Dragon Keeper
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| Dragon Keeper | |
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| Author | Carole Wilkinson |
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| Cover artist | designed by = Blue Boat Design |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Black Dog Books |
| Publication date | 2003 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| Pages | 339 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-1-876372-89-7 |
| Followed by | Garden of the Purple Dragon |
Dragon Keeper is a fantasy novel by Carole Wilkinson. There are three books within the series; the sequel to Dragon Keeper being Garden of the Purple Dragon, first published in 2005 and Dragon Moon was published in 2007. [1]
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
In the far western mountains of the Han Empire in ancient China, an aging dragon and a young slave girl are both used and neglected by the cruel Master Lan. Nameless and alone, the slave girl, is without hope, her only friend is her pet rat, Hua. After one of the Imperial Dragons suddenly dies the slave girl finds herself coming to the aid of the last dragon. The two escape,but when the emperor finds out that one of his dragons is dead, Master Lan blames it on her and she finds herself chased by the imperial guards who believe she is an evil sorceress, a necromancer and a dragon hunter who is determined to kill the dragon and take the dragon's stone. And the dragon, Long Danzi tells the slave girl her true name: Ping (meaning duckweed). Ping discovers her destiny as Dragon Keeper. Now she and the dragon must go on a dangerous journey across China to protect a mysterious stone that is vital to the dragon's legacy. While traveling with Danzi, Ping learns many things that will in time, help her with her struggles. Ping also learns the value of friendship and courage in this creative novel by Carole Wilkinson.[citation needed]
[edit] Major characters
- Ping - a slave girl who Long Danzi offers the position of the new Dragon Keeper and to journey with him to the ocean in the east.
- Hua - a rat Ping carries around with her. Her only friend before she meets Long Danzi.
- Long Danzi - an ancient green dragon; one of the last wild imperial dragons in Ancient China. He travels with Ping to the ocean where he takes a mysterious stone, but he won't explain to Ping what it is.
- Kai- a baby dragon- son of Long Danzi. The stone is the egg of Kai.
- Master Lan- Ping's master- a lazy and cruel man
- Diao - Dragon Hunter Diao, who hunts Long Danzi throughout the novel for the dragon's body and his stone.
- Wang Cao - a herbalist who used to be Long Danzi's companion until they were separated by dragon hunters.
- Jiang Bing - a boatwoman secretly working with "The Necromancer".
- "The Necromancer" - Necromancer who had possession of Long Danzi's stone and has an evil desire for it. He acquires it from Diao after Ping and Long Danzi lose it.
- Liu Che - Emperor of China and Ping's friend for a short while. His father passed away after eating the Dragon Pickle of Lu Yu, Danzi's mate who died because of misery like most of the other imperial dragons.
[edit] List of awards
[edit] Main awards
- Book of the Year (Younger Readers) 2004 Children's Book Council of Australia Awards
- Best Children's Book 2004 Queensland Premier's Literary Award
- Best Young Adult Book 2003 Aurealis Awards
- Winner of the 2006 Kids Own Australian Literary Awards (KOALA) Older Readers
- Winner of the 2006 Kalbacher Klapperschlange Award (Germany)
[edit] Other awards
Dragon Keeper also was:
- Shortlisted for the 2006 COOL (Canberra's Own Outstanding List) Award
- Shortlisted for the 2004 NSW Premier's Literary Awards
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official Dragonkeeper homepage
- Publisher's microsite for the Dragonkeeper series
- Publisher's Dragonkeeper page
