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The Dream Keeper Saga #1
The Dragon and the Stone
Even though she’s only 12 years old, Lily McKinley 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.
As an artistic daydreamer, Lily has a brilliant imagination to help her cope, but that imagination often gets her into 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.
As an artistic daydreamer, Lily has a brilliant imagination to help her cope, but that imagination often gets her into 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.
301 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2022
128 people are currently reading
5067 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Butler
17 books75 followersKathryn Butler (MD, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons) is a trauma surgeon turned author and homeschooling mom. Her books Between Life and Death: A Gospel-Centered Guide on End-of-Life Medical Care, and Glimmers of Grace: A Doctor's Reflections on Faith, Suffering, and the Goodness of God, reflect upon faith and medicine. She is also the author of The Dream Keeper Saga, a middle grade adventure series with Christian themes. She lives in the woods of Massachusetts, where she loves to read stories with her kids, explore the outdoors, and chase dragons from her kitchen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
September 9, 2022
2 stars, personally.
About this book:
“Even though she’s only 12 years old, Lily McKinley 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.
As an artistic daydreamer, Lily has a brilliant imagination to help her cope, but that imagination often gets her into 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.”
Series: Book #1 in “The Dragon Keeper Saga” series.
Spiritual Content- Prayers; There are mentions of “our Creator” who is implied to be God & a unicorn called Prince Pax that is implied to be Christ (he says that he has “washed [someone’s] blood clean”) & he talks to Lily in her mind; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of special stones (called “soothstones”) that were mined from the rocks of Eden (“Eden? You mean, as in--?” “Yes, yes, It was mined ages ago, when all was good. Before evil broke into the world.” Later it’s added: “Long ago, when all was still good, [Lily’s] ancestors would envision a harvest, and trees would drip with ripe fruit. Creating was effortless, and it was always good. But then,” he leaned back into his chair, “evil broke into the world and corrupted everything. Mankind created for his own selfish gains, for self-worship, rather than for stewardship. And so, to prevent destruction of all the earth, his creative powers were limited. He could create only through toil, and what remained of his richest abilities were relegated to dreams. The Realm was founded so the imaginings of man could be monitored, cared for, and—in the case of malicious forms—confined.”); A mention of the Good Samaritan; A mention of a chapel;
*Note: ‘Thank heavens’ (once) and ‘merciful heavens’ (thrice) are said; The word “ghostly” is used to describe places or creatures eight times; The villain of the story is a dark dragon named Eymah who is after the soothstones (someone else says that “the future belongs to Eymah”; *Spoiler* ); Merlin the Wizard is in this story and does an orb of purple light to get others’ attention; A siren has a gold light come from her hand to her shoulder to create a pair of wings; A mist elf/fairy creates a mist to fix broken things; Many mentions of Greek & Roman Mythology, characters, & creatures (harpies, minotaur, centaur); A few mentions of a place being on Eymah’s doorstep & his pit with fire; A couple mentions of the devilry of shrouds (evil monsters that shapeshift); A mention of aliens.
Negative Content- Minor cussing/Exclamations including: a ‘blimey’, a ‘flibbertigibbet!’, a ‘what the heck’, two forms of ‘idiot’, two forms of ‘what in the blazes’, three ‘dash it all’s, six ‘Great snails!’s and seven ‘stupid’s; Seeing a battle & death (up to semi-detailed); Lots of monsters attack Lily and her friends & Fighting and knocking them out (including illusions of loved ones and them turning into scary creatures, Lily’s creations being destroyed by the villain, Lily being concerned at multiple times that “this is the end” and she might die, and the deaths of two made-up creatures from Lily’s imagination and her feeling distraught about it *Spoiler* , up to semi-detailed); Going through a maze that will show you your fears & stone you to stone if you fall for them (including Lily having negative thoughts and seeing coffins of loved ones and seeing others struggling with what they are seeing and someone turning to stone, up to semi-detailed); Fires, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, & Blacking out (up to semi-detailed); Being bitten by & carried off by rats (and also seeing snakes, roaches, and scorpions, barely-above-not-detailed); Lily is scared when she sees Cedric the first couple of times, thinking that all dragons are bloodthirsty and he is attacking her; Lily & her family are grieving the death of her father (barely-above-not-detailed, *Spoiler* ); When Adam (a bully at school) taunted Lily about her father being dead, she leaps at him and they fight (mostly him hitting her, no adults come to stop the fight nor are any punishments are given (she goes to the fantasy world shortly after this, up to semi-detailed); Lily is teased at school and called a “midget” (because of her height) and a “freak” by Adam multiple times (more about him in the spoiler below); Arguing & Lily throws gravel at someone’s face when upset; When Lily messes up, she calls herself stupid and an idiot; Shrouds play mind games with Lily to make her feel hopeless and weak; Many mentions of monsters (including evil dark dragons), fires, & attacks (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of the possibility of dying, deaths, & others dying (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of dragons being bloodthirsty and “monster who feasted on the flesh of knights”, dangerous, and possibly being barbecued by them; Mentions of pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding (including animals/fictional creatures being in pain and their injuries, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a knight chasing after & putting his sword to a bully’s throat; Mentions of imaginary friends & them attacking their creator (including them breaking through the sands of a desert “as if rising from graves”, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of terrible smells, screams, & throwing up (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a bully, his mean comments, and him picking on others (including his smashing another boy’s lunch into the ground and Lily realizing that he’s said dozens of nasty things to make others feel like dirt and feels no remorse for his words *Spoiler*); Mentions of lies & lying; A handful of mentions of stealing; A few mentions of wars; A few mentions of Lily’s father’s death (an accident and was lost at sea); A few mentions of nightmares (which are described as “the echoes of evil manifested in dreams”); A couple mentions of someone harming themself when upset about their past actions; A couple mentions of sirens leading sailors to their deaths; A couple mentions of kidnappings & going to jail; A mention of smoking a pipe; A mention of hatred; A mention of rumors; A mention of a bloody and starved dog; A mention of a horrific cartoon of a mammal that glued it’s tongue to a toilet;
*Note: A few mentions of brand names (Crock-Pot); A mention of kicking someone’s tail in baseball.
Sexual Content- N/A.
-Lily McKinley, age 12
P.O.V. of Lily
240 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Two Stars
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Two Stars
{Minus a star for younger girls sensitive to deaths and/or others being hurt.}
{Certain parts can be triggering for adoptees or those whose parent left their family.}
There isn’t much Christian Middle-Grade stories being published nowadays, so when I heard about this one I was intrigued.
It was overall a very…interesting story with an allegory of Christianity, but it also had Greek Mythology characters and other fictional creatures like sirens, fairies, and Merlin the Wizard. I have to be honest that I’m not sure how I feel about those later two as it can make the whole plot be written off as silly or all fictional, when the Christian elements were decent. It gave it a mishmash of every standard fantasy character/creatures, but it’s possible I’m noticing this more as an adult reader.
