Review:  

Fablehaven, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary   

By:  Brandon Mull       

Awards:

PB:  Shadow Mountain, 2009

Main Character:  Girl and boy 

Location:  Mainly on a secret preserve north of Montana, present day 

Focus:  Fantasy, trust and betrayal, risk, choice

Review:  

I loved, loved, loved this book! I am a huge fan of this series and have anxiously awaited the arrival of the latest installment of  Fablehaven. I have to say that other than Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, I have not read a series that I have enjoyed this much since Harry Potter. Perhaps that sounds trite, but there it is.

 Fablehaven is unique (ahhhh) action-packed, creative and enthralling. I have found that it is easy for my students to read and to follow, while making them think (yippee). Although I have never taught any of the books in this series, I do think that they would make excellent read alouds. So many discussions could easily flow from the chapters and it is entertaining enough to keep even my most disinterested readers attentive after lunch. 

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, starts off with Kendra, the main character, being kidnapped by the Society of the Evening Star.  The action continued to be non-stop throughout the story. Although I was sad to learn that most of the book does not take place at Fablehaven, the dragon sanctuary of Wyrmroost is full of enough fascinating and terrible creatures to keep one pleasantly on edge. The usual gang, Seth, Kendra, Tanu,Gavin and Warren along with a few others travel to Wyrmroost to collect the key that will unlock a vault containing the translocator. This artifact, along with four others are capable of opening the demon prison, Zzyzx, thus unleashing terrors unknown and the inevitable destruction of the world. Unfortunately, Wyrmroost is a death trap and our brave adventurers are up against impossible odds. There are a few big surprises in this fourth installment of Fablehaven, that I must admit I did not see coming (making the story that much better). If you haven't picked up this series yet, do and recommend it to your friends and for sure your young readers. There is also a though-provoking reading guide at the end of the book.  

Possible Uses:  

Engaging reluctant readers  

To think about risk and consequences  

An excellent addition to a unit on fantasy. It would be fun to have students research the "creatures" which are borrowed from other sources and which are made up by the author. Students could compare and contrast the behavior of the characters in this story and in other stories. For example, centaurs are originally from Greek mythology and were known to be dark and taken to wild, drunken parties. In Fablehaven they consider themselves superior to other creatures. They are vain and mainly focused on the survival of their culture. They are easily prone to fighting. How do other authors of fantasy novels depict centaurs? How do the authors create new traits for ancient mythical beings to help them develop their own stories?