Perry La Perra: 2024

Earlier this year I determined that my reading goal for 2024 would be sixty books about dragons because it was the year of the dragon (and I was born in the year of the dragon) and I was turning sixty. I completed my goal on December 30 and along the way had some additional dragon adventures. Herewith my annotated list of sixty books. Each one has an indicator of age level: B & T (babies and toddlers); C (Children); YA (Young Adult); A (Adult). I purchased perhaps a dozen of these books the rest I either: received as a gift; borrowed from the library; borrowed from a friend or family member; found a video on youtube; or, already owned. Seven of these were re-reads. Following the list are some photographs that tell of my other dragon exploits for the year.

There's a Dragon in Your Book - by Tom Fletcher - interactive for very young children (B & T)
Damsel - by Elana K. Arnold - Girl becomes dragon (YA)
The Dragon Princess - by E.D. Baker - Girl becomes dragon (YA)
The Egg - M.P. Robertson - Boy raises dragon egg - picture book (C)
Pinkalicious - Victoria and Elizabeth Kann - imaginary pink dragon helps girls feel strong at slumber party (C)
No More Work - Anne Rockwell - Three monkey sailors attempt mutiny, but discover (with the help of a blue dragon) that their captain isn't so bad after all. (C)
Eyes of the Dragon - Margaret Leaf and Ed Young - A dragon painted on a wall comes to life when the artist paints on the eyes (C)
Matthew's Dragon - Susan Cooper - the dragon from a storybook comes to life and takes a boy on a magical adventure (C)
Dragons Rule, Princesses Drool - Courtney Pippin-Mathur - A dragon makes friends with two princesses who invade his land (C)
The Dragonling - by Jackie French Koller - a boy makes friends with a baby dragon, much to the chagrin of this father (C)
My Father's Dragon - by Ruth Stiles Gannett - a boy rescues a baby dragon after defeating a host of other wild animals (C)
The Library Dragon - by Carmen Agra Deedy - the elementary school's new librarian is a literal dragon (who burns books she doesn't like!). She is tamed by one of the students. (C)
The Other Rabbit - by Maranke Rinck & Martijn van der Linden - Rabbit is looking for the other rabbit, but first he meets a host of other animals, including a lonely dragon. (C)
Dragons love Tacos - by Adam Rubin - You can invite dragons to a taco party (they will love it) but be sure not to give them any spicy salsa! (C)
The Complete Book of Dragons - by E. Nesbit - Nine short(ish) stories about dragons. (YA)
The Story of Silence - by Alex Myers - the tale of a non-binary Knight. Dragons are really just part of the general ambiance of the story along with fairies, Merlin, and other magical beings. (A)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - by Grace Lin - a girl makes friends with a dragon who helps to change her fortune. The book makes reference to the story found in Eyes of the Dragon (#7 on this list). (YA)
The Girl Who Drank the Moon - by Kelly Barnhill - Magical girl keeps baby dragon for a pet (YA)
The Paper Bag Princess - by Robert Munsch - A Princess rescues her Prince from a fearsome dragon. She leaves him in the dust when he tells her that she is not dressed appropriately (after having had all of her clothes burned by said dragon). (C)
Raising Dragons by Jerdine Nolan - a girl growing up on a farm discovers a dragon egg and learns how to take care of dragons. (C)
Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro - an elderly couple go on a quest to see their son, they must make their way through a memory erasing fog caused by a she-dragon’s breath (Merlin) (A)
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende - a young boy becomes part of the book he is reading (The Neverending Story) in a land called Fantastica. A luckdragon called Falkor helps him navigate the magical world. (A)
Eric Carle's Dragons Dragons & Other Creatures that Never Were - a poetry anthology about mythical beings, several of which are dragons. (C)
Joan Procter Dragon Doctor by Patricia Valdez - True story of a girl who loved reptiles growing up in the UK. As an adult She designed the reptile house at the London Zoo and brought in two Komodo Dragons. (C)
Beowulf - epic poem in which our titular hero slays three monsters: Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a treasure-hoarding dragon. Although the dragon is killed, Beowulf is mortally wounded in the battle. (A)
The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame - A boy befriends a nice dragon, but the villagers are afraid of him. St. George, the boy, and the dragon come up with a plan to make everyone happy. (C)
Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey - Dragons, time travel, and smart women save the world. (A)
The Dragon Who Learned to Fly by the University of Phoenix - A dragon thinks she has no time to learn to fly. A bird convinces her to use up every minute of her spare time to learn. (C)
There's a Dragon in the Library by Dianne de Las Casas. No one believes Max when he tells them there is a dragon in the library eating all the books. (C)
The Wooden Dragon by Joan Aiken - a carved wooden dragon comes to life (C)
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - At a war college young adults learn to fly dragons. Most of them die. They have a lot of sex. There is a (minor) non-binary character. Their gender is presented only by way of using the/them pronouns. It is not an issue to the story or any of the other characters.(A)
Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library by Julie Gassman - Picture book explains why dragons and libraries don't mix.(C)
Be a Good Dragon by Kurt Cyrus - a dragon with a bad cold is cured with a magical potion and some bed rest. (C)
