Magically gifted friends and their dragons struggle against the darkness.A thorough recap of the events in Dragon Mountain (2020) opens this sequel, welcoming readers new to the series. Billy Chan and his friends Charlotte, Dylan, and Ling-Fei are bonded to their dragons, enabling them with special gifts to protect the dragon and human realms from the tyranny of the Dragon of Death. The group, with the addition of JJ, whose grandfather runs their summer Chinese language camp, is now in the Dragon Realm, where they are bent on rescuing kidnapped Dylan and collecting the rest of the magical pearls to prevent the Dragon of Death from consolidating his power. Gathering each pearl entails a perilous mission, which demands they quickly rise to the occasion. From monstrous worms to human-eating fish, the plot is action-packed but carefully balanced with character development. Billy's dragon Spark's inner conflict adds another dimension as she fights her growing hunger for dark magic. JJ also adds to the complexity, as he questions where he truly belongs. The fast-paced narrative draws readers in with increasing challenges for the young people to defeat their foe. Be warned, this volume ends on a particularly perilous cliffhanger. The first book establishes the multinational cast's identities, including biracial (White American/Hong Kong Chinese) Billy, White American Charlotte, White Irish Dylan, and Chinese Ling-Fei and JJ.Plenty of escalating action will have readers clamoring for the next installment. (Fantasy. 9-12)

Gr 5 Up Fans of Dragon Mountain will be glad to get their hands on the continued adventures of Billy Chan (mixed race white American and Chinese) and his friends. Billy, Ling-Fei (Chinese), and Charlotte (white American), and the dragons they have each bonded with set off to rescue their kidnapped friend Dylan (white Irish) and collect the remaining magic pearls that will give them power enough to defeat the Dragon of Death. Adding tension to the plot, their maybe-friend or maybe-enemy, the evil summer camp leader's grandson JJ (Chinese), reluctantly comes along. The book opens with a complete summary of book one, so those new to the series can jump right in. Much like the first book, a somewhat formulaic plot is saved by the evergreen theme of learning to trust each other and work as a team, Chinese characters and folklore, and short chapters with cliffhanger endings. The ever-increasingly difficult tasks for the friends to complete will keep the attention of even reluctant readers, and the cliffhanger ending is a sure promise of the next installment. VERDICT A definite purchase for those who found Dragon Mountain to be popular, and a good pick for those who don't own the first book but have dragon-loving readers. Hillary Perelyubskiy, Los Angeles P.L.