• Age: 10 to 14
• Grade: 6 to 10

Norl, the boy who saved Dahl the King from the dragon Caulda, has grown under the tutelage of Catryn, the Seer of Taun. The Elders have proclaimed that he will be the Bringer of Light and will rid their world of the last of the dragons. But Norl has trouble believing them. He has no magic and is haunted by his promise to Caulda, which saved Dahl and Catryn from the dragon’s wrath: “I will come back to you if you spare them!”

Leaving Catryn’s side, Norl goes to meet his fate. Along the way, he encounters a strange girl, the last of the half-dragon, half-human dragonlings that were once the peacekeepers of Taun. He discovers that a dying Caulda has no plans to kill him—instead, she commands Norl to watch over her newly hatched child! As the terrifying shadow of evil falls again across Taun, humans, dragons and dragonlings must find the trust they need to stand together.

Karleen Bradford returns to a world of magic and danger in this glorious sequel to Dragonfire and Whisperings of Magic. Fast-paced and exciting, with themes of discovery and redemption, Dragonmaster is a thrilling tale about believing in yourself and trusting in others.

Karleen Bradford is the award-winning author of twenty-two works of fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults. Her books include historical novels, fantasy and contemporary stories, as well as picture books and chapter books.

She was born in Toronto, Ontario, but spent most of her childhood years in Argentina. She returned to Canada to take a B.A. at the University of Toronto in 1959, and married James Bradford, a Foreign Service Officer with the Canadian Government. Until 1992, Karleen and her family travelled and lived in Colombia, the United States, England, the Philippines, Brazil, Germany and Puerto Rico, with two home postings in Canada. Settings for many of her books have come from these countries. She now lives back in Canada in Owen Sound, Ontario. Three children, four grandchildren, and assorted granddogs live nearby.

Karleen has taught Creative Writing and Writing for Children at Algonquin College, the Adult High School, and various community centres in Ottawa. During a posting in Germany she also taught creative writing classes and did writing workshops with children in U.S.A. Department of Defense Schools throughout the country. In 1999 she worked with students in the Taipei American School in Taiwan.

She has worked in schools across Canada through The Writers' Union of Canada and the Ontario Arts Council programs for writers in the schools and has, as well, participated in numerous Canada Council Readings programs. She toured Nova Scotia in 1984, New Brunswick in 1989, Quèbec in 1998, and Manitoba in 2005 for the TD Children's Book Week, and has worked as a Writer in Residence for the WIER (Writers in Electronic Residence) program in schools across Canada.

You can find out more about Karleen and her work at www.karleenbradford.com.

 

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Dragonmaster

The first thing Norl became aware of was the smell. It was all he could do not to choke on it, but he managed to control the need.

Norl regains consciousness in the lair of the fearful dragon, Caulda. Powerful Caulda had extracted Norl’s promise to return to her in Karleen Bradford’s previous book about the world of Taun. As Dragonmaster opens, Norl is frustrated that his studies of magic seem useless, so he leaves his mentor the Seer Catryn and sets out to fulfill his promise. Shockingly, Caulda does not kill Norl, but informs him that she is dying and that he will care for her “child.” Also surprisingly, Norl determines that he will help the baby dragon. Little does Norl know he will battle evil with the new dragon! His other companions are a creature known as Sele the Plump and Taun’s last dragonling. Hhana is a halfhuman, half-dragon creature whose nearly extinct race used to keep the peace between dragons and humans. At present, it seems an imbalance needs to be righted so that dragons, dragonlings and humans will band together to destroy the black forces poisoning Taun’s life-giving water. Will Norl find his own magic in time?

The plot of expert storyteller Karleen Bradford flies straight and true like an arrow, from beginning to triumphant end. Readers will seek out Bradford’s other titles about Taun, a world that is so real it may be whirling somewhere in our own galaxy.

Dragonmaster

The Elders have proclaimed that Norl will be the “Bringer of Light” and will rid the kingdom of the last of the dragons. As the terrifying shadow of evil falls across Taun, humans, dragons and dragonlings must find the trust they need to stand together.