One thing I thought was neat was that vocabulary found on each page of the story. Some uncommon words are used to describe events happening or certain features of this fantasy world, which gave the story a whimsical feel.
Something I wasn’t expecting, though, were that quite a few parts feel a bit heavier than I was expecting for a middle-grade story with some deaths and threats of deaths or being killed by the villain and his minions throughout the book. She “braces herself for the end” in more than a few parts. These sections will make or break this book for a younger reader. I think it will really depend on the reader and their sensitivity.
On the topic of heaviness within this story, there’s some parts and comments that I think could be triggering to adoptees or those who have had a parent leave them and their family. Lily has negative thoughts and the villain and his minions prey on that, especially regarding her father and that he must not have loved her enough.
I would be curious about the next book in the series since everything wrapped up decent in this first book, but I honestly don’t think I’ll be trying it out.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
About this book:
“Even though she’s only 12 years old, Lily McKinley 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.
As an artistic daydreamer, Lily has a brilliant imagination to help her cope, but that imagination often gets her into 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.”
Series: Book #1 in “The Dragon Keeper Saga” series.
Spiritual Content- Prayers; There are mentions of “our Creator” who is implied to be God & a unicorn called Prince Pax that is implied to be Christ (he says that he has “washed [someone’s] blood clean”) & he talks to Lily in her mind; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of special stones (called “soothstones”) that were mined from the rocks of Eden (“Eden? You mean, as in--?” “Yes, yes, It was mined ages ago, when all was good. Before evil broke into the world.” Later it’s added: “Long ago, when all was still good, [Lily’s] ancestors would envision a harvest, and trees would drip with ripe fruit. Creating was effortless, and it was always good. But then,” he leaned back into his chair, “evil broke into the world and corrupted everything. Mankind created for his own selfish gains, for self-worship, rather than for stewardship. And so, to prevent destruction of all the earth, his creative powers were limited. He could create only through toil, and what remained of his richest abilities were relegated to dreams. The Realm was founded so the imaginings of man could be monitored, cared for, and—in the case of malicious forms—confined.”); A mention of the Good Samaritan; A mention of a chapel;
*Note: ‘Thank heavens’ (once) and ‘merciful heavens’ (thrice) are said; The word “ghostly” is used to describe places or creatures eight times; The villain of the story is a dark dragon named Eymah who is after the soothstones (someone else says that “the future belongs to Eymah”; *Spoiler* ); Merlin the Wizard is in this story and does an orb of purple light to get others’ attention; A siren has a gold light come from her hand to her shoulder to create a pair of wings; A mist elf/fairy creates a mist to fix broken things; Many mentions of Greek & Roman Mythology, characters, & creatures (harpies, minotaur, centaur); A few mentions of a place being on Eymah’s doorstep & his pit with fire; A couple mentions of the devilry of shrouds (evil monsters that shapeshift); A mention of aliens.
Negative Content- Minor cussing/Exclamations including: a ‘blimey’, a ‘flibbertigibbet!’, a ‘what the heck’, two forms of ‘idiot’, two forms of ‘what in the blazes’, three ‘dash it all’s, six ‘Great snails!’s and seven ‘stupid’s; Seeing a battle & death (up to semi-detailed); Lots of monsters attack Lily and her friends & Fighting and knocking them out (including illusions of loved ones and them turning into scary creatures, Lily’s creations being destroyed by the villain, Lily being concerned at multiple times that “this is the end” and she might die, and the deaths of two made-up creatures from Lily’s imagination and her feeling distraught about it *Spoiler* , up to semi-detailed); Going through a maze that will show you your fears & stone you to stone if you fall for them (including Lily having negative thoughts and seeing coffins of loved ones and seeing others struggling with what they are seeing and someone turning to stone, up to semi-detailed); Fires, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, & Blacking out (up to semi-detailed); Being bitten by & carried off by rats (and also seeing snakes, roaches, and scorpions, barely-above-not-detailed); Lily is scared when she sees Cedric the first couple of times, thinking that all dragons are bloodthirsty and he is attacking her; Lily & her family are grieving the death of her father (barely-above-not-detailed, *Spoiler* ); When Adam (a bully at school) taunted Lily about her father being dead, she leaps at him and they fight (mostly him hitting her, no adults come to stop the fight nor are any punishments are given (she goes to the fantasy world shortly after this, up to semi-detailed); Lily is teased at school and called a “midget” (because of her height) and a “freak” by Adam multiple times (more about him in the spoiler below); Arguing & Lily throws gravel at someone’s face when upset; When Lily messes up, she calls herself stupid and an idiot; Shrouds play mind games with Lily to make her feel hopeless and weak; Many mentions of monsters (including evil dark dragons), fires, & attacks (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of the possibility of dying, deaths, & others dying (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of dragons being bloodthirsty and “monster who feasted on the flesh of knights”, dangerous, and possibly being barbecued by them; Mentions of pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding (including animals/fictional creatures being in pain and their injuries, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a knight chasing after & putting his sword to a bully’s throat; Mentions of imaginary friends & them attacking their creator (including them breaking through the sands of a desert “as if rising from graves”, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of terrible smells, screams, & throwing up (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a bully, his mean comments, and him picking on others (including his smashing another boy’s lunch into the ground and Lily realizing that he’s said dozens of nasty things to make others feel like dirt and feels no remorse for his words *Spoiler*); Mentions of lies & lying; A handful of mentions of stealing; A few mentions of wars; A few mentions of Lily’s father’s death (an accident and was lost at sea); A few mentions of nightmares (which are described as “the echoes of evil manifested in dreams”); A couple mentions of someone harming themself when upset about their past actions; A couple mentions of sirens leading sailors to their deaths; A couple mentions of kidnappings & going to jail; A mention of smoking a pipe; A mention of hatred; A mention of rumors; A mention of a bloody and starved dog; A mention of a horrific cartoon of a mammal that glued it’s tongue to a toilet;
*Note: A few mentions of brand names (Crock-Pot); A mention of kicking someone’s tail in baseball.
Sexual Content- N/A.
-Lily McKinley, age 12
P.O.V. of Lily
240 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Two Stars
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Two Stars
{Minus a star for younger girls sensitive to deaths and/or others being hurt.}
{Certain parts can be triggering for adoptees or those whose parent left their family.}
There isn’t much Christian Middle-Grade stories being published nowadays, so when I heard about this one I was intrigued.
