Ahhhhh this book is so deliciously fun! It's full of imagination, joy, humor and adventure, with an enormous underpinning of heart to ground it all

Great book that my 2nd and 3rd graders loved! Action packed that keeps the kids wanting more but relatable characters. My students were appreciative of having a MC that they could relate to and one that looked like them. Great start to the series!

What starts out as a rather tumultuous day for Jaxon and his mother turns into the greatest adventure of his life in Dragons in a Bag. Left alone with ‘Ma,’ a fictive relative who helped raise his mother, Jaxon is introduced to a world of magic that he never could have imagined existed alongside his Brooklyn neighborhood. Soon he’s accompanying Ma and an eclectic collection of characters (and talking animals) on travels through time and space and beyond.

Tasked with delivering a trio of newborn dragons to the magical realm, Jaxon has to rely on his friends as well as newfound family members he’s never met before — and some talking animals, too. It’s a thrilling read full of adventure, family secrets, and most importantly, magic. Unfortunately, things don’t go smoothly in Dragons in a Bag as you can surmise from the title of The Dragon Thief...

It seems like a great time to say SPOILER ALERT! if you haven’t read The Dragon Thief.

With one of the baby dragons now missing and “stolen” by Jaxon’s bestfriend Vikram’s younger sister, Kavita, he finds himself in a tough spot. He’s got to find the missing dragon who just keeps on growing and growing – a hard thing to hide in the city! Split between the perspective of Jaxon and Kavita, we see the two go on their own adventures assisted by those closest to them and new friends alike. It’s a fitting continuation of a very magical journey!

One of the things that really sets Dragons in a Bag and The Dragon Thief apart is the story’s emphasis on diversity both in it’s characters and their communities. Diversity in children’s fantasy is something that has remained rather lacking even with the increasing call for #OwnVoices and diverse stories. Author Zetta Elliott brings magic to the Brooklyn neighborhood she speaks so highly of in her acknowledgements and brings young readers – especially young readers of color – the kind of stories of Black magic and adventure that they deserve.

EXCERPT FROM BOOK TOUR POST. A REVIEW COPY WAS PROVIDED FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW.

What a fun premise! Dragons in Brooklyn, a Ma who’s a witch and a transport machine in the middle of a downtown park. Zetta Elliott leads middle grade readers on a quest to find and capture baby dragons all while avoiding time traps and tricksters. Jaxon has so may discoveries about himself, his heritage and his potential. Time travel can be dangerous! Fast paced and easy to read fantasy with colorful characters. We loved it!

Random House #partner - I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. [I listened to an audio version to refresh my memory so I can write this belated review.]
….
Released 10/23/18
….
Jaxon's mom leaves him with an acquaintance of hers so she can attend to important matters at the court. Within hours of his stay he discovers the babysitter is a witch with a special package she needs to deliver to a magic realm. Events quickly spiral out of control from there on.

I was taken by surprise at how fast paced this turned out to be. Although I would've appreciated a bit more time to take things in, I love how Jaxon took in his first encounter with magic. It was as if Jaxon had been waiting for it all along the same way I did as a kid. The magic is both what's familiar and what isn't and I love that it can be found in our everyday places and routines.

I'm looking forward to book two with the hopes that it will have more dragon presence and of course, bucket loads of shenanigans.

A light, sweet adventure with hints of family secrets and the open-ended promise of more. A really fun early chapter book

I’m returning from my review-writing hiatus with a story that incorporates some of my favorite things: Black people, magic, witches, dragons, teleportation, and Brooklyn. Dragons in a Bag is a delightful middle-grade fantasy that I would have loved to receive as a child. In this story, author Zetta Elliott introduces us to magic functioning across dimensions through the lens of 9-year-old Brooklynite, Jaxon.

The book opens with the main character Jaxon, or Jax for short, being aware of and worrying about ‘adult things’ like facing eviction and his mother leaving him with an older relative that he doesn’t know very well. This situation reminds me very much of when I was younger and observed issues that my mother had whether she shared them directly with me or not. Similarly, when my sister and I had days off of school and my mother had to work, she would leave us with older relatives that we loathed to stay with because their house was no fun. I appreciate the author’s inclusion of childhood observation and frustration, which is often overlooked in ‘adult’ fiction, with many younger characters missing nuance in the situations surrounding them. The author’s characterization of Jax and the adults allowed me to empathize with each perspective while also seeing the issues in each characters’ choices.

