When the debut novel
of a dear friend is released and available for book shelves in libraries,
bookstores, and your house, it's a cause for celebration. Drum roll, please!
THE LAZY DRAGON AND
THE BUMBLESPELLS WIZARD by Kath Boyd Marsh, CBAY Books, 2016
With a twin sister
like Hazel, Cl’rnce doesn’t need any enemies. On the other hand, he’s done a
pretty good job of making enemies all by himself. Cl’rnce is a prankster. Hazel is a spoiler.
A spoiler is a role
I do not wish to play, so I will say as little as possible about what really
happens in this delightful fantasy about dragons and wizards (which you could
figure out from the title, yes?) and a race to see who will be Primus, ruler of
all the Dr’gon Nations.
First, Cl’rence
needs a Wizard Partner. He doesn’t want one.
Meanwhile, back at
her desk, the author is creating Moire Ain, a perfect WP, except first she has
to escape from the Hedge-Witch.
And then, there is
the Whisper Stone. It’s a treasure sought by lots of evil-doers, or evil doer
wannabes.
Those who have
endured sibling torment will gravitate to Cl’rnce’s corner even as they giggle
at Hazel’s insults. He has been suffering from Hazel’s rants for 420 years. No
wonder all Cl’rnce wants to do is nap. That alone would make a dr’gon tired,
wouldn’t it? On the other hand, thinking up mischief is tiring, too. And Cl’rnce
is gifted at that. It’s carrying out all those great chuckle-worthy plans that
lands him in trouble.
The readers won’t
nap. From giggling 3rd graders to page turning 4th and 5th
graders, this tale is filled with magick and kindness, heroes and villains,
witches and dragons and ….well there’s no end to the enchantment.
And I can’t leave out
Raspberries! He’s a guard bird. At least that’s what I’d call him.
Another drum roll,
please.