It was overall a very…interesting story with an allegory of Christianity, but it also had Greek Mythology characters and other fictional creatures like sirens, fairies, and Merlin the Wizard. I have to be honest that I’m not sure how I feel about those later two as it can make the whole plot be written off as silly or all fictional, when the Christian elements were decent. It gave it a mishmash of every standard fantasy character/creatures, but it’s possible I’m noticing this more as an adult reader.
One thing I thought was neat was that vocabulary found on each page of the story. Some uncommon words are used to describe events happening or certain features of this fantasy world, which gave the story a whimsical feel.
Something I wasn’t expecting, though, were that quite a few parts feel a bit heavier than I was expecting for a middle-grade story with some deaths and threats of deaths or being killed by the villain and his minions throughout the book. She “braces herself for the end” in more than a few parts. These sections will make or break this book for a younger reader. I think it will really depend on the reader and their sensitivity.
On the topic of heaviness within this story, there’s some parts and comments that I think could be triggering to adoptees or those who have had a parent leave them and their family. Lily has negative thoughts and the villain and his minions prey on that, especially regarding her father and that he must not have loved her enough.
I would be curious about the next book in the series since everything wrapped up decent in this first book, but I honestly don’t think I’ll be trying it out.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
July 10, 2022
A new Christian fiction middle grade series starter that is sure to win the hearts of the young and the young at heart. I always keep saying that we need more and more Christian fiction for younger readers and this one did not disappoint, I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
Lily is having a hard time, her dad has recently died, her mom has been in bad shape and the school bully is really getting on her nerves. All that changes when she finds the necklace that her dad never takes off, tucked away in the book he gave her. What transpires is an adventure of a lifetime for Lily. Mysterious knights in shining armor, a magical Unicorn and an evil that's spreading from the dream world to the real world.
I really loved the character development and the friendship that blossoms between the main characters. I loved the character of Cedric the dragon who was such a little hero and helper that he warmed instantly to my heart.
I loved the storyline and I could see influence from old classic stories like King Arthur and Chronicles of Narnia. I can't wait to see where the story takes us on this adventure.
*Thank you to #crosswaybooks for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Lily is having a hard time, her dad has recently died, her mom has been in bad shape and the school bully is really getting on her nerves. All that changes when she finds the necklace that her dad never takes off, tucked away in the book he gave her. What transpires is an adventure of a lifetime for Lily. Mysterious knights in shining armor, a magical Unicorn and an evil that's spreading from the dream world to the real world.
I really loved the character development and the friendship that blossoms between the main characters. I loved the character of Cedric the dragon who was such a little hero and helper that he warmed instantly to my heart.
I loved the storyline and I could see influence from old classic stories like King Arthur and Chronicles of Narnia. I can't wait to see where the story takes us on this adventure.
*Thank you to #crosswaybooks for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 7, 2025
Man, this book was so cool and good but the formatting was so not dyslexic friendly and made this read extremely frustrating, and put me 9 books behind schedule on my reading challenge…😅 But the story itself was good! Fun and quirky with great themes, fun fantasy magic, talking dragons, and the power of imagination!💖
Not sure if I'll continue the series due to this book turning my relaxation time into more work, but I supremely enjoyed this read and am glad it had a conclusive ending!💖
Language: N/A.
Violence: Some fighting, injuries, mentions of blood but nothing too detailed.
Magic: Magical stones that allow you to make things from your imagination. Magical beings and animals, such as wizards and sirens, but they are born with magic, it's part of who they are, not something they learn or acquire.
I loved the story and characters, especially Cedric, he was great! Such a fun little dragon!💖
The concept was super cool! The power of imagination was very cool and always something I enjoy!
The fantasy world was fun and quirky and I wish I could have gotten lost in it instead of being repeatedly jerked out, but I still loved it regardless!
Amazing story!💖
8+
Not sure if I'll continue the series due to this book turning my relaxation time into more work, but I supremely enjoyed this read and am glad it had a conclusive ending!💖
Language: N/A.
Violence: Some fighting, injuries, mentions of blood but nothing too detailed.
Magic: Magical stones that allow you to make things from your imagination. Magical beings and animals, such as wizards and sirens, but they are born with magic, it's part of who they are, not something they learn or acquire.
I loved the story and characters, especially Cedric, he was great! Such a fun little dragon!💖
The concept was super cool! The power of imagination was very cool and always something I enjoy!
The fantasy world was fun and quirky and I wish I could have gotten lost in it instead of being repeatedly jerked out, but I still loved it regardless!
Amazing story!💖
8+
October 4, 2025
My Quick Takes:
- 4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Genre 📚 middle grade Christian fantasy
- Language 🤐 none
- Spice ❤️🔥 none
- Content 🤔 themes of war/violence/death, past death of parent, parent abandonment, bullying
While this is technically a middle grade, I’d personally say it’s a good bridge between the middle grade and YA genre.
The main character is 12, and is already dealing with heavy themes like the recent death of her father, getting bullied at school, feeling responsible for her mom, and being written off by adults. There were quite a few instances throughout the book that felt heavy, both with these themes and also the threat of death and being killed by the bad side.
There were many parallels between this book and the Lion the witch and the wardrobe. A human girl gets taken to a fantasy realm that is under threat of dark forces. Within this realm is a Christ figure akin to Aslan in Narnia. This character, Pax, is the light in the darkness and claims to having made characters new, etc, strengthening the Christ figure image.
Unlike Narnia, there are many different magical creatures within the realm that are found in mainstream culture. Robin Hood, Merlin, and figures from Greek mythology just to name a few. It didn’t both me personally, but some may find it confusing alongside the theme of Christianity.
This is a true middle grade, which is great for the target audience. I can see how reading this alongside your tweens would lead to some great conversations!
Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review.
- 4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Genre 📚 middle grade Christian fantasy
- Language 🤐 none
- Spice ❤️🔥 none
- Content 🤔 themes of war/violence/death, past death of parent, parent abandonment, bullying
While this is technically a middle grade, I’d personally say it’s a good bridge between the middle grade and YA genre.
The main character is 12, and is already dealing with heavy themes like the recent death of her father, getting bullied at school, feeling responsible for her mom, and being written off by adults. There were quite a few instances throughout the book that felt heavy, both with these themes and also the threat of death and being killed by the bad side.
There were many parallels between this book and the Lion the witch and the wardrobe. A human girl gets taken to a fantasy realm that is under threat of dark forces. Within this realm is a Christ figure akin to Aslan in Narnia. This character, Pax, is the light in the darkness and claims to having made characters new, etc, strengthening the Christ figure image.
Unlike Narnia, there are many different magical creatures within the realm that are found in mainstream culture. Robin Hood, Merlin, and figures from Greek mythology just to name a few. It didn’t both me personally, but some may find it confusing alongside the theme of Christianity.
This is a true middle grade, which is great for the target audience. I can see how reading this alongside your tweens would lead to some great conversations!
Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review.
October 5, 2025
I personally enjoyed this! A quick and fast read!
April 10, 2025
The Dragon and the Stone was such a fun read! With a vibrant world, a wonderfully distinct cast of characters, and twists and traitors around multiple bends, it kept me hooked from beginning to end.
I especially appreciated that though this is a middle grade book coming from a Christian publisher, it never felt preachy or watered down. Hard topics were still dealt with and hard questions were still brought up, but ultimately, light always won.
I especially appreciated that though this is a middle grade book coming from a Christian publisher, it never felt preachy or watered down. Hard topics were still dealt with and hard questions were still brought up, but ultimately, light always won.
June 26, 2022
“The power to create is a gift, my dear. And at one time, your people could could do so much more than produce clay kingdoms.”
The Dreamkeeper Sage is a brand new middle school fiction series that reminds me of a Wingfeather, 100 Cupboards ish series. I am really eager to see where Mrs. Butler takes this series in the future. It was an action filled adventure through a fantasy kingdom with an imaginative girl, a stowaway boy, a dragon, and her not so make believe friends.
I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing their growth especially Adam’s. I loved getting to see Lily’s heart and strength throughout the book. I loved seeing their friendship grow and blossom as well. I cannot wait to see how Mrs. Butler continues to mature them in the books to come.
I enjoyed the storyline a lot. It was original and I enjoyed getting to read about a new fantasy kingdom that I never thought I would get to read about. This book had a super cute premise and I can see it getting rather popular. The world building was also pretty cool! I wouldn’t say it was on the same level as Middle Earth or Narnia, but it definitely was closer up there with them! Like I mentioned before this fantasy world was unlike any I have come across before in a book.
I also really loved the biblical parallels that were found throughout this book, that did remind me of Narnia. I knew going in that there were going to be some parallels, I just didn’t know where or how.
However, with this being the first book in the series I did feel like it was missing a little something to make it be the absolute best version of itself (courtesy of the 4 instead of 5 stars). But, overall this book was good and I honestly can say that I am eager to find out what happens next!
*FTC: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.*
The Dreamkeeper Sage is a brand new middle school fiction series that reminds me of a Wingfeather, 100 Cupboards ish series. I am really eager to see where Mrs. Butler takes this series in the future. It was an action filled adventure through a fantasy kingdom with an imaginative girl, a stowaway boy, a dragon, and her not so make believe friends.
I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing their growth especially Adam’s. I loved getting to see Lily’s heart and strength throughout the book. I loved seeing their friendship grow and blossom as well. I cannot wait to see how Mrs. Butler continues to mature them in the books to come.
I enjoyed the storyline a lot. It was original and I enjoyed getting to read about a new fantasy kingdom that I never thought I would get to read about. This book had a super cute premise and I can see it getting rather popular. The world building was also pretty cool! I wouldn’t say it was on the same level as Middle Earth or Narnia, but it definitely was closer up there with them! Like I mentioned before this fantasy world was unlike any I have come across before in a book.
I also really loved the biblical parallels that were found throughout this book, that did remind me of Narnia. I knew going in that there were going to be some parallels, I just didn’t know where or how.
However, with this being the first book in the series I did feel like it was missing a little something to make it be the absolute best version of itself (courtesy of the 4 instead of 5 stars). But, overall this book was good and I honestly can say that I am eager to find out what happens next!
*FTC: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.*
November 6, 2023
I enjoyed this children’s read! It was light but also adventurous. On the back it says for ages 9-12 and I think that’s exactly right. The first half was slightly more gripping than the second half. I look forward to continuing the series.
March 26, 2025
Wow! I loved the whole concept of this book and I'm so regretting not getting the rest of the series when I was at the used bookstore!
A realm of dreams? Say what? Like...amazing and I just adored this adventure so fantastical!
Characters:
Lily was such a endearing character. She was realistic and so selfless when it came to helping her friends! So brave when it came to facing danger for them, she moved past some major terror and didn't even know what she was doing half the time except that she had to save her friends! *hugs* I don't often like female MCs but Lily made it onto my I really like this gal list.
Adam was fun! I can't wait to learn more of his story...he was a bit of turd, at first, but he came around and his realist responses to be transported to some other world was AMAZING! I'm right there with you, dude. Take me home. XD
Cedric! What can I say about this lovable dragon! Eeek, he was soo much fun and I loved him! Like, seriously, he was amazing and I can't wait for my sister to read this book so we can talk about Cedric together!
There were so many other humorous, awesome, cool, scary, amazing, and terrifying characters! And I enjoyed each one!
Themes:
There seems to be a theme that dreams matter, that stories and art matter, that we are never alone! I love how often this theme is popping up for me in fiction. XD
Romance:
N/A
Language:
N/A
Magic:
There are stones that if you think about needing help and believe it will come create help for you in the same of some creature or person. It's really cool...most can just call on already created dreams, such as book characters but some are artisans and able to make their own characters (so to speak) from scratch.
Violence/Gore:
There is some injuries, but everything is handled with a middle-grade audience in mind and was done very well.
Overall:
This was such a fun adventure and ends nicely! Still, I want the rest of the series! So I'm hopeful the bookstore will have them when I go in a couple weeks! This was such a fun and imaginative book!
Recommended age 7+
Would also be a fun read aloud!
A realm of dreams? Say what? Like...amazing and I just adored this adventure so fantastical!
Characters:
Lily was such a endearing character. She was realistic and so selfless when it came to helping her friends! So brave when it came to facing danger for them, she moved past some major terror and didn't even know what she was doing half the time except that she had to save her friends! *hugs* I don't often like female MCs but Lily made it onto my I really like this gal list.
Adam was fun! I can't wait to learn more of his story...he was a bit of turd, at first, but he came around and his realist responses to be transported to some other world was AMAZING! I'm right there with you, dude. Take me home. XD
Cedric! What can I say about this lovable dragon! Eeek, he was soo much fun and I loved him! Like, seriously, he was amazing and I can't wait for my sister to read this book so we can talk about Cedric together!
There were so many other humorous, awesome, cool, scary, amazing, and terrifying characters! And I enjoyed each one!
Themes:
There seems to be a theme that dreams matter, that stories and art matter, that we are never alone! I love how often this theme is popping up for me in fiction. XD
Romance:
N/A
Language:
N/A
Magic:
There are stones that if you think about needing help and believe it will come create help for you in the same of some creature or person. It's really cool...most can just call on already created dreams, such as book characters but some are artisans and able to make their own characters (so to speak) from scratch.
Violence/Gore:
There is some injuries, but everything is handled with a middle-grade audience in mind and was done very well.
Overall:
This was such a fun adventure and ends nicely! Still, I want the rest of the series! So I'm hopeful the bookstore will have them when I go in a couple weeks! This was such a fun and imaginative book!