Another nuance that the author developed well reminded me of the another BGC favorite, Daniel José Older, who is fantastic at describing Brooklyn and making characters speak like New Yorkers. From discussing that ways in which people interact with Prospect Park to reading the ebb and flow of New York traffic, Jax sounds authentically New York.

Fortunately for Jax and Ma, adventure is not far away from the park as the main teleportation devices, gatehouses, are in easy and conspicuous reach. These gatehouses are important to Jax’s physical and metaphysical journeys, as, through passage into distant lands and times, Jax begins to appreciate the oversight and assistance of elders in fixing his big mistake. I also appreciate how Jax is allowed to be emotionally sensitive, expressing upset when things go wrong through the story and receiving support from adults during those moments.

As one could imagine with a book titled Dragons in Bag, at some point someone lets them out. While the culprit isn’t Jax, he is responsible for what happens after getting friends involved. Throughout the book we see Jax reckoning with the idea of responsibility – how adults hold his care as a responsibility and how he is responsible for himself.

I would recommend this book to people across all age brackets as subtle ‘adult’ hints are laid throughout the story that point to and explore the relationships that Jaxon’s mother has with other adults in the book. There are additional mysteries about where the magic has gone over time and who knows of its existence. In all, this book does a fantastic job at laying the groundwork for an intriguing series with twists that are capable of captivating any reader.

When Jaxon is sent to live with his grandmother, he finds out that she is actually a witch and not his grandmother. This witch needs help delivering baby dragons to the magical world. With his friends, Vikram and Kavita, Jax must protect these baby dragons and must remember not to feed them sweets or let them out of the bags. After breaking rules, will they be able to protect the dragons and get them home or will they be lost forever.

This is a very fun magical mystery story about Jaxon, who ends up with a lady named Ma because his own mother had to go to court to try to keep from getting evicted from their apartment. Things are pretty weird at Ma's, starting with the fact that she offers him a peanut butter sandwich and a beer (ok, it's a root beer, but still). When Ma goes to make a phone call, she tells Jaxon to read a book (she doesn't have a TV!) and that's when things start to get really weird-a squirrel comes to the window and then starts listening to a box that Ma left on the counter. It turns out Ma has a delivery to make, and it involves some magic, some time travel and a lot of surprises. This is going to be a great one for the lower middle grade read readers.

Love this new fantastical and magical book for early middle grade readers. Featuring diverse characters, dimension and time travel, magic, and mystery.

Dragons in a Bag is a refreshing take on children’s fantasy, setting up a sorcerer’s apprentice tale in Brooklyn using an entirely Black and brown cast (with one magical exception). Zetta Elliott tells a fun, exciting story about a young boy discovering that the world is much bigger and and stranger than he thought it was; at the same time, she explores complicated family dynamics and examines the impact of gentrification on residents of color.

If that sounds like a lot to fit into an early middle grade book, it is. Elliott makes it work, though, with her main character Jaxon. He’s a sweet, smart, and thoughtful 9-year-old trying to make sense of everything around him. Young readers will relate to Jaxon’s experiences: there are moments when Jaxon talks about not really understanding what adults are talking about that will ring true to kids who can’t quite grasp adult concepts or idioms just yet. And more importantly, Jaxon will allow a lot of young Black readers to see themselves as the hero in a fantasy story and know that they don’t have to go to school in a giant castle to perform feats of powerful sorcery.

One of Elliott’s central themes seems to be that magic used to be everywhere in this world, but it has been stamped out by colonialism and, later, gentrification. Many of the adult remarks that go over Jaxon’s head allude to this idea. We see Jaxon’s mother go to court to deal with a landlord who has illegally cut off their utilities and threatened them with eviction, showing the effects of gentrification pricing residents of color out of Brooklyn. Elliott doesn’t sugarcoat Jaxon’s family struggles, but the book remains buoyant and hopeful because of Jaxon’s kindheartedness and utter delight at all things magical.

