Book Series Review of Gemstone Dragons
The Children’s Book Review
What to expect: Friendship, Dragons, Life Issues, Adventure
Deep within Mineral Mountain live the magical Gemstone Dragons—a group of hard-working, fun-loving, and totally relatable dragons! They’re a lot like us: they have friends, put on festivals, and eat treats like ours (though theirs are made from magical gemstones, so their desserts are probably too crunchy for our tastes). But what’s most exciting about Gemstone Dragons is how they work together to solve any problems they come across, big or small, and in the end, teamwork prevails for a happy ending!
The Gemstone Dragons series is full of adventures and fun! Children who love magical creature book series will adore the cute dragons, charming illustrations, and adventurous situations. Parents will love how these dragons deal with a bit more than most younger-targeted book series.
Opal’s struggle with confidence and Ruby’s anxiety is realistic, big-picture problems that many children deal with daily. There are no magical fixes here – both dragons have to work hard with the help of supportive friends to create their happy endings. Much like real life, anxiety, and low confidence take a lot of work to get through and can be continual, daily challenges. The dragons, though adorable, are working on some pretty serious emotional struggles.
Through these books, families and teachers can broach complex subjects with younger children who may not be able to understand these big feelings. The adventures show that hard work makes a difference and that although the struggle is real, children are not alone. Even dragons deal with anxiety and low confidence and, together with support, reach their happy endings. Highly recommended for young readers.
Gemstone Dragons 1 – Opal’s Time to Shine
Written by Samantha M. Clark
Illustrated by Janelle Anderson
Ages 7+ | 128 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books | ISBN: 9781547608881
In Opal’s Time to Shine, Opal the dragon is excited for the annual Friendship Festival. Each year a dragon is chosen to speak, and to her shock, she is chosen! Opal believes she isn’t the right dragon for the job – she doesn’t have the confidence to think she would be picked.
When she sets out to find a replacement for herself, she discovers a massive dragon crisis that might ruin the festival. But she helps her friends find a solution and saves the festival and their delicious gemstone fields that feed all of the dragons in Mineral Mountain. With the help of her friends, not only do they save the day, but Opal discovers her true worth as a hard-working friend and community member.
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Gemstone Dragons 2: Ruby’s Fiery Mishap
Written by Samantha M. Clark
Illustrated by Janelle Anderson
Ages 7+ | 128 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books | ISBN: 9781547608928
In Ruby’s Fiery Mishap, young Ruby struggles with anxious feelings and worry. She tries hard to make her firepower work but can’t seem to gain the confidence she needs to control the magic. Everyone has advice on how to do it better, but it all seems to swirl around in her mind and make her stomach turn into anxiety. So when she is practicing, and her anxiety gets the best of her, leading to a disaster, Ruby and her friends must find a way to bring a young unicorn back home safely – and Ruby must find a way to believe in herself and her magical worth.
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About the Author
Samantha M Clark has always loved stories about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. After all, if four ordinary brothers and sisters can find a magical world at the back of a wardrobe, why can’t she? While she looks for her real-life Narnia, she writes about other ordinary children and teens who’ve stumbled into a wardrobe of their own.
In a past life, Samantha was a photojournalist and managing editor for newspapers and magazines. She has lived in a land of rainforests, the land of the Queen, two Caribbean islands, and now lives with her husband and two funny dogs in Austin, Texas (the land of the weird). Samantha is the Regional Advisor for the Austin chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and explores wardrobes every chance she gets.
Visit her online at www.SamanthaMClark.com.
The Gemstone Dragons book series review was curated by Denise Mealy. Discover more books like these titles by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with friendship, dragons, and adventure.
