View source for The Moonshine Dragon (Little Gems) by Cornelia Funke

{{infobox1
|title=The Moonshine Dragon (Little Gems) 
|sort=Moonshine Dragon (Little Gems) , The
|author=Cornelia Funke
|reviewer=Anne Thompson
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=9781781123539
|pages=96
|publisher=Barrington Stoke Ltd
|date=April 2014
|website=http://www.corneliafunke.com/index.php?page=cornelia&lang=en
|summary=Magic, dragons and knights in armour combine in this adventure from the aptly named Little Gem series that should appeal to both dyslexic and emerging readers. 
|cover=1781123535
|aznuk=1781123535
|aznus=1781123535
}}
What happens when stories escape from books? One moonlit night Patrick is woken up by the noise of a tiny dragon emerging from his storybook and chased by an equally tiny knight on horseback. Suddenly Patrick finds himself shrunk to story book size too and he and the dragon find themselves under attack. Can Patrick save them both before time runs out?

Award winning author Cornelia Funke has created a proper, big, adventure for young children in a pocket sized book with this story. There is just enough danger, or 'mild peril' as film producers prefer to call it, to make this exciting. The illustrations by Monica Armino support the story well and I particularly liked those of the dragon himself. 

Barrington Stoke can be relied upon to produce books for their target audience of young dyslexic readers but with the Little Gems series they have also created publications that will engage the emerging reader too. The chunky format is appealing with added extras such as spot the difference puzzles and activities on the end flaps. There’s a high quality cream paper (no shadows through from the other side to distract), a special font which is easier to read and pictures on every page. The reading age given is six plus, with an interest age of five to eight and the added bonus is that this title should appeal equally to boys and girls. 

This book is going to be a welcome addition to my school library and I think young readers starting out on the reading journey will have a real sense of achievement on completing a 'proper book'.  Recommended.

Thank you to the people at Barrington Stoke for sending this copy for review. 

There are many titles in the Little Gems series that may be enjoyed by younger readers but Bookbag particularly enjoyed [[Blamehounds (Little Gems) by Ross Collins |Blamehounds]] and [[The First Third Wish (Little Gems) by Ian Beck | The First Third Wish]].

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[[Category:Emerging Readers]]