Gruffen - Chris d'Lacey - The Dragons of Wayward Crescent #1

Gruffen
The Dragons of Wayward Crescent #1
Chris d'Lacey
Orchard Books 
Scholastic
ISBN 9780545168151

I have had a number of Chris d'Lacey's books on my shelf for a while now. It really is my loss that I have not read them sooner. On a positive note there are numerous books by him for me yet to read. The greatest thing about the books in the Dragons of Wayward Crescent series is how much my children love them and how much I enjoy them. They are great reads for the whole family. I usually read with each of my children at bed time, often just a chapter or two, but with these books we keep reading 'just 1 more chapter' we have also pulled them out after a meal and just sat at the table reading. My youngest two love these books and I love reading them with them so all around it is a win. 

We have read these books out of order. But that has not impacted the reading. We read this one book 1 second. They do tell a single continuous story but are written well enough that you can read them out of order without impact. But based on how popular they are in our house I have a feeling we will be rereading them soon and this time we will read them in order. 

This is the first book in this series, and this series is a prequel to The Last Dragon Chronicles series. There are currently 4 books in this series but I have heard that 12 were planned. We can only hope the others come to bear as Chris has time. In this book we meet Gruffen, or we witness to some extent the magic of a special dragon coming into being. We meet Lucy and Liz Pennykettle, a mother and daughter that know that Dragons are real, and somehow Lucy can create dragons on her potter's wheel and they can be brought to life. We meet some of the other dragons in the house including the listening dragon who sits upon the fridge. And also, Guinevere who helps to bring them to life. 

This story is about a new dragon and also overcoming fears. Liz is afraid of a monster, a monster that keeps appearing outside her window. So Lucy decided to make a guard dragon for her. This we are introduced to Gruffen. Gruffen has a great adventure for a very young dragon. It is a wonderful little book and a great introduction to the world of dragons as created by Chris.

These books are well enough written to keep both adults and children engaged. They are really fun reads. Great books that I highly recommend! 

Books by Chris d'Lacey:
Dragons of Wayward Crescent
1 Gruffen (2009)
2 Gauge (2008)
3 Glade (2009)
4 Grabber (2010)

The Erth Dragons
1 The Wearle (2015)
2. Dark Wyng (2016)
3. The New Age (2018)

The Last Dragon Chronicles with David Rain
1 The Fire Within (2001)
2 Icefire (2003)
3 Fire Star (2005)
4 The Fire Eternal (2007)
5 Dark Fire (2009)
6 Fire World (2011)
7 The Fire Ascending (2012)
Rain and Fire: A Guide to the Last Dragon Chronicles (2010)

The Unicorne Files
1 A Dark Inheritance (2014)
2 Alexander's Army (2015)
3 A Crown of Dragons (2016)

Fly, Cherokee Fly Series
Fly, Cherokee Fly
Pawnee Warrior

Other Books
Henry Spaloosh! 
Horace
Shrinking Ralph Perfect
The Snail Patrol
The Table Football League
Riverside United
Lofty
From E to You
Scupper Hargreaves, Football Genie
The Salt Pirates of Skegness
Falling for Mandy
The Prompter

Picture Books:
A Hole at the Pole
Juggling with Jeremy
A Break in the Chain
Read With Bubble and Float
Dexter's Journey
Frankin's Bear

Contributed to:
On Me ‘ead, Santa
Nice One, Santa
The Usborne Book of Christmas Stories
Heroes and Villains
In the Frame
Midnight Feast

Author Profile and Interview with Chris d'Lacey.