The Dragon and the Stone follows 12 year old Lily as she discovers a fantasy realm where her imagination isn’t a hindrance (as it so often feels in her world) but a precious gift. She meets a little dragon named Cedric who aids in her adventure.

The Dragon and the Stone would be great for middle school readers. There’s plenty of action, and the book is very fast paced. There are some intense scenes that might be a little scary for elementary-aged kids.

The book doesn’t back away from hard things that Lily and another character experience, but it also meets them with hope. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!

The Dragon and the Stone draws you and captivates you with its magical world and strong characters. The story gave me the same feeling as when I read the Chronicles of Narnia as a young girl and it was a fun nostalgic read.

The adventure that young Lily goes on after finding her father's pendant are daring and exciting but not too thrilling for young readers. This was my first children's Christian fiction book in a really long while and it did not disappoint, especially with all the adventure, dragons, and more fantastical elements. I will definitely recommend this book to young readers at my church!

Thank you NetGalley and Crossway for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Wow, what a fun and wild adventure! 4 stars! I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to read the next in the series! This is a brand new middle grade fantasy series published by Christian publisher, Crossway. That made me so excited because I knew this would be a clean read and a lot of fun.

12 year old Lily McKinley is struggling with loneliness and bullying - plus the recent loss of her father. With her Dad presumed dead and everything she is going through, she is just trying to navigate through everyday life. When one day, she finds a mysterious stone necklace and a new dragon friend - and everything takes off from there!

This story gave me some AMAZING Middle Earth and Narnia vibes and I was loving it! I think this is a fun and adventurous story for kids and thankful it was a clean read! I did notice some biblical parallels in the story and appreciated that, even if it wasn’t specifically stated as biblical. I could see themes of friendship, hope, redemption, good vs evil, worry, grief, helping others, being kind, etc.

This story had dragons, friendships, heroes, character growth, hope and more. It was a fast read and everything moved along very quickly, which I liked.

I liked the friendship bond growth between the characters and the details of the dragon. So much fun!

All in all a very enjoyable story and I look forward to reading the next in the series! Thank you to Crossway for providing a free advanced reader copy for me to read and provide an honest review. All opinions are my own. I will be discussing this book on my YouTube channel BookLoverAmanda in my monthly May wrap up video and posting the review to Goodreads.

This Book Was Out of my Normal Genre but It Drew Me In!

I normally don’t read books for youth or fantasy either but something drew me to it. I tutor kids in this age group for reading and maybe that is it.

I found this a very enjoyable read. I was caught up in this story and really enjoyed the characters. I will be buying this book for my Great Nieces and Nephews to read! I also look forward to the next book(s) in the series!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

A good story for kids! The author shows good imagination. There are some elements of the unexpected, and there is some scariness to it, but not too much. You'll be cheering for many of the characters! In a world that doesn't have a lot of books for kids with a Christian viewpoint, this book is a breath of fresh air!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance e-copy of this book! All opinions are entirely my own.

This book is amazing!! It's beautifully written and full of adventure to keep you turning the pages. This is going to be a wonderful series! I look forward to the next book in this series.
I received a complimentary copy from Crossway via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This series is going to be amazing! The Dragon and the Stone was beautifully written and though it’s for a younger audience, adults will be captivated as well. I enjoyed the heck out of this novel and cannot wait for the rest of the series!

Thank you NetGalley and Crossway for allowing me to review this book!

The first book in The Dream Keeper Saga is a delight, and trust me when I say you’re going to want to read this series. It’s one of those that is written for a younger (middle grade) audience but will appeal to adults as well because it is simply a good story. It’s an adventure story; a tale of bravery full of harrowing encounters with mythical creatures; a blending of grief and hope and the longing for home. Perfect for fans of Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga.

“Haven’t you ever wondered what happens to a dream when you wake up?”

This story is a great read-aloud for the family. Our children enjoy adventure stories and this one kept them wanting more! The dragon Cedric turns out to be her guide through her journey. Lots of laughing, along with biblical themes of redemption and victory. Highly recommend!

The Dragon and the Stone
by Kathryn Butler
Pub Date 10 May 2022
Crossway
Children's Fiction | Christian



I am reviewing a copy of The Dragon and the Stone through Crossway and Netgalley:



Lily McKinley is only 12 years old but she already feels the weight of the world’s brokenness. She’s seen it in her mother’s exhaustion, her grandmother’s illness, and the cruelty of Adam, the bully at her school. But most tragically, she experienced it two months ago when her father died in a terrible accident.



Lily is an artistic daydreamer, with a brilliant imagination which helps her cope, but it also gets her in trouble. One day, it transports her to a fantasy world called the Somnium Realm, where her father’s secret history embroils her in an epic quest. With the help of a dragon guide named Cedric, Lily battles evil shrouds, harpies, and other creatures to find her way through grief, rescue the world from evil, and discover the power of redemption.



I give The Dragon and the Stone five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

Twelve year old Lily lives in a lonely world. Imaginative and friendless, her world falls further apart when her father disappears and is presumed dead. Until one day when she discovers a mysterious pendant that thrusts her into a land of dragons, mythical creatures, and adventure. Could her father still be alive? And could this young, underestimated girl be the one to save him?

This middle school action novel kept me reading from cover to cover. The plot moved along at a quick pace with adventure running through the entire book. The Dragon and the Stone is written a style reminiscent of Tolkien and Lewis, borrowing from themes in Scripture as well. Author Kathryn Butler explores the ideas of family, friendship, good vs evil, redemption, and so much more. Truly a story well worth introducing to the next generation.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Lily is a young girl who struggles with loneliness. Her dad is presumed dead, her mother works long hours, and her grandma's memory is failing. The kids at school are terrible bullies. Will she always be alone?

One day she finds a mysterious necklace with a stone charm and astonishing things begin to happen. This is from her dad! Could he still be alive? Suddenly she enters a new world and the adventure begins with strange creatures and dangers everywhere. This is where Lily will gain courage, bravery, and find true friends.

Written for children, this book moves at a very fast pace. Action sequence immediately moves to action sequence. There is some character building, but it happens so quickly that it defies belief at times. The influences of Tolkien and Lewis are evident as well as Biblical redemption, but children will need certain scenes explained to understand the connections. Overall, I thought the story exciting, but somewhat shallow. It's still a series to watch as the characters grow and develop.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.