Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The funny classic middle grade book about a boy who accidentally hatches a dragon.

Sixth grader Jeremy Thatcher discovers a strange magic shop he has never seen before. He enters, and his life is changed forever.

After he leaves Mr. Elives' magic shop with a strange marbled egg, it soon becomes clear that this is one pet he wasn't prepared for! How is he supposed to keep a flame-breathing dragon with razor-sharp teeth and an out-of-control appetite in his bedroom?

But if the playful baby dragon is ever to grow up to become a magnificent beast of myth and legend, it needs Jeremy. And though he doesn't know it yet, Jeremy needs a dragon.

★ "A funny, enjoyable, imaginative story whose serious undercurrents lend it unexpected depth." --Kirkus (starred review)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-7-- In this entertaining fantasy readers will soon realize that things are not always as they seem. Jeremy Thatcher is plagued with all of the problems of a 12-year-old plus a few extra. He is pursued by Mary Lou Hutton, whom he detests, and is constantly put down by his art teacher for reasons he does not understand. One afternoon, in an effort to escape Mary Lou, Jeremy runs through alleys, side streets, and byways and finds himself in a part of town he has never seen before. He enters a small magic shop where he purchases a strange egg. A dragon that only Jeremy and Mary Lou can see enters the picture. The book is filled with scenes that will bring laughter and near tears to readers. Jeremy and his friends are believable characters; their actions and reactions are typical of the children's age. Once again, Coville offers a fantasy that younger readers can handle easily, and one in which dragons really exist for a little while. --Kenneth E. Kowen, Atascocita Middle School Library, Humble, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 4-6. Running home from school one day, 12-year-old Jeremy Thatcher suddenly finds himself in front of a strange magic shop. He purchases a small, marbled ball that turns out to be a dragon's egg--complete with instructions. Following the directions carefully, he successfully hatches a red, scaly beast that he names Tiamat. Visible only to Jeremy, the family pets, and one other friend, Tiamat nevertheless makes her presence known. She consumes huge quantities of milk and chicken livers, helps her master defend himself against a bullying classmate, and nearly incinerates the foot of Jeremy's cruel art teacher. Eventually, she must return to her own world, a fact that Jeremy has trouble accepting. Coville is most successful in melding the story's real and fantasy worlds and in creating Tiamat's unusual means of communication (visual telepathy delivered in an aura of colors), which seems an especially appropriate way of connecting with the artistic Jeremy. This is a handsomely designed book, with sepia-tone illustrations that enhance the story and with brown print on good-quality ivory paper. Dragon buffs and imaginative readers alike will enjoy Coville's light yet thoughtful fantasy. ~--Kay Weisman

Horn Book Review

While evading the class bullies one afternoon, Jeremy Thatcher discovers a magic shop and becomes the owner of a shining sphere of swirling colors that turns out to be a dragon egg. Jeremy cares for the dragon until the day when it must return to its own world. A simple fantasy about friendship. From HORN BOOK 1991, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

After yet another stomach-wrenching confrontation with his unsympathetic art teacher, Jeremy finds himself at a mysterious magic shop where he acquires an extraordinary, multicolored sphere--a dragon's egg that he has been chosen to hatch. Tiamet, the resulting, fast-growing dragon, has a distinct, sometimes importunate personality; the fact that only Jeremy can see her both saves and causes trouble, while her nonverbal communication (he learns to read the images in her mind and shares her intense hunger, even from a distance) underlines her role as an expression of Jeremy's frustration with the art teacher's demands for conformity. As the school year ends, the half-grown dragon goes on to her real home in another world, leaving Jeremy bereft but eventually able to nurture his real artistic gift. This unassuming story transcends its formula with the quality of its craftsmanship. Its details not only intrigue and amuse but dovetail neatly into the thematic structure. Jeremy is wise in the ways of animals partly because his dad is a vet, and in the possibilities of dragons because he's an avid fantasy reader; a librarian plays a part both in giving him a book about caring for Tiamat and in sending her home, while a reviled girl in his class (another reader) turns out to be a kindred spirit and the only other person who can see the dragon. A funny, enjoyable, imaginative story whose serious undercurrents lend it unexpected depth. Illustrations not seen. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.