A Dragon in the Family

The second Dragonling book does exactly what a good series entry should: it raises the stakes while staying true to what made the first book work. Darek and Zantor return home only to face community rejection, betrayal by friends, and his father's arrest — all because of a dragon. The conflict feels real without being frightening, and the themes of courage, loyalty, and the hard work of changing minds around you are communicated cleanly. Jackie French Koller calibrates the vocabulary and chapter length well for second-through-fourth graders just building reading stamina. The mild caveat is that the community conflict resolves perhaps a bit too neatly, and this is very much a middle-of-series book — best read in order. A solid, values-driven chapter book for young readers.