Wonder Woman Sword of the Dragon by Laurie Sutton - Wonder Woman convinces Goldie the treasure-hoarding dragon to let her use Merlin’s sword to save some folks.(C)
Big Panda and Tiny Dragon by James Norbury - a big panda and a tiny dragon make friends. As they journey through the seasons together they drink tea, get rained on - a lot! and dispense philosophy. (A)
The Truth about Dragons by Julie Leung - Dragons of Eastern and Western lore are introduced to a bicultural child. Treasure hoarding dragons. Dragons with pearls (Where the Mountain Meets the Moon).(C)
Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Kat Zhang - Amy creates a dragon that has elements of Western and Eastern lore. Treasure hoarding dragons. I picked up this book and the one listed above it at coincidentally on the same visit to the library. I did not realize at the time that they had similar themes. I had simply searched "Dragons Fiction" in the library catalog. (C)
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley - Aerin (daughter of a king and a witch) creates a salve that protects from dragon fire and allows her to become a dragon slayer. (YA)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - at Hogwarts school for witchcraft and wizardry Hagrid (keeper of keys and grounds) hatches a dragon egg and names the baby Norbert. Harry Potter and his friends get in trouble for helping to dispense with the illegal livestock. (YA)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling - at Hogwarts school for witchcraft and wizardry Harry Potter mysteriously is entered into the dangerous Tri-wizard tournament. One of his tasks in the contest is to secure a golden egg from the nest of a ferocious Hungarian Horntail dragon. (YA)
Elmer and the Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett - Sequel to My Father's Dragon. Elmer Elevator has more adventures with the rescued baby dragon, including finding a buried treasure. (C)
Never Touch a Dragon by Rosie Greening - Baby board book with touch and feel technology (B&T)
I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter Beagle - a dragon exterminator who also keeps dragons as pets falls in love with a princess (who taught herself to read). (YA)
When a Dragon Comes Courting by Claire Trella Hill - Dragon turns into ripped man and woos pretty lady and her daughter. Shapeshifting. (A)
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - Hobbit Bilbo Baggins along with 13 dwarves, a wizard, and a host of others, vanquish the dragon Smaug (who is hoarding gold). (A)
The Dragon in the Library by Louie Stowell - Young Kit discovers she’s a wizard and learns that every library has a dragon that sleeps below it. The dragons need stories and quiet to keep them entertained and asleep. Dragon was sleeping on a pile of gold. Smaug’s name was even invoked thusly: “Don’t read it out loud for Smaug’s sake!”(C)
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede - Princess Cimorene doesn’t want to marry the dullard her parents picked for her so she goes off to live with the dragons. She refuses "rescue" from any of the knights or princes who think she needs saving.(YA)
Damsel by Evelyn Skye - princess who was supposed to be a sacrifice vanquishes dragon, and then the create an alliance. Shape shifting. Based on the screenplay that became the Netflix movie. The book is way better (but who’s surprised?) (YA)
The Last Dragon by Susan Miho Nunez - when young Peter is sent to Chinatown to visit his great aunt he asks to buy an old 10-person parade dragon from a shop. With the help of some friends the dragon is restored to its original glory.(C)
Dragon for Breakfast by Eunice and Nigel McMullen - when a baby dragon hatches from the king’s breakfast egg he wreaks havoc on the castle with his fire breathing.(C)
The Year of the Christmas Dragon by Ruth Sawyer - a tale that spans centuries and the globe. A boy in China befriends a dragon and together they fly to Mexico. After many years of sleep a boy in Mexico wakes the dragon in time for Christmas festivities.(C)
The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill - a graphic novel about tiny dragons who grow tea on their horns and those who care for them (C)
Valentine for a Dragon by Shirley Rousseau Murphy - a demon makes several attempts to present the dragon of his dreams with an appropriate valentine, but she keeps accidently burning them up. (C)
How Many Dragons are Behind the Door? by Virginia Kahl - thirteen princesses bring home a dragon who grows very fat and cannot leave the tower. (C)
Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges- a retelling of the legend of how Saint George slayed the dragon. (C)
The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis - a strong-willed young dragon sneaks away from her family and is turned into a human when a food mage tricks her into eating some of his chocolate - shape shifting, gold hoarding (YA)
When Women were dragons by Kelly Barnhill - a mass "dragoning" of women in 1955 and its consequences and effects on the rest of the country is explored - shape shifting (A)
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill - a shape shifting evil dragon scams a town after burning down it’s school and library. He turns the town against an Ogress who has been secretly helping everyone. Hoarding. (C)
Daydreamer by Rob Cameron - Charlie makes sense of his world through stories and fantasy. He imagines his building's superintendent, Mr. Miles, as Glory the dragon. In Glory's apartment "there were gold pieces and precious jewels all over...That man hoards like a...dragon". (YA)
A Destiny of Dragons by TJ Klune - a gay dragon, a gay unicorn (whose lost his horn), a gay knight, a gay magician, a gay prince, and a gay half-giant have an adventure. Mostly a fun gay romp. (A)