Windmill Dragons: A Leah and Alan Adventure: A TOON Graphic

by David Nytra

Overview

A Junior Library Guild Selection.

When Leah and Alan arrive in a chaotic land, they are the only people brave enough to try to set things right. Their path takes them through a magical world full of ancient monsters and aging knights. Relying on each other and a good deal of luck, they find their way to Monster Island—but in their quest to restore order, will they lose everything?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781935179887
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	09/08/2015
Series:	The Leah and Alan Adventures
Pages:	120
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	430L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

David Nytra has been drawing since he was old enough to hold a pencil. His first TOON Graphic, The Secret of the Stone Frog, garnered many honors including the Nutmeg Book Award, and was included on the New York Public Library's Children's Book List of 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing and School Library Journal's Top Ten Graphic Novels of 2012. Nytra lives in the town of 100 Mile House in British Columbia, Canada.

Editorial Reviews

Each picture in the book looks like a feat of human industry.” - Kirkus Reviews

"Another surreal and ingenious journey." - Booklist

“Creates a captivating fantasy world where readers will lose themselves among outlandish creatures and daring escapades.” - School Library Journal

"Every moment, every panel of Windmill Dragons is exciting and interesting." - Books4YourKids

"Strikingly beautiful." - Rob Clough for High-Low

"Nytra’s designs are astounding." - The Roar Bots

“Beautiful storytelling for all ages!” - What'cha Reading



“Each picture in the book looks like a feat of human industry.” - Kirkus Reviews

"Another surreal and ingenious journey." - Booklist

“Creates a captivating fantasy world where readers will lose themselves among outlandish creatures and daring escapades.” - School Library Journal

"Every moment, every panel of Windmill Dragons is exciting and interesting." - Books4YourKids

"Strikingly beautiful." - Rob Clough for High-Low

"Nytra’s designs are astounding." - The Roar Bots

“Beautiful storytelling for all ages!” - What'cha Reading

From the Publisher

09/01/2015
Gr 2–5—In the second volume of their adventures, Leah and Alan take a break from playing so that she can read him a story about monsters. Readers soon discover that the siblings themselves have become the heroes of the story: a pair of knights returning home to discover that their village's windmills have transformed into angry dragons who are terrorizing its citizens. After failing to defeat the dragons with their swords, Leah and Alan ride off to find another way to rescue their village and dog, Rowdy. They encounter a wizard with a giant chicken, an aging knight held captive by an ogre, and a meat-eating boat before they are able to determine the source of the magical disturbance. Leah's levelheadedness and Alan's impulsivity are needed to complete the quest that will set things right. Even more than the first adventure, this entry creates a captivating fantasy world where readers will lose themselves among outlandish creatures and daring escapades. Additionally, this volume includes back matter revealing the mythological and fairy tale origins of some of the story's characters, which will inspire interested readers to further discovery. VERDICT The exciting story line, coupled with finely detailed ink drawings, make this an excellent addition to any elementary grade graphic novel collection.—Sarah Reid, Broome County Public Library, Binghamton, NY

School Library Journal

2015-06-10
The first time people open this book, a lot of them are going to say the same thing: "This must be some sort of trick." Each picture in the book looks like a feat of human industry, containing tiny, impossible stippling and feathering and crosshatching in every inch of the panel. One drawing of a Behemoth, napping in the crags of a mountain, looks as though it should have taken a year to draw. Nytra seems to have flipped through every bestiary and ancient classic he could find and started drawing the oddest creatures in every book. Readers could be forgiven for thinking the story itself (which incorporates elements of Don Quixote, Jewish mythology, The Canterbury Tales, the legend of St. George, and the canoe cultures of the Pacific Northwest) makes no sense at all. Sample dialogue: "THE WINDMILLS! They've turned into DRAGONS!" Protagonists Alan and Leah encounter a giant chicken called Pertelote and a meat-eating boat (called the Meat-eating Boat) as they attempt to rescue their dog from the dragon-windmills. If it feels haphazard, that's part of the charm. Why shouldn't there be an enormous drain at the bottom of the ocean? The real joy of the book is watching the artist draw every monster he can think of; if the logic behind the story isn't always clear, well, who really wants to know how a magician did his tricks? (historical notes) (Graphic fantasy. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews