Synopses & Reviews
When Kat and her father and brother visit the Mollie Kathleen, an old gold mine now open for tours by the busload, Kat gets lost from the group and falls down a shaft, where she discovers an awe-inspiring world of fantasy come to life. She meets an ancient dragon—the last of his kind—and discovers a secret about the gold that litters the creature's den and why dragons throughout time have hoarded the sparkling treasure.
The dragon helps Kat escape the endless caverns, but not before Kat greedily takes a piece of gold for herself. Feeling guilty, Kat decides to return it, but before she can do this she drops it in front of a group of visitors, and a media frenzy ensues. Soon the mining town is filled with gold seekers. In order to save the dragon and his gold, Kat and her brother must venture back into the mine to warn him. But will they get there in time?
This fast-paced, beautifully told modern fantasy tale by children's book illustrator Troy Howell will keep readers spellbound.
Praise for The Dragon of Cripple Creek
“Writing in Kats first-person narrative, which is wry and funny, clipped and eloquent, Howell, best known as an illustrator, mixes fantasy adventure with a moving conservation story in a debut that blends sadness, secrecy, and pure fun.” -Booklist
Synopsis
Thirteen-year-old Rowan Popplewell and his younger sister Nina are sent to spend the summer with their two eccentric great-aunts in Owatannauk, Maine, a town with 104 residents and as many secrets. Rowan wonders why there isn't electricity, where his aunts get the priceless antiques that fill their "curio" shop, why the tiny town has a library to rival the world's best, if Aunt Agatha can really read his mind, where Aunt Gertrude disappears to at night, but most of all, what is going on every sunset (or "golden hour") at the old, abandoned resort hotel on the edge of town? The resort turns out to be an elaborate time machine, built by a mad genius who has long since disappeared. Cautious Rowan wants nothing to do with the place, despite the urgings of two adventuresome new friends, twins Xanthe and Xavier. But when Nina disappears too, the kids have no choice but to follow her on a dash through time, straight into the terrors of the French Revolution.
Synopsis
In this time-travel adventure, 13-year-old Rowan Popplewell and his younger sister Nina are sent to spend the summer with their two eccentric great-aunts in Owatannauk, Maine, a town with 104 residents and as many secrets.
Synopsis
[An] intriguing time-traveller tale with echoes of Tom's Midnight Garden., Richard Peck, author of Newbery Medalwinner A Year Down Yonder
A classic adventure story of gadgets, eccentrics, and unexpected travel . . . This thrilling first novel will remind readers of the adventure stories of Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming, with their amazing inventions, mysterious adults, and courageous kids.
Rowan Popplewell's life stinks. He can think of ten reasons why without even trying. And having to spend the summer in tiny Owatannauk, Maine, with two strange aunts and his silent sister, Nina, isn't even the biggest one. But just when he thinks he's in for a month of shell collecting and watching the grass grow, Rowan notices weird things going on in Owatannauk, particularly at the abandoned hotel at the edge of town. Xanthe and Xavier, twins who befriend Rowan, invite him to explore the place. Aunt Agatha warns him not to go near it. Rowan isn't sure what he wants to do. Then the weirdest and worst thing of all happens, Nina disappears. Now Rowan, who has made it through every level of every video game he's ever played, finds himself playing a game with rules he doesn't know against the toughest opponent of all, time.
About the Author
Troy Howell has won an Educational Press Association of America Distinguished Achievement Award and New York and Los Angeles Society of Illustrators merit awards. His work has been named a Redbook Best Children's Book of the Year. This is his first novel. He lives in Falmouth, Virginia.