''Dealing with Dragons'' is a young adult

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

written by

Patricia C. Wrede Patricia Collins Wrede (; born March 27, 1953) is an American author of fantasy literature. She is known for her ''Enchanted Forest Chronicles'' series for young adults, which was voted number 84 in NPR's 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels list. Caree ...

, and is the first book in the ''

Enchanted Forest Chronicles The ''Enchanted Forest Chronicles'' is a series of four young adult fantasy novels by Patricia C. Wrede titled '' Dealing with Dragons'', '' Searching for Dragons'', '' Calling on Dragons'', and '' Talking to Dragons''. Additionally, the '' Book o ...

'' series. The novel chronicles the adventures of the princess Cimorene, who escapes her tediously ordinary family to become a

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

. It received the 1991

Minnesota Book Award The Minnesota Book Awards are presented annually for books created by writers, illustrators or book artists who are Minnesotans. The award, originally established in 1988, is organized by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. History ...

for Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Plot summary

Princess Cimorene is frustrated by her life and persuades the castle staff to teach her fencing, magic, cooking, Latin, and other interesting subjects that are considered very "improper" for princesses to learn. The King and Queen take Cimorene on a state visit to a neighboring kingdom. Cimorene learns that they plan to arrange her marriage to an annoying prince named Therandil. Faced with the prospect, Cimorene runs away. She meets a group of dragons and volunteers to become the "captive" princess of the dragon Kazul. Kazul assigns Cimorene to cook for her and organize her library and treasure hoard. Cimorene likes her position and becomes friends with Kazul, but finds she must constantly deal with knights and princes who want to rescue her. She hopes that a sign on the road to the cave will keep would-be rescuers at bay. While posting the sign, Cimorene encounters a wizard. After being annoyed, the wizard leaves using complicated magic, and Cimorene guesses that he is a powerful wizard. Later, Kazul explains that the dragons and the wizards disagree about the wizards' access to the Caves of Fire and Night. The wizards’ staffs absorb magic from any magical sources nearby – including dragons. Cimorene and Alianora, princess to the dragon Woraug, find another wizard gathering herbs near the dragon caves. Cimorene brings a sample of the herb back to Kazul. Panicking, the dragon burns it up immediately, but the inhalation of the smoke causes Kazul to fall ill. The plant is dragonsbane, poisonous to dragons. Kazul sends Cimorene to warn another dragon that the wizards are gathering dragonsbane. This news comes too late as the King of the Dragons has already been fatally poisoned. Although Kazul is still ill, she must leave to compete in the trials to choose the next King of the Dragons. (The King is a King regardless of gender.) Cimorene hurries through the dragon caves on errands for Kazul, where she meets a prince turned into a living statue. Based on information from the Stone Prince and Alianora, Cimorene realizes that the wizards poisoned the King with the help of Woraug. The wizards plan to interfere with the trials to allow Woraug to win the title of King. In exchange, Woraug will give them access to the Caves and magical items held by the dragons. Alianora discovers a way to melt wizards: soapy water mixed with lemon juice. With this discovery, and the help of her friends, Cimorene foils the wizards' plan. Meanwhile, Kazul wins the trials fairly and becomes the King of the Dragons.

Reception

Reception to the novel has been positive.

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

called it "Smoothly written and ingenious fantasy", praising its non-stereotypical female protagonists. In 1991, ''Dealing With Dragons'' appeared on the ALA Best Book for Young Adults list (now

ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults The American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association ...

), the

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

Best Book of the Year list, and the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

Best Book for the Teen Aged list. ''Dealing With Dragons'' won the 1991

for Fantasy and Science Fiction.

References

Citation

*Wrede, Patricia C. ''Dealing with Dragons'', Jane Yolen Books, 1990, (1st edition). Published in the UK as ''Dragonsbane''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dealing With Dragons 1990 American novels 1990 fantasy novels American young adult novels American fantasy novels Enchanted Forest Chronicles Young adult fantasy novels