Otter (short for Ottilie) is a girl who is most comfortable on her family's ship, the Tempest, where she and her father's collect the dragon hides that protect the queen's guards. But all is not well in the kingdom, and it's not clear if the queen is to blame. The streets are full of homeless kids, and now one of them, a street-smart boy called London, has stowed away on the Tempest. He befriends Otter, and soon they realize that the fate of the kingdom needs to be in the hands of the kids. For in every tight spot-during pirate attacks and navigating the magical land of the Netherwhere, where they get ship-wrecked-it is the quick-witted kids who save the day. As they work to fight injustice and protect the defenceless, they earn the respect of the realm's most magical creatures-dragons and gargoyles-who all bond together as a force for good.
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At first when the door between worlds opened, it was mostly the creatures that flew who went.
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(Nancy Paulsen Books, 14 February 2023, e-book, 176 pages, borrowed from North Ayrshire Libraries via Borrowbox, #POPSUGARReadingChallenge, a book that features dragons)
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I chose to read The Hidden Dragon because it fit the Popsugar category. I'd never heard of the book or author before. I enjoyed this book a lot. It's a short read but so much happens in these scant pages I felt like I read something much longer. I liked the fact the chapters alternate between the viewpoint of different characters. This is one of my favourite narrative structures and really helps to pace the book and build suspense and tension. I enjoyed this a lot and would recommend it.
