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Book Review By Sarah
Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde

The book takes place in medieval times. Alys, a teenager, lives with her father (her mom died when she was born) above the blacksmith's shop where her father works. Suddenly, the villagers, for no reason at all, decide that she is a witch. At her trial, her father drops dead from the strain of it. The villagers then take her and tie her to a post on a mountain so a dragon will eat her. She manages to work her way loose from her bindings. She is trying to think of what to do, when a dragon swoops down. Here's an excerpt from the book:

Her first inclination was to hope the dragon hadn't seen the torches and that she'd have time to run under cover of the nearby trees... Then she realized the dragon hadn't seen her, and that if she stayed still for a few moments longer, she was free. But she was soaked to the skin and cold, and she hadn't eaten anything since early morning, and she was an orphan with nowhere, absolutely nowhere, to go. And she remembered the wolves. Her choices, as she saw them, were to die quick or to die slow. She chose quick. Standing, she flung a rock with all her might. "You stupid dragon!" she screamed. "Come and get me!"

The dragon picks her up and carries her over to a haystack by a deserted farm. He then transformed into a human. He told her that his name is Selendrile and that dragons can change into any animal they like. Although dragons aren't supposed to meddle in human affairs, he decides to help her get revenge on the villagers.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book - cynical or dry-wit
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past
Romance Yes
Romance plotlets: - falling in love with the enemy
Adversaries are… - dragon buddy
Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14)
GIANT monster(s) Yes
Descript. of chases or violence - 20 %
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 10 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 %
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 30 %
Human/magical couple? Yes
Type of couple: - She's a human, he's a magical being

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Age: - a teen

Main Adversary
Identity: - magical being
Age: - long-lived adults
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can change shapes
Eccentric: Yes
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a lot
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters

Setting
Earth setting: - during "Tolkien" (fairytime) times
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue? - significantly more descript than dialog
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