stunned and crying, he begins
    to stumble away, passing by her babies who are now scattered on the ground…and he notices that one is still
    alive.

    Instinct takes over, and Jacob now finds himself a surrogate mother for a creature that nobody knows how to
    raise. What’s worse is that, now that a dragon has killed a human, all of Smokehill may be gravely in danger, for,
    not only is it against the law to kill a dragon, but it is also against the law to save one’s life.

    Although I enjoyed watching the bonding of Jacob and his foundling, and the descriptions of some of these
    otherworldly sensations impressed me, I found this book very difficult to read. Jacob as narrator tends to ramble
    a lot, and he “speaks” in an extremely informal manner. However, some readers may find this style more
    appealing and easier to understand than traditional narration. The idea of a dragon preserve is nevertheless an
    appealing one, and I think that any fans of dragons may find this story fascinating if for that reason only.