Recommended age 7+
Would also be a fun read aloud!
May 21, 2022
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.
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.
July 18, 2023
I really enjoyed the first installment in The Dreamkeeper Saga. It is reminiscent of Narnia in the best way. I loved Cedric, and the first chapter grabbed me. I felt it was lacking a little explaining the Realm, but I enjoyed it overall. I will continue, but I might try the audiobook version as it would be fun. 3/5 stars.
May 24, 2022
What a magical & heartwarming story! Even though she’s only 12 years old, Lily McKinley already feels the weight of the world’s brokenness. She’s seen it in her mother’s exhaustion, her grandmother’s illness, & the cruelty of Adam, the bully at her school. But most tragically, she experienced it 2 months ago when her father died in a terrible accident. As an artistic daydreamer, Lily has a brilliant imagination to help her cope, but that imagination often gets her into 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, & other creatures to find her way through grief, rescue the world from evil, & discover the power of redemption. A fantasy story, with so many important issues/themes too. There are some things that made me think of things from the Bible, but its not stated out right. I only knew because I knew these things. So it’s definitely in no way pushing it in anyones face. I think the only people who will notice are people familiar with the Bible and/or believe in God. I really appreciated what came across to me, & loved every time I noticed something. There’s also grief, bullying, loss, not fitting in or feeling like you belong anywhere..but also this is full of HOPE & FAITH. Then you have the magical aspects like dragons, shrouds, Merlin, Robin Hood, Sir Lancelot, a unicorn, Mist Elves, a siren, harpies, soothstones, & so much more-even unique & amazing characters like Rigel & Flint! Love! I also loved the friendship that grows between the characters. Such a fast-paced magical adventure. Cedric has my heart. Love that dragon. The ending was amazing, & I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend! This is out now. Can’t wait for the squeal that comes out August 2nd! BEAUTIFUL cover by Studio Muti as well!💜
April 14, 2023
This was such a sweet book! I love Christian fiction and this one is definitely high on the list for me.The characters were fun and the story was so heartwarming. I would recommend this series to fans of the Wingfeather Saga, and people who love that sweet sense of adventure. I loved this book and I can’t wait to read the next one!
May 30, 2022
The Dragon and the Stone is the first book in a new middle grade fantasy series published by Crossway. And when they reached out to me to see if I’d like a copy I was pretty excited. Middle grade fantasy with faith elements interwoven into the story are something I’m certainly interested in. So thank you @crosswaybooks for the gifted copy!
I didn’t love the book quite as much as I’d hoped, but this was the sort of book I definitely would have loved when I was a kid. It’s action-packed with an interesting fantasy-dream world and lots of fantastical creatures and a battle between good and evil. The only reason I’m giving it three stars is because it’s very light on character development, and that is something I usually need in a fantasy novel to be fully invested.
I highly recommend this as a read aloud, or as a book to give to your kids (probably ages 8 & up), especially kids that enjoy a fast-paced story. My girls haven’t read it yet, but I think they will really enjoy it when they do.
Also, the cover! It’s so beautiful 😍😍
I didn’t love the book quite as much as I’d hoped, but this was the sort of book I definitely would have loved when I was a kid. It’s action-packed with an interesting fantasy-dream world and lots of fantastical creatures and a battle between good and evil. The only reason I’m giving it three stars is because it’s very light on character development, and that is something I usually need in a fantasy novel to be fully invested.
I highly recommend this as a read aloud, or as a book to give to your kids (probably ages 8 & up), especially kids that enjoy a fast-paced story. My girls haven’t read it yet, but I think they will really enjoy it when they do.
Also, the cover! It’s so beautiful 😍😍
July 14, 2022
First sentence: Lily McKinley trudged into the house, plodded to the kitchen, and froze. On the counter in front of her, with its barbed tail curled like a question mark, a dragon gobbled her mother's Crock-Pot chili.
Lily's world is falling apart. I was tempted to say seemingly falling part. But that wouldn't be true. No doubt, it is. Her father has died--or at least been reported so, no body found. Her mother is stressed, stressed, super-stressed. Her grandmother has dementia--or presumably so. Her mom is carrying the weight of the world, and Lily is trying to do her share--more than her share. She can no longer "afford" to daydream or let her imagination run away with her. So when she sees a DRAGON in her kitchen, well, she's flabbergasted, scared, and worried. Worried that her imagination is at play again. How could there be an actual real life dragon in her kitchen??? Her mother can't handle dragons! Her grandmother, well, she's too fragile. So once again, Lily feels the pressure to handle something on her own. And this dragon in the kitchen, well, it's just the start. Things only get weirder from here...
Lily soon finds herself NOT in this world but swept away to a fantasy realm where she, Lily, may be called upon to save the world...or at least do her share in saving the world. And it all has something to do with a STONE necklace that her father left for her. This stone is magical--not just because of who gave it to her--but because of its origin. It is from Eden. There were twelve stones, I think, and twelve keepers to protect the stones??? Anyway, the realm is in trouble and Lily (and her ever-growing company) are needed. But beware a betrayer may be in her midst.
I really enjoyed this one! I was super skeptical when I requested it for review. I didn't know how it would hold up. Would it be good? entertaining? something that I could actually recommend? Christian publishers and Christian authors aren't particularly well known for doing children's fantasy--C.S. Lewis excluded. But to be fair, the Narnia books were published in the 1950s. But I really enjoyed this one. I found it a compelling read. I enjoyed all the characters introduced. I thought the story was well-written.
Lily's world is falling apart. I was tempted to say seemingly falling part. But that wouldn't be true. No doubt, it is. Her father has died--or at least been reported so, no body found. Her mother is stressed, stressed, super-stressed. Her grandmother has dementia--or presumably so. Her mom is carrying the weight of the world, and Lily is trying to do her share--more than her share. She can no longer "afford" to daydream or let her imagination run away with her. So when she sees a DRAGON in her kitchen, well, she's flabbergasted, scared, and worried. Worried that her imagination is at play again. How could there be an actual real life dragon in her kitchen??? Her mother can't handle dragons! Her grandmother, well, she's too fragile. So once again, Lily feels the pressure to handle something on her own. And this dragon in the kitchen, well, it's just the start. Things only get weirder from here...
Lily soon finds herself NOT in this world but swept away to a fantasy realm where she, Lily, may be called upon to save the world...or at least do her share in saving the world. And it all has something to do with a STONE necklace that her father left for her. This stone is magical--not just because of who gave it to her--but because of its origin. It is from Eden. There were twelve stones, I think, and twelve keepers to protect the stones??? Anyway, the realm is in trouble and Lily (and her ever-growing company) are needed. But beware a betrayer may be in her midst.
