Dragon Castle by Joseph Bruchac

From GoodReads: Young Prince Rashko is frustrated with his family – no one does any thinking but him! The kingdom and castle seem to be in the hands of fools. So when Rashko’s parents mysteriously disappear and the evil Baron Temny parks his army outside the castle walls, it is up to the young prince to save the day. But there is more to this castle and its history than meets the eye, and Rashko will have to embrace his ancestry, harness a dragon, and use his sword-fighting skills to stop the baron and save the kingdom. Along the way, he realizes that his family is not quite as stupid as he always thought.

My initial, gut reaction to this: OMG, OMG, OMG! THAT WAS SO GOOD!

To begin with the book is beautifully written. It has a sense of humor, a good vocabulary and an exciting plot. Bruchac does a masterful job of working in Slovak phrases and words to add authenticity to the story. Reading the author’s note it appears he did his research into Slovakian folklore and culture, both for the book and out of curiosity about his own heritage.

The story alternates between the story of Rashko and his ancestor, Pavol. It seems likely that at some point the two stories will meet or at the least begin to parallel each other. They don’t quite do either, but they entwine with each other in such a compelling way. Pavol’s story becomes a lesson for Rashko and place for him to find answers about the situation he finds himself in and advice about how to handle it. In Pavol’s adventures and legend you can really see Bruchac’s gift for storytelling and interest in folklore. The fantastic storytelling is there in Rashko’s story too, but it really shines in the details of the legend. Bruchac obviously drew on Slovak legends and the way he weaves details into his own legends is wonderful.

Rashko’s story is incredibly written with perfect pacing, suspense, and excitement. Rashko is such a likable character. While he feels like he has to tolerate his family and their lack of intellect he never sounds like a jerk. He has a great sense of humor that’s a little bit sarcastic and snarky, but not so much that he’s exasperating. However through the course of events he learns that maybe he doesn’t quite have the world as figured out as he thought, especially his family.

The structure of the book (alternating between legend and the present) and to some extent the plot reminded me a lot of The Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud. I also saw similarities in their situation with missing parents and Baron Temny taking over, in the role of magic and the role of the castle with Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George. The book would be totally appropriate for upper elementary, although it’s reading level might be a bit high. Certainly middle schoolers, especially those that love fantasy and folklore, will enjoy this. But it could extend up into high school too. Just an all around good book for most ages.