Other Books by Melissa Glenn Haber » Beyond the Dragon Portal
11-year old Sadie barely pays attention to her little sister Phoebe’s stories of going to Dragonland at night—and why should she, when her sister tells the same one every morning? In fact, the only one who listens to Phoebe’s stories is their eccentric, chain-smoking babysitter, Mrs. Fitz Edna. Then, one morning, when their parents are away, Sadie is wakened in the morning by the sounds of Mrs. Fitz Edna crying as if her heart will break. When Sadie rushes out, she finds that everything’s wrong: her little sister is still trapped in Dragonland, and Mrs. Fitz Edna has smoke pouring from nose and mouth even though there’s no cigarette to be seen. This strange morning is just the beginning of an adventure that will challenge every notion Sadie has of the way things are, including her ideas of right and wrong.
Official Reviews:
A 2007 Keystone State Reading Association Award nominee
“Haber takes the usual good versus evil theme in a new, thought-provoking direction… The story is skillfully structured, leading the reader to surprising conclusions which raise thoughtful questions about the meaning of good and evil…” —Children’s and Teen Librarian.
“[T]he story is fast paced, and the moral confusions of taking sides in a strangely motivated war may hit the target of the intended audience right in its ethical center.”—Karen Coats, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Kid Reviews:
“This is a brilliantly written book. This book will take you beyond the dragon portal with Sadie. The description is perfect, not long and boring, or short and empty of information. You get a clear picture of the setting, dialogue, and action. (P.S. Hercules Amsterdam is great too.)” —Alex, age 12, California.
“It was such a good book! I loved how everything seemed to fit together, and all the wierd surprises. I reallllllllllllllllllllllly liked the book! lt showed that fairytale land isn’t always friendly and peaceful. Sometimes, quite the opposite!” —Katie, age 10, Minnesota.
“I really, really, really enjoyed reading this book! I think this book has SO much sentence fluency!!! I think this book is the best book I’ve read in a while! I would recommend this book to ANYBODY it is SO good! When it is SO good I want to read it again and again! I think it has a GREAT plot! I would think a fairytale/fantasy book would be nice and about a fairy princess and her great life or something or other, but now after I read this book it is the quite opposite! I LOVE how the sentences are not boring at all, at night I never wanted to stop reading! If you read it you won’t regret it!!!” —Anna, Age 9, Rhode Island.