I really enjoyed this one! I was super skeptical when I requested it for review. I didn't know how it would hold up. Would it be good? entertaining? something that I could actually recommend? Christian publishers and Christian authors aren't particularly well known for doing children's fantasy--C.S. Lewis excluded. But to be fair, the Narnia books were published in the 1950s. But I really enjoyed this one. I found it a compelling read. I enjoyed all the characters introduced. I thought the story was well-written.
June 21, 2022
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?”
Thank you to Crossway and Netgalley for the advanced review copy. The Dragon and the Stone releases on May 10!
“Haven’t you ever wondered what happens to a dream when you wake up?”
Thank you to Crossway and Netgalley for the advanced review copy. The Dragon and the Stone releases on May 10!
January 22, 2024
A dragon that speaks in a British accent? Jesus represented by a unicorn? All these and more strange combinations appear in an allegory featuring 12-year-old Lily and a quest that brings her face-to-face with evil. It was a bit too odd for me to get into.
May 9, 2025
It was wonderful! It was the first time that i actually read it. The other time i listened to the audio book. I liked reading though. It was amazing! 4.9 stars
December 4, 2024
✨Rating 5/5
🔮Predictability 3/5
🖋️Very well written
🧚🏼♀️Fantasy rating 5/5
If your looking for a easy read this is definitely the book
I thought the characters were quite likeable
In my opinion I found that this was a fast paced book
💭Thoughts
This book is absolutely brilliant.
I loved the characters and the way it is really easy to read but well written. I loved the creatures and the story and how people’s imaginary characters went to the Realm.
Strangely my favourite character was probably Adam Sykes, although I did really like the main character.
I can’t wait to read the other books!
I want to conclude with a thank you to the author and the other people that helped make this book. Thank you.
🔮Predictability 3/5
🖋️Very well written
🧚🏼♀️Fantasy rating 5/5
If your looking for a easy read this is definitely the book
I thought the characters were quite likeable
In my opinion I found that this was a fast paced book
💭Thoughts
This book is absolutely brilliant.
I loved the characters and the way it is really easy to read but well written. I loved the creatures and the story and how people’s imaginary characters went to the Realm.
Strangely my favourite character was probably Adam Sykes, although I did really like the main character.
I can’t wait to read the other books!
I want to conclude with a thank you to the author and the other people that helped make this book. Thank you.
May 4, 2024
An enjoyable and imaginative book, though it takes a long time to get moving. (Our kids loved it and would it higher if they could 😆)
July 6, 2024
A slow burn middle grade fantasy with amazing characters and magical settings. Butler takes Lily on an unexpected journey into the Somnouim Realm where she has to overcome her own fears and grief in a bid to rescue the world from evil. Dealing with themes of loss, bullying and friendship this is a great read filled with magic and wonder.
September 29, 2023
I was hoping The Dragon and the Stone would be good. Juvenile Christian fantasy, with a main character named Lily? It had an assured place on our bookshelves so long as the writing was halfway decent.
Spoiler alert: The writing was not, in fact, halfway decent.
It's a book for kids with tik-tok attention spans written by someone who really wants everyone to know that she loves Narnia (or possibly by someone who doesn't know how to write Christian fantasy without borrowing from Narnia?). THIS happens! And then THIS happens! And then some FANCY MAGIC! Then BOOM--another near-death experience followed by MORE new fancy magic. Then throw in a couple new characters we don't care about just in time to be BETRAYED by one of them and their NEW FANCY MAGIC. The world building is a mess and there's no sense of pacing and the plotting is a disaster--just a jumble of GREAT BIG EMERGENCIES that are solved by Unicorn Jesus, Lancelot, octopuses in astronaut helmets, and a dragon who can turn himself into a boat, among other dei ex machina. (Is this what Tolkien felt when he read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for the first time and complained about fauns and Father Christmas and talking beavers squished together into one story?) When there's DEADLY PERIL every time you turn the page, you quickly stop caring.
The Dragon and the Stone feels like The Wishing Spell and Pangur Ban had a baby that somehow ended up being better looking than either of them, but still inherited their worst traits.
I like supporting Christian authors. I like finding books with main characters who share my kids' names. I don't mind supplying my kids with cotton-candy books because not everything we read needs to be a classic. But I'm so offended by how badly-written this book is (and extra mad to have yet another Lily book end up being a dud) that I just can't do it.
It's not the worst book ever. There are no content considerations that would necessitate keeping it out of kids' hands. Many would probably enjoy it. But there are so many books out there that are better written. Read those first, at least.
Spoiler alert: The writing was not, in fact, halfway decent.
It's a book for kids with tik-tok attention spans written by someone who really wants everyone to know that she loves Narnia (or possibly by someone who doesn't know how to write Christian fantasy without borrowing from Narnia?). THIS happens! And then THIS happens! And then some FANCY MAGIC! Then BOOM--another near-death experience followed by MORE new fancy magic. Then throw in a couple new characters we don't care about just in time to be BETRAYED by one of them and their NEW FANCY MAGIC. The world building is a mess and there's no sense of pacing and the plotting is a disaster--just a jumble of GREAT BIG EMERGENCIES that are solved by Unicorn Jesus, Lancelot, octopuses in astronaut helmets, and a dragon who can turn himself into a boat, among other dei ex machina. (Is this what Tolkien felt when he read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for the first time and complained about fauns and Father Christmas and talking beavers squished together into one story?) When there's DEADLY PERIL every time you turn the page, you quickly stop caring.
The Dragon and the Stone feels like The Wishing Spell and Pangur Ban had a baby that somehow ended up being better looking than either of them, but still inherited their worst traits.
I like supporting Christian authors. I like finding books with main characters who share my kids' names. I don't mind supplying my kids with cotton-candy books because not everything we read needs to be a classic. But I'm so offended by how badly-written this book is (and extra mad to have yet another Lily book end up being a dud) that I just can't do it.
It's not the worst book ever. There are no content considerations that would necessitate keeping it out of kids' hands. Many would probably enjoy it. But there are so many books out there that are better written. Read those first, at least.
April 14, 2023
the new kid on the block for Christian fantasy is here. I was a bit skeptical going in, and in some ways it exceeded my expectations, but in others, it confirmed them. Feel free to read on if you’re interested in wholesome Fantasy Fiction, but don’t take my word for it and go read the book yourself 😄 you’ll probably enjoy it.
But I do feel the need to pontificate a bit.
Written in a similar style as Narnia or A Wrinkle in Time, the Dreamkeepers Saga begins in the real world before the character goes “beyond” into another realm. The realm in this book is fairly different from other Christian fantasy, and holds a charming dream-like world where everything is made from daydreams. I enjoyed that aspect of it.
Lily’s character development was expected and well done, for the most part. It moved along quickly and was engaging and easy to read.