With his mother in court, he spends the day with Ma, a friend of the family. He soon learns that Ma is a witch who has been tasked with returning three baby dragons to a land of magic, since there isn’t any magic left in Brooklyn anymore (according to Ma, who also bemoans the gentrification of the neighborhood, with its “‘Artisanal’ this and ‘organic’ that”). Jaxon volunteers to be her apprentice, and they go off on an adventure to a magical realm. Even when things go wrong — which they do at pretty much every turn — Jaxon remains determined, loyal, and excited to see more magic.

A vital #ownvoices story about a Black Brooklyn family dealing with economic injustice and a joyful, unpredictable urban fantasy tale of magic and time travel, Dragons in a Bag is an exciting start to a new series that will provide representation for a large number of young readers who rarely see themselves in the pages of fantasy books. The sequel, The Dragon Thief, promises even more representation as it seems poised to pick up from the slight cliffhanger ending of the first book and focus on characters only briefly featured in the previous story. Fans of magic, fantasy, and adventure will cheer Jaxon throughout Dragons in a Bag and will breathe a sigh of relief once they have book two in their hands.

A kid friendly Gremlins with cute baby dragons, this adorable kid's book is just the ticket for a fantasy loving family. With lessons on obeying the rules and honoring your promises, Dragons in a Bag will have you falling in love with both the characters and their charges. WONDERFUL!!

**thanks to the publishers for the honor to review this ARC. My opinions are my own**

Magic in Brooklyn. This is a sweet imaginative book that will appeal to all middle grade fantasy fans.

The characters are real life people, trying to keep their house, and dealing with complicated relationships between family and friends. And it's set in Brooklyn, notably near prospect park, which makes it all the more real for us Brooklyners. Plus there's magic. With magical creatures and travels to other worlds and times.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was written so beautifully, I finished it within a few short hours. The fact that all characters were people of color added a unique flavor that fit perfectly with the neighborhood.

Disclaimer: I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dragons, dinosaurs, parallel dimensions, and Ma

Jaxon is trying to be brave and helpful for his mother, who’s having a really bad day. Their landlord is trying to evict them, she has to be in court, and an old lady that Jaxon’s never met, who is supposedly his grandma, makes his momma beg. It’s not a great beginning, but Ma finally lets Jaxon in. It’s not quite the visit Jax was expecting: Ma is NOT his grandmother, a mysterious box is moving itself around, and the squirrel knocking on the window would like to have a word.

Actually the squirrel would like Jax to feed whatever is in the box. Ma is a witch, dragon babies imprint on whoever feeds them, and sugar is not a good idea for dragon food. When Ma, impressed by Jax’s knowledge, love of books, and his desire to learn, recruits him to help her take the dragons to the world where they’ll be safe, things get complicated. He’s about to meet family he never knew he had, dragons his friend’s little sister should not have let out of the box, and some very hungry predators.

Dragons in a Bag is a fun adventure story with a lot of good life lessons about the meaning of family, and the value friendship, bravery, perseverance, and more. There are also conversations starters for conservationism, environmentalism, imagination, open-mindedness, and forgiveness.

Quite a fun romp. Highly recommended for children who love adventure, mysteries, magic, and mayhem. I hope this is a start to a series!

I received this book as a digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the publisher through NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Isn’t that cover just adorable! This is the first book that I have read by this author, who I think has been around for awhile, but somehow I have missed her books before this one. I will be fixing that, and am looking forward to reading her other works as well as adding them to my school library.

Jaxon is such a sweet kid, I loved him almost at once. He cares a great deal for his mother and worries about their future. His reaction to Ma was spot on. He didn’t trust her at first, and was put off by her attitude towards him, but he warms up to her eventually. He is a smart kid, and curious. He also takes most of what happens to him in stride with little fuss.

Ma was a great character as well, although at times a little rough around the edges. She can be sweet when she wants to be though, and it is obvious that she cares for Jax and his mom.

The magical system is pretty simple and subtle in this book. No fancy wand waving, but more like Dr Who’s Tartarus and some simple spells. There are some talking rats and squirrels with attitudes and then of course the dragons. The dragons were adorable.

Overall, I just adored this sweet magical urban fantasy. I am very much looking forward to sharing it with my students.

