The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Aventurine is the fiercest, bravest kind of dragon, and she's ready to prove it to her family by leaving the safety of their mountain cave and capturing the most dangerous prey of all: a human.

But when the human she captures tricks her into drinking enchanted hot chocolate, she finds herself transformed into a puny human girl with tiny blunt teeth, no fire, and not one single claw. She's still the fiercest creature in these mountains though - and now she's found her true passion: chocolate! All she has to do is walk on two feet to the human city, find herself an apprenticeship (whatever that is) in a chocolate house (which sounds delicious), and she'll be conquering new territory in no time ... won't she?

Wild and reckless young Aventurine will bring havoc to the human city - but what she doesn't expect is that she'll find real friendship there too, along with betrayal, deception, scrumptious chocolate and a startling new understanding of what it means to be a human (and a dragon).

A pinch of Ella Enchanted , a sprinkling of How to Train your Dragon and a generous helping of Eva Ibbotson - The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart is entirely delicious.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-Aventurine, the youngest in a family of accomplished dragons, is bored by her lessons and craves excitement. She has yet to discover her passion, the area of study to which she will dedicate her life, and her family members hound her for her lack of focus and make her stay safe inside their cave. When her brother Jasper teases that she's not smart enough to survive even a day in the mountains, Aventurine decides to prove everyone wrong. She won't just survive-she'll capture the most dangerous prey, a human. Aventurine tracks down a human but is intoxicated by the smell of his hot chocolate. When she demands a taste, disaster strikes: the hot chocolate is enchanted and turns Aventurine into a human girl. Aventurine is horrified, hungry, and cold but refuses to let this setback stand in her way. She sets out for the human city of Drachenburg, determined to prove her competence and obtain an apprenticeship in pursuit of her newfound passion: chocolate. The challenges Aventurine faces, from confusing human fashion to privileged nobility, help her reach a new comprehension of humans, her family, and what lies in her own heart. When pushed beyond her limits, she finds and understands her own abilities and rescues herself, helped by friends to whom she has opened up. Aventurine's fiery spirit is immediately endearing, and a diverse cast of fully realized supporting characters fill out a fantasy world that readers will love to inhabit. Pair with chocolate for maximum enjoyment. VERDICT A delicious fantasy treat that will satisfy readers who hunger for feel-good tales that pack a girl-power punch, like Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted or the movie Moana.-Darla Salva Cruz, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Restless in her family's cavern and tired of disappointing the mother who urges her to follow her passion, whatever that might be, a young dragon named Aventurine runs away. She hasn't traveled far when a mage gives her a cup of hot chocolate that turns her into a human girl, an appalling turn of events. Still, she suddenly realizes her true passion: chocolate. She takes a position as a chocolatier's apprentice in nearby Drachenburg, but when the dragons take to the skies, and the king's ministers advise war against them, only Aventurine can save the townsfolk from her family's fiery wrath. Burgis creates a feisty protagonist with a temper that suits her dragon heritage, moderated only slightly by her desire to fit into human society. Actually, almost all of the female characters are strong and independent, though some are decidedly more sympathetic than others. Most of all, readers will be rooting for Aventurine throughout this well-paced, colorful narrative. An appealing chapter book for young fantasy fans.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2017 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Aventurine is a young dragon with a brave--and impulsive--spirit. She escapes her suffocating family cave only to drink magic hot chocolate that turns her human. As a girl, Aventurine finds her true passion apprenticing for a chocolatier. The sensory elements of this unique fantasy are well realized, from what it feels like to develop human muscles to the lush richness of hot chocolate. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Aventurine is tired of being treated like a baby hatchling.The young dragon dreams of exploring the world, but her mother wants her safe at home reading books and finding her passion. When Aventurine flies away from the mountain to prove she's fierce enough to take care of herself, she picks up a tantalizingly sweet scent that leads her to the source of the wonderful smell: chocolate. There's a human, too, whom Aventurine plans to eat. He gives her a cup of hot melty chocolate, and Aventurine's life changes with one enchanted sip. The bad news: Aventurine is now a vulnerable 12-year-old human girl. The good news: she's found her passionchocolate, of courseand she's going to apprentice herself to a chocolatier. With the help of Silke, a black girl in men's clothing, the unstoppable Aventurine, who still sees the world as a dragon does, finds her way to the Chocolate Heart and its proprietor, the golden-skinned Marina, a hot-tempered, uncompromising master chocolatier. As apprentice, Aventurine is launched on a new course, one on which she finds the strength to align her dragon and human selves while making chocolate that just might save the kingdom from some fiery enemies. Aventurine's human self is apparently white, but the cast of secondary characters is diverse: Marina's business partner is a black man, and the pink-skinned king has two brown-skinned daughters. A gloriously fresh story to be read with a steaming cup of chocolate at hand. (Fantasy. 8-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.