It definitely grabbed my attention on the shelf. That being said I couldn't find a connection to the characters. That is every bit as important as the story being told. You need me to scream and want to throw the book at something because im in an emotional state over the characters. (I have never actually thrown my books at anything.) It does have potential. Some things could have been fleshed out better and more detail. Someone else may enjoy the book more. This one just will not be added amon...

Dragon Castle was a very interesting and imaginative story. The main character, Rashko, and his brother Paulek had to protect their kingdom from the evil baron. Rashko used the power and magic of his ancestor, Prince Pavol, to defeat the evil baron and his wife. Rashko had learned a lot about his mysterious ancestor and where to find his magic relics, which he used to defeat the baron.

I originally gave this book a 4 star rating because of the ending. The ending is a bit rushed and there are some parts that are cheesy and a few plot elements are rushed at the end. So why did I change it to a 5 star rating?Well, it all started when I was talking to a coworker of mine during a slow day at work. We had about a couples hours of overtime so we were having a conversation about books since he saw me reading a book at work. (I was reading Hunting Prince Dracula at the time) While

Really creative story! I loved the ending where it told where the folk tales came from that this story is based on. Fascinating!

It was pretty fun. It has a tall tale/legend vibe that you learn in the afterword is purposeful as the book is the author's take on traditional central European legends. The unreliable narrator is pretty funny.

"When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years." This quote is often attributed to Mark Twain though no one has ever been able to prove it much one way or another. The sentiment, however, is universal. There comes a certain time in a young teen's life when their parents lose a bit of their luster. Suddenly the kid feels that they themselves are the arb...

Dragon Castle by Joseph Bruchac This was a okay Teen - YA Book. It is mostly about a Dragon. It is a slow book. I give this book 4/5 Stars. Happy Reading :)

An interesting story about a prince who is more intelligent than the rest of his family. His castle is under siege and his parents are missing. He has two giant wolf-dogs that he can talk with. A simple plot with lots of action, magic and revelation.

The strength of this book lies in its tone and its mastery of fairy tale imagery, and the understanding of storytelling through proverbs and allegory. I admit there were a lot of parts that I struggled with, even being a big fan of fairy tales. It was hard for me to get into the rhythm of the alternating chapters that jumped between the past and the present until I was pretty far into the narrative, where they became actually part of the story (the main character was reading his ancestor's histo...

Things I Liked: I loved the beautiful setting and the lovely Slovak details of this story (probably because I had such a great time visiting the Czech Republic a few years back)! The characters, the folk tale-ish feel of it, all of these things appealed to me. The whole story and atmosphere had me drawn into its details almost from the first. I loved the characters too, how Rashko thinks he's so smart and everyone in his family is moronic - it was very teenage of him. I think the relationships b...

The things I loved the most about this book were the narrator's personality (personality is typical in a first-person MC, but not guaranteed), and the clear good vs. evil conflict.Now, having said that, the plot was NOT predictable. Oh, certain pieces were, but so much was unexpected.The book also had some rather hilarious scenes, especially when the king and queen tried to dress up like peasants.There were a lot of single Slovakian words in the dialogue, which made the book feel so rich. Ano is...

“I wish I were older. I wish my parents were here. I wish I knew how to make my wishes come true. But I don’t.” (P. 99). The story was unexpected, the lesson worth remembering and the ending genuinely satisfying. You leave the pages of this book feeling simultaneously a bit wiser- and yet a little more childlike.

Finally, an enjoyable book without language that would make my mother blush and intimate scenes that make me blush. I've read too many YA books in a row with strong language and mature themes. It was nice to read a wholesome book with just a light touch of romance. I was looking forward to this book simply for the fact that it seemed an unlikely book for Joseph Bruchac to write. I was more accustomed to his books that focused on Native Americans. I went into our public library to pick up books t...

I really liked this, but not for different reasons than I was expecting. There was a surprising lack of dragons in this book with "dragon" in the title (dragons are in maybe a total of 20 pages). So while it wasn't really a book I'd hand to kids hungry for a dragon book, I enjoyed the classic legend feel of the Pavol storyline (although it was a little confusing keeping Pavol and Raschko separate when their storylines were so intentionally similar). I loved Raschoko's exuberant older brother, to...

Good book overall, this book would be good for the middle school age. I didn't like the switching between times each chapter, as there didn't seem to be enough differentiation between the main characters of each time. I did like the ending though. I wouldn't personally use this book in my classroom but it is a great fantasy book for middle school aged kids to read!

Joseph Bruchac explores his Slovakian roots in this juvenile fantasy fiction. Young Prince Rashko has grown up in a castle with a dragon and a fortune. There are stories about how his ancestor discovered the fortune, the dragon, and built the castle in one day. When his parents are called away, the castle is surrounded by an enemy army. Rashko must discover secrets about the castle's history to save it.

Prince Rashko, who tells the story, knows that his parents, the king and queen, along with his brother, Paulek, who is in line to be king, aren't the smartest people. His parents disppear just before evil Baron Temny shows up with his forces and camps outside the castle walls. Paulek is immediately smitten with his daughter and literally falls under her spell. He invites the Baron and his entourage inside the castle walls as guests. Rashko feels that his brother has invited the enemy in and give...

Rather good overall. I didn't like the switching between times each chapter, as there didn't seem to be enough differentiation between the main characters of each time. I did like the ending (operatically swift in terms of romance, it seemed), especially when the character development/realization I had given up hope on actually came through.

There was more depth in this than I thought there would be. Loved it!

I am on p 72 and am bored with it. I don't like the way it switches back and forth from the original tale to the current tale. It is jarring and disrupts my ability to get the gist of the story. Not sure if I plan to finish this one. I have started this one several times thinking it was just the time I tried reading it. It is my opinion if you are not enjoying a read by 50 pages or so you should find another read. I have too many other books in my "to read" box from school that I know are enjoya...