Reviewed by Deborah Menkart
Review Source: Teaching for Change
Book Author: Zetta Elliott
See all the books in the Dragons in a Bag series.
Set in gentrifying Brooklyn, Dragons in a Bag is about a young boy (Jax) who spends the day with an elderly neighbor (Ma) while his mother goes to court to challenge their eviction. To Jax’s surprise, Ma is a witch who needs his help on a mission to deliver three young dragons to another realm. He agrees. No spoilers here. Just be warned that readers will anxiously await the sequel.
Elliott explains that she wrote the book because, “The fantasy fiction I read as a child offered an escape from my own reality, but it didn’t provide the tools I needed to theorize my own experience. I wanted the urban students I taught to know that magic can happen to anyone, anywhere — not just white kids in a castle in England.” Continue reading.
Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott
Published by Random House Children's Books on October 23, 2018
Genres: African American, Animals, Economic Class, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Pages: 160
Reading Level: Grades 3-5
ISBN: 9781524770457
Review Source: Teaching for Change
Buy at Powell's Books
Also by this author: The Door at the Crossroads, Max Loves Muñecas!, Milo's Museum
The dragon's out of the bag in this diverse, young urban fantasy from an award-winning author!
When Jaxon is sent to spend the day with a mean old lady his mother calls Ma, he finds out she's nothis grandmother--but she isa witch! She needs his help delivering baby dragons to a magical world where they'll be safe. There are two rules when it comes to the dragons- don't let them out of the bag, and don't feed them anything sweet. Before he knows it, Jax and his friends Vikram and Kavita have broken both rules! Will Jax get the baby dragons delivered safe and sound? Or will they be lost in Brooklyn forever?
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