Power of the Fire Dragon: A Branches Book (Dragon Masters #4): Volume 4

I was looking for something to read to my 7 year old daughter and 3 year old son. I wanted something gender neutral (I wanted to avoid Princess books). This book was great. This is the Fourth book in Dragon Masters Series. It has easy to follow storyline, so even if you skip the first, second and third book and start with this one, you (or your kids) will be able to follow the story, but I recommend starting with the first book because it does refer to what happened in the book 1, 2 and 3. My kids loved the series and asked to read more than 3 chapters a night. This is one of the Scholastic Branches series books. Branches series were written for early chapter book readers. There are two levels: first level is with color pictures and lower Lexile (According to Scholastic website, for ages 5-7, 80 page full color Branches series are: Boris by Andrew Joyner, Kung Pow Chicken by Cindi Marko, Missy's Super Duper Royal Deluxe by Susan Nees, Owl Diaries by Rebecca Elliott, Princess Pink and the Land of Fake-Believe by Noah Z Jones), second level is black and white with a bit higher Lexile (according to Scholastic Website, for ages 6-8, 96 page, black and white Branches series are: The amazing stardust friends by Heather Alexander Illustrated by Diane Le Feyer, Dragon Masters by Tracy West Illustrated by Graham Howells, Eerie Elementary by Jack Chabert Illustrated by Sam Ricks, Looniverse by David Lubar Illustrated by Matt Loveridge, Lotus Lane by Kyla May, Monkey Me by Timothy Roland, and the Notebook of Doom by Troy Cummings) . This Dragon Master series falls onto the second level. My daughter enjoyed Eerie Elementary series (took 45-60 min to read per book) and The Notebook of Doom (took 45-60 min to read per book). Branches series have easy to follow story lines and attractive illustrations (black and white for second level) and I highly recommend them. This is the last of the series (as of the date of the review Sept 2015), but how the story ended makes it seem like more books are coming. My daughter cannot wait and she said "if this is the last one that author has written, I should write the book #5" - this is how much my daughter liked this series.

This review applies to all the books in the series. My son started reading these shortly after he started getting good at reading chapter books. I would say they are on par with the Magic Treehouse series. However, I the drawings are very good, and every page has artwork, and so it's easy for him to get into the stories. Each book could be read independently, but I think it's better to read them in order. He started reading these at 5 years old in Kindergarten, but I think they're better suited to first graders. Every time we get a new edition, he devours it immediately. There are very few book series out there that he enjoys as much as these. Kingdom of Wrenly is similar, but he like this much more. I wish they'd sell these in a boxed set! This is also our go-to book for kids birthdays once we hear that they're getting into chapter books.

This series was first introduced to us in December and my 8 year old son loves it. He's not much of a reader during his free time but he loves to read this series. I am an elementary teacher and after my son is done with the books I bring them to my classroom and they are always a hit. The reading level is appropriate for 2nd grade, advanced readers in 1st grade or struggling readers above 2nd grade. The story line follows a group of kids around 8-10 years old who are the chosen ones to be dragon masters, training dragons. These kids go live with the king at the castle and there is an underground area where the dragons live. Nobody but the king and a select group of people know about the existence of dragons. Each book is the story of a specific kid and a dragon, but they all tie into each other nicely. You don't need to read them in order to understand the storyline, but we prefer to do so. I think this series would engage reluctant readers both boys and girls-because there are boys and girl main characters. Minimal pictures, but very well done.

This series is great! Me and my daughter have fun reading these. Great for beginner chapter book readers to start.

My 5 yo beginning reader and I have been reading these books together. He can't get enough! It has been exactly the motivation for him to learn to read. This was our fourth book, and it seems as though the character development and story has been evolving. There is a great balance of action, empathy, and excitement.

My son read these books when he was 6 and now 7. He got hooked on the first book and asked for each subsequent book. He read them all on his own without me having to ask him to read. At $5 per book they are pricey, as I wouldn't pay $20 for a set of 4 of these or for one book that had all for stories. However, I think the language, illustrations, and stories are appropriate for the target audience.

My 6 year old and I have been enjoying this series. It introduced him to chapter books while still keeping to his age and reading level. He loves all the characters and dragon stories. Quality time with my little love.

I ordered this book for my 8 year old daughter as she as read all 3 other books in the series and could not wait for the forth book to come out. She absolutely loves the story, characters and adventure. Upon receiving the book she sat down and read through the entire book in one sitting! Needless to say she is hooked and I am so happy that my daughter loves reading because of these books! Can't wait for more in the series and I hope it continues for a long time!