Fire and Wings: Dragon Tales from East and West

Author: Various
Pages: 141
Rating: G

Summary:
Newbery Award winner Jane Yolen’s enchanting preface “Dragons: An Unnatural History” introduces this collection of 15 dragon stories from England, Western and Eastern Europe, Korea, Japan, and China. Ferocious fire-breathing dragons face off with clever princesses and courageous village girls in a riddle match. But the last dragon in the world is a kind, gentle beast who sheds tears of joy when a princess calls him “dragon dear.” Ferocious or kind, wise or wicked, these mythical creatures transport readers to the far corners of the world.

My Thoughts: I got this book from the library to read throughout the week to my Summer Camp kids as we learned about China for the week. While there are two or three stories from China and other Asian countries, not all are like that. I thought it was a great little book of stories. Dragons are often found in various fairy tales, but they are not usually the main character, so it was fun to read a whole slew of stories just about dragons. None of them were stories I had heard before, although some were similar to other tales I have heard. Some stories were more serious, others were comical, and the dragons varied between being evil and good. It's definitely a twist on the run-of-the-mill fairy tale book. Definitely worth checking out.

What A Song Can Do: 12 Riffs on the Power of Music

Author: Various
Pages: 193
Rating: PG-13, but only because one story drops the F-bomb twice. But other than that, it's extremely clean. If you don't want the F-bomb, just skip the story entitled, "Riffs"

Summary: This compelling collection of stories explores the powerful impact that music has in our lives—especially in the lives of teens. Each story strikes a new note: Ron Koertge introduces us to the boys in the band—the marching band; Joseph Bruchac contributes a Native American boy with no rhythm whatsoever; Jennifer Armstrong writes about what was perhaps the first battle of the bands—during the American Civil War; and David Levithan offers up a love song that speaks powerfully to an unintended audience. But while each story is different, they combine into a harmonic song of praise—for the depths music can reach in us, and the power it has to bind us together.

My Thoughts: I'm not normally one for short stories, but I'm a sucker for anything musical, so I picked this one up. I actually really enjoyed each story in this book. They were all very well written and were touching in their own way. One reason I don't usually like short stories is because I want them all to be longer stories. I don't like how they end so quickly. I want them to be full books so I can really get to know the characters and read their ENTIRE story, not just a segment of it. But I liked each of the stories. Like I said in the rating, avoid the story called "Riffs" if you're not comfortable with the fact that it drops the F-bomb twice. I think my favorite story was probably the first one, "Variations on a Theme" which is basically a collection of one pages little bios from each instrument in a band. I loved that. I also liked "Tangled Notes in Watermelon" about a girl who has something called synesthesia, which causes her to see shapes and colors when she hears music. It's pretty interesting. The book wasn't life-changing or anything, but then, I'm not a short-story person, so give it a read anyway. It's nice and short, so you won't be wasting time, I can promise that.