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In February I signed up for the Just Like Me Box. Each month members are sent multicultural books geared towards the age group of your choosing. I chose ages 9-12 since I work with fifth and sixth graders. As I am always on the lookout for new books to share with my students, I was very excited to receive my first package. When I opened the box to see that one of the books was a fantasy fiction books and included dragons no less, I couldn’t wait to start reading.
Immediately I was drawn in by the title of the book, Dragons in a Bag. I needed to know who has dragons and why are they in a bag?! The author, Zetta Elliott does an excellent job creating suspense in the first page of the book. The main character Jaxon is a smart young man who knows that all is not well with his mother. He can tell by the way she is acting and the fact that she is taking him to a place that he has never been. Things have been hard for Jaxon and his mother since his father passed away. Now his mother that he affectionately calls Mama is now dropping him off at someone named Ma’s house.
Jaxon also known as Jax, is suspicious of Ma right away. So many thoughts are swirling through his head. He has never heard of or seen this person before. Their first meeting does not go ideally. Ma seems to be rude and abrupt. Jax can’t believe that he has to spend any time with this lady. He also wonders how does Mama even know someone like Ma. Then there is the matter of the strange package sitting on Ma’s kitchen counter. If Jax didn’t know any better, he would swear the package was moving!
Elliot continues to unravel a story that draws readers in until the very last word. Not only does she write a story about the exciting world of magic, she also tells an important tale of family love and loyalty. Jax learns that sometimes secrets hurt more than they help and that we must forgive others if we want to be able to move on. Did I also mention that this book is the first in a series? The next book, The Dragon Thief, comes out in October 2019! And you definitely have to read it because Dragons in a Bag ends with a huge cliff hanger. I’ll be chomping at the bit until October!
Do yourself a favor and order your copy of this book right away!