Epic Dragon Books for Tweens and Teens

by the Brightly Editors

For centuries, humans worldwide have been fascinated by dragons, and for good reason! Stories of these fire-breathing behemoths — both friendly and fearsome — can spark a fiery sense of adventure and magic in fantasy readers of all ages. From dragons in a sock drawer to an ancient legacy of dragon riders, these dragon books for tweens and teens are no exception.

  • A Dragon’s Guide to Making Your Human Smarter

    by Laurence Yep and Joanne Ryder, illustrated by Mary GrandPré

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    Readers first met Winnie and Miss Drake in A Dragon’s Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans; in this second book in the Dragon’s Guide series, Winnie is excited to be taught science by Sir Isaac Newton at The Spriggs Academy. A Dragon’s Guide to Making Your Human Smarter is filled with school stories, suspense, and the wonders of true friendship. Its whimsical and imaginative tale of magic, mischief, and, of course, mayhem will not disappoint.

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  • Eragon

    by Christopher Paolini

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    We can’t talk about dragon books without mentioning Eragon. For almost 20 years, fantasy lovers have obsessed over the story of a teenage boy who finds a dragon egg and uncovers an ancient legacy of dragon riders. With over 35 million copies sold, this modern classic is a must-read for any dragon-loving reader!

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  • My Father’s Dragon

    by Ruth Stiles Gannett

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    Elmer Elevator, who runs away to Wild Island to rescue a baby Dragon, tells this story as though he’s relating true events of our magic-filled past. Both a Newbery Honor Book and an ALA Notable Book, three stories were published in a 50-year anniversary edition as Three Tales of My Father's Dragon. It was made into an anime film titled, “Elmer's Adventures: My Father's Dragon.”

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  • Eon

    by Allison Goodman

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    Steeped in a unique blend of Chinese and Japanese mythology, this bestselling fantasy novel centers on Eon, a candidate to become the next Dragoneye apprentice. But Eon is actually Eona, a 16-year-old girl pretending to be a boy. And should anyone discover her dangerous secret, she's assuredly dead.

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  • Escaping Ordinary

    by Scott Reintgen

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    Young readers are raving over this book about dragons, video games, quests, and a group of friends that must save the world’s stories from disappearing forever. This one-of-a-kind adventure will draw in dragon lovers and video game enthusiasts alike. If your child hasn’t read the first book in the series yet, have them start with Saving Fable so that they can catch all the action.

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  • The Dragon in the Sock Drawer

    by Kate Klimo, illustrated by John Shroades

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    Not everyone expects to find an egg hatching in their sock drawer, not to mention an egg hatching a living, breathing baby dragon! Jesse and Daisy have always craved magic in their lives, and Emmy the dragon, is tiny, loud, and life-changing in a big way. Soon the two cousins are at the baby dragon’s beck and call, trying to figure out what to feed her. When they learn that they have been designated “Dragon Keepers,” Jesse and Daisy learn that they don’t just have to figure out how to care for Emmy — they have to save her from the evil Saint George who has sustained himself for centuries on the blood of dragons.

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  • Seraphina

    by Rachel Hartman

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    Rachel Hartman’s award-winning debut novel takes teen readers into a world where dragons and humans live side by side. But when a human prince is murdered, and dragons are blamed, the relationship between the two species is stretched to its limits.

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  • Dragonflight

    by Anne McCaffrey

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    First published in 1968, this classic sci-fi/fantasy novel featuring a heroine has endured. Lessa has spent her life serving the nobles who betrayed her father, but it’s a disguise — Lessa is the true noble who, with the help of a queen dragon, has to risk her life to save her world from a destructive substance called Thread. This is the first book in the Pern series and, while some of the themes are admittedly dated, the imaginative and believable depictions of dragons will win over any young reader.

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  • Dragons in a Bag

    by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Geneva B

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    Dragons in Brooklyn?! It may sound crazy, but when Jaxon spends the day with a cranky woman (who turns out to be a witch), he gets roped into transporting baby dragons to an alternate dimension. Along the way, he’ll discover the magical side of the city, meet interesting people, and experience the adventure of a lifetime.

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  • Fireborne

    by Rosaria Munda

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    Lee and Annie come from very different backgrounds, but their shared experience of growing up in an orphanage forged a strong bond between them. Now, both teenagers are competing for the top position in the dragon-riding fleet. War, romance, competition, and dragons make this fast-paced fantasy novel impossible to set down.

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