Things I didn’t enjoy as much…the “adventure” is very structured and predictable. They encounter many problems, but most of them were solved the same way. Problems quickly lost their significance because the reader knows what’s going to happen. There were far too many uses of “and then everything went dark.” to end a moment (can’t we be a little more creative?)
Maybe I would change my mind after reading more in the series, but it seemed like this book could have been stretched into a trilogy itself and could have had a lot more depth/adventure. But the pace was somewhat it’s redeeming quality, because at least it was easy to stay engaged.
As far as allegory goes…well, I mean, I guess. I was hoping it would be a lot more profound, and it definitely has potential to be profound but it just…wasn’t (very much, it was a little bit). Maybe the following books would help with this? Ugh, but the missed potential. Explaining the Kingdom in the realm would have been helpful, because I was really confused when the “Master” was not the God-image in this story.
Not a literary masterpiece, to be sure, but an enjoyable book that I would have been grateful for as a child when all of my other options were exhausted (and as an adult).
But I do feel the need to pontificate a bit.
Written in a similar style as Narnia or A Wrinkle in Time, the Dreamkeepers Saga begins in the real world before the character goes “beyond” into another realm. The realm in this book is fairly different from other Christian fantasy, and holds a charming dream-like world where everything is made from daydreams. I enjoyed that aspect of it.
Lily’s character development was expected and well done, for the most part. It moved along quickly and was engaging and easy to read.
Things I didn’t enjoy as much…the “adventure” is very structured and predictable. They encounter many problems, but most of them were solved the same way. Problems quickly lost their significance because the reader knows what’s going to happen. There were far too many uses of “and then everything went dark.” to end a moment (can’t we be a little more creative?)
Maybe I would change my mind after reading more in the series, but it seemed like this book could have been stretched into a trilogy itself and could have had a lot more depth/adventure. But the pace was somewhat it’s redeeming quality, because at least it was easy to stay engaged.
As far as allegory goes…well, I mean, I guess. I was hoping it would be a lot more profound, and it definitely has potential to be profound but it just…wasn’t (very much, it was a little bit). Maybe the following books would help with this? Ugh, but the missed potential. Explaining the Kingdom in the realm would have been helpful, because I was really confused when the “Master” was not the God-image in this story.
Not a literary masterpiece, to be sure, but an enjoyable book that I would have been grateful for as a child when all of my other options were exhausted (and as an adult).
April 12, 2022
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.
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.
May 28, 2024
My seven-year-old daughter is reading chapter books so I wanted to get her into a series that I wouldn’t really have to worry about the content.
I ended up reading this one out loud to my 4-year-old daughter when my oldest finished. She loved it! It probably helped that it had a unicorn. The main character is named Lily and I find her often pretending to be Lily when she plays house.
This was my first long read-aloud. I’m not sure it was the best for 4-year-olds. I think there are quite a few words in there that she wouldn’t know what they mean. She was still able to get into the story and understand what was happening but some sentences were a mouthful.
I realize I am not really an auditory processor. When I’m the one reading out loud it’s hard for me to stay focused on the story. It’s not my preferred method. I read out loud slower than when I read to myself and I was reading shorter chunks of the story and going days in between readings while I waited for my daughter’s attention span to be ready to sit and listen. [We started back in March to give you an idea of how long it took us. I’m sure most can get through it quite a bit faster, especially if you read a little every day.]
That being said, it’s hard for me to review the overall cohesiveness and feel of the story since I read it disjointedly and distracted.
Instead, I can tell you that my daughters both enjoyed it! My oldest was begging me to get the next book in the series and I finally did get around to getting the next two for her to read.
They loved the magical aspects of the story and the bravery of Lily. There were a lot of perilous situations and life-threatening moments that I wondered might be too scary for my 4-year-old, but she didn’t seem bothered by it. It made it more exciting for her.
Plus this series is about hope so I believe there will always be happy endings.
The basic premise of the story:
Lily is 12 and had recently lost her dad while he was on a business trip. One day at school during an encounter with a bully Lily sees a character from another world, she had somehow ‘called’ to rescue the kid being bullied. She then finds herself in the Realm— a fantasy world filled with conjurings from human imaginations.
She is in possession of her father’s soothstone which gives her special creating powers. But in this Realm, and partly in her world, stewards (stone-holders) are being hunted by shrouds who are part of Eymah, the bad guy’s, army.
Along with her creature friends (Cedric the Dragon, Rigel the silvery bird, and Flint the fire-starter) Lily goes on an adventurous quest over the Cascades, beyond Castle Iridyll, across the Desert of the Forgotten, through the Petrified Forest and down into the Catacombs to help protect the other stewards and the good guys of the Realm from Eymah, but also to search for her dad who she speculates may not actually be dead.
There is some spiritual allegory in this story. The unicorn is Pax and seems to be a Savior character. Eymah seems to be a Satan character loose in the Realm. Though I’m not sure where the series will continue to go because Eymah seems to be destroyed by the end of the first book.
The theme of redemption runs through the story as both Adam and Cedric experience some sort of transformation from ‘bad’ to ‘good.’ Cedric has been ashamed of being a dragon, whose kind has done a lot of evil things, and desires to be different than other dragons. By the end he no longer has the ‘bad blood’ of dragons but is good on the inside.
Lily not only can create using her imagination with the soothstone, but she can also call on the help of Pax, the Unicorn. So when she is in danger and all seems to be lost she essentially prays and asks for help. We see Pax coming to her aid, but it seems like for the most part the connection is between Pax and her— not so much the others with her.
There aren’t a lot of overt Christian things or dialogue so I’m interested to see what else shows up in this series. That being said, I think a lot of readers may read this series and not even make the allegorical connections as intended by the writer.
There is a map in the front detailing the Realm which is a nice visual for readers. There aren’t illustrations in this book, but there are little images on the first page of each chapter. Those were nice for my four-year old who still prefers picture books. It helped keep her attention from chapter to chapter.
Recommendation:
Though I can’t speak on behalf of the entire series yet, from what I know thus far this is a great series for kids to read that you can be assured knowing there is no questionable content but has a theme of good triumphing over evil, highlights friendships, sacrifice, love, and redemption.
It is a good option for a read-aloud if your kids have the attention span for it.
There are some harder words but my seven-year-old read the whole book without really asking what words mean so either she knew them or they weren’t detracting from her ability to understand the story.
I think I will continue to read the next one aloud, but will probably strive to read one chapter a day to maintain more cohesiveness in the storyline for us.
[Content Advisory for kids: lots of perilous situations, loss of a parent, bullying, no swearing or using God’s name in vain]
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**Received an ARC via Tyndale House Publishing in exchange for an honest review**
I ended up reading this one out loud to my 4-year-old daughter when my oldest finished. She loved it! It probably helped that it had a unicorn. The main character is named Lily and I find her often pretending to be Lily when she plays house.