Inkling is funny, sad and definitely unique. I enjoyed the fresh way Oppel tells this story of a family coping with the loss of a loved one. Ethan’s friends believe he can draw just like his famous father. A secret Ethan wants to keep as Inkling emerges from the pages of Ethan’s fathers sketchpad, assisting him in the creation of a comic book for a class project.

When Jaxon's mother must go to court to appeal an eviction notice, she takes Jaxon to stay with the grandmother he has never met for the afternoon. "Ma" is not thrilled to see either Alicia or Jaxon, but agrees to take care of him. She has an odd, musty apartment, and it's not long before Jaxon finds a bag of dragons under her care! It quickly becomes apparent that Ma is a witch, and one of the problems she has with Jaxon's mother is that she didn't want to be a part of the magic. One thing leads to another, and the two travel back in time, run into Jaxon's friend, whose sister feeds and bonds with one of the dragons, therefore imprinting one of them on her. Jaxon also meets his grandfather when Ma is temporarily missing, and finds out more about the role that magic has in Jaxon's own background. The judge grants an appeal, but Ma invites Jaxon and his mother to live with her until things are more settled, leaving plenty of opportunity for Jaxon to accompany Ma on more magical adventures.

Strengths: The Brooklyn setting is well described, and I loved the note that Elliot was a big fan of Ruth Chew! The illustrations are very attractive, and will help readers pick this one up. The inclusion of the eviction troubles adds some depth to the story and will be a mirror for some readers. Elliot usually writes Young Adult fantasy but has transitioned nicely to writing for the elementary crowd.

Weaknesses: The note on Ruth Chew also pointed out to me why this was more on the elementary side-- in Ruth Chew books, the children invariably have adventures without a parent or adult in sight. Jaxon's supportive adults are great characters, but middle grade would prefer to save the world without adult supervision!

What I really think: This is along the same lines as Yep's A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans which does not check out at all in my library, so I think I'll pass. Would definitely purchase for an elementary library, since I know that fantasy books have overwhelmingly white protagonists.

My name is Jax, and Ma received a bouncing package from Madagascar. Ma's not really related to me, and she happens to be a witch. I know Madagascar has many strange animals, but I was not expecting the package to contain three baby dragons! Ma says we need to take them to another dimension, because Brooklyn doesn't have enough magic anymore. Ma and I didn't get along right off the bat, but I think I may want to become her apprentice. Unfortunately, the transporter went wonky, and we ended up in another time, in a world full of toothy dinosaurs. The last thing I heard was a growl in the bushes and then Ma sent me back home. Now, Trouble says he can help me find Ma again, but something’s wrong with one of the dragons.

The target audience for this book is upper elementary, and that seems about right. The story moved quickly and wasn't overly complicated. Jax was leery about staying with a strange lady, and Ma made it clear she didn't want him around. The early parts of the plot were fairly realistic, except when Jax let an intelligent squirrel into the kitchen. Because of the book's title, it was obvious the mysterious package contained dragons, but they were used as props and didn't have an active role in the events. Ma's feelings toward the dragons weren't as clear, as she didn't attempt to hide the package from Jax but didn't share any information about it either. The possibility of the dragons' imprinting with humans most concerned her. Imprinting is when the baby animal connects and identifies with the first animal caring for it. The plot took a big turn once Ma caught up with Jax after he ran away. Even so, the revelation that Ma was a witch and the package contained dragons didn't cause any discomfort or stress for Jax. They quickly planned to travel to another dimension, and the action kicked up. The conclusion seemed too sudden, and it bugged me that things weren't resolved. Luckily, I sequel will be coming. Overall, it was a cute story and should appeal to many eight to twelve-year-old readers.

A fun beginning to a new transitional chapter book urban fantasy series with diverse characters and whimsical and scientific magical elements.

3 stars.

Dragons in a Bag fills a MUCH needed gap of black boys getting to have magical adventures. However, the writing was not engaging for me and this brief book took me a while to read. I loved the way that Elliott wove standard parts of urban life into the magic of the story, and I really really wanted to love this book. Because of the underrepresented nature of the type of story, I think that this book should be included in libraries and bookstores for kids who may find they don't mind the writing because of the ideas that it opens up for them. For me, I'll happily let others find joy in it, and keep my eye out for another black boy on a magical adventure.