This was my first long read-aloud. I’m not sure it was the best for 4-year-olds. I think there are quite a few words in there that she wouldn’t know what they mean. She was still able to get into the story and understand what was happening but some sentences were a mouthful.
I realize I am not really an auditory processor. When I’m the one reading out loud it’s hard for me to stay focused on the story. It’s not my preferred method. I read out loud slower than when I read to myself and I was reading shorter chunks of the story and going days in between readings while I waited for my daughter’s attention span to be ready to sit and listen. [We started back in March to give you an idea of how long it took us. I’m sure most can get through it quite a bit faster, especially if you read a little every day.]
That being said, it’s hard for me to review the overall cohesiveness and feel of the story since I read it disjointedly and distracted.
Instead, I can tell you that my daughters both enjoyed it! My oldest was begging me to get the next book in the series and I finally did get around to getting the next two for her to read.
They loved the magical aspects of the story and the bravery of Lily. There were a lot of perilous situations and life-threatening moments that I wondered might be too scary for my 4-year-old, but she didn’t seem bothered by it. It made it more exciting for her.
Plus this series is about hope so I believe there will always be happy endings.
The basic premise of the story:
Lily is 12 and had recently lost her dad while he was on a business trip. One day at school during an encounter with a bully Lily sees a character from another world, she had somehow ‘called’ to rescue the kid being bullied. She then finds herself in the Realm— a fantasy world filled with conjurings from human imaginations.
She is in possession of her father’s soothstone which gives her special creating powers. But in this Realm, and partly in her world, stewards (stone-holders) are being hunted by shrouds who are part of Eymah, the bad guy’s, army.
Along with her creature friends (Cedric the Dragon, Rigel the silvery bird, and Flint the fire-starter) Lily goes on an adventurous quest over the Cascades, beyond Castle Iridyll, across the Desert of the Forgotten, through the Petrified Forest and down into the Catacombs to help protect the other stewards and the good guys of the Realm from Eymah, but also to search for her dad who she speculates may not actually be dead.
There is some spiritual allegory in this story. The unicorn is Pax and seems to be a Savior character. Eymah seems to be a Satan character loose in the Realm. Though I’m not sure where the series will continue to go because Eymah seems to be destroyed by the end of the first book.
The theme of redemption runs through the story as both Adam and Cedric experience some sort of transformation from ‘bad’ to ‘good.’ Cedric has been ashamed of being a dragon, whose kind has done a lot of evil things, and desires to be different than other dragons. By the end he no longer has the ‘bad blood’ of dragons but is good on the inside.
Lily not only can create using her imagination with the soothstone, but she can also call on the help of Pax, the Unicorn. So when she is in danger and all seems to be lost she essentially prays and asks for help. We see Pax coming to her aid, but it seems like for the most part the connection is between Pax and her— not so much the others with her.
There aren’t a lot of overt Christian things or dialogue so I’m interested to see what else shows up in this series. That being said, I think a lot of readers may read this series and not even make the allegorical connections as intended by the writer.
There is a map in the front detailing the Realm which is a nice visual for readers. There aren’t illustrations in this book, but there are little images on the first page of each chapter. Those were nice for my four-year old who still prefers picture books. It helped keep her attention from chapter to chapter.
Recommendation:
Though I can’t speak on behalf of the entire series yet, from what I know thus far this is a great series for kids to read that you can be assured knowing there is no questionable content but has a theme of good triumphing over evil, highlights friendships, sacrifice, love, and redemption.
It is a good option for a read-aloud if your kids have the attention span for it.
There are some harder words but my seven-year-old read the whole book without really asking what words mean so either she knew them or they weren’t detracting from her ability to understand the story.
I think I will continue to read the next one aloud, but will probably strive to read one chapter a day to maintain more cohesiveness in the storyline for us.
[Content Advisory for kids: lots of perilous situations, loss of a parent, bullying, no swearing or using God’s name in vain]
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**Received an ARC via Tyndale House Publishing in exchange for an honest review**
April 28, 2024
fun and fanciful. sometimes the world building felt like it had some little holes in it, nevertheless it’s got a cool
premise and is very dramatic and imaginative. will read with my own kids in a few years.
premise and is very dramatic and imaginative. will read with my own kids in a few years.
September 14, 2024
My oldest has loved this series and I can’t wait for my younger children to read them when they are ready. It’s a fast paced adventure, packed with imagination and laced with hope and faith. It passes my “whatever is lovely- Philippians 4:8” filter.
August 15, 2023
Update: I tried the second book in this series and quit reading it. Just too silly and the writing is not great. Good juvenile fiction is good for adults too.
September 16, 2024
Flint is adorable, I love Rigel, Cedric is awesome, and Lily is fantastic!
June 1, 2022
Castles and dragons and mystery abound in the new middle-grade fantasy book, The Dragon and the Stone by Kathryn Butler.
The Dragon and the Stone begins with Lily McKinley finding a dragon named Cedric in her kitchen eating her dinner. Things start to get really crazy for Lily after she confronts a bully named Adam in her school yard and the a stone pendent that belonged to her father, who recently passed away is now glowing, and she is transported to a magical place with the magic pendent when she puts it on.
I enjoyed this magical book even though I don't read a lot of fantasy. It would be a fun book to read as a family. There are themes of faith, mourning, sacrifice, salvation, and redemption. The Dragon and the Stone has some fun characters and is a wonderful adventure into a magical land. I enjoyed the characters and the surprises along the way. There were some points that would make for some great family discussion. While it is a fun book as a whole, there are also some deeper issues dealt with in this book--bullying, divorce, and death among them. At the end of the book, there is a chapter preview for the next book in the series, The Prince and the Blight--which whets the reader's appetite to keep going.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher as part of the Amazon Vine program. All opinions within this review are my own.
The Dragon and the Stone begins with Lily McKinley finding a dragon named Cedric in her kitchen eating her dinner. Things start to get really crazy for Lily after she confronts a bully named Adam in her school yard and the a stone pendent that belonged to her father, who recently passed away is now glowing, and she is transported to a magical place with the magic pendent when she puts it on.
I enjoyed this magical book even though I don't read a lot of fantasy. It would be a fun book to read as a family. There are themes of faith, mourning, sacrifice, salvation, and redemption. The Dragon and the Stone has some fun characters and is a wonderful adventure into a magical land. I enjoyed the characters and the surprises along the way. There were some points that would make for some great family discussion. While it is a fun book as a whole, there are also some deeper issues dealt with in this book--bullying, divorce, and death among them. At the end of the book, there is a chapter preview for the next book in the series, The Prince and the Blight--which whets the reader's appetite to keep going.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher as part of the Amazon Vine program. All opinions within this review are my own.
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