Speaking to the Dragons

Alternate histories are tricky. You want it to be close enough to the original history, but different enough to bother changing things. It is a fine line to walk, and if you fail, you fail miserably. Fortunately, Carrie Vaughn can weave fantasy with reality like a master. Voices of Dragons is an interesting take on a world where dragons are very real and people are very scared of them.

Kay is a normal teenage girl in a not-so-normal world. During WWII, the detonation of atomic bombs awakened creatures that had been mythology, until they started flying through the skies and terrifying the "townsfolk": dragons. After a brutal war with the dragons, that if continued, would spell destruction for both sides, they came to a treaty that gave the dragons their own territory. Kay's parents work to protect the border, respectful of Dragon territory, but scared of how fragile it is. Kay is fascinated by Dragon and its inhabitants, so much so that she often hikes right by Silver River, the border, all the time. On one of her forbidden hikes, she falls into the river and is swept away. Just before she drowns, she is plucked from the river by a dragon.

Despite romanticizing these creatures for years, Kay's first instinct is to be terrified of the dragon. When he speaks to her, though, it becomes clear he is just like her- young and curious. He tells her to call him Artegal, and tells her he just wants to learn how to speak better. They agree to meet up once a week or so, and develop a great friendship. He shows her an ancient book with paintings of life between humans and dragons that shows a cooperative relationship with humans riding dragons all the way to virgin sacrifices. Kay and Artegal decide to try flying together, and it is a thrill like Kay has never known. During one of their flights, a military plane, which is forbidden on the Dragon side of the river, crashes. The pilot sees her, but scrambles for the border. A few weeks later, another plane catches them flying, but this one gets pictures of Kay and Artegal. While the downed plane was excused by the dragon elders as an accident, this second plane is considered an act of war. Once the dragons retaliate, burning down government buildings, it becomes clear that Kay and Artegal are the key to preserving the world, as well as the humans and dragons that call it home. But are they enough to stop the war and restore the fragile peace between humans and dragons?

This was a really fun book with a great new future woven into our current past. The idea of sharing the world with dragons is so interesting, and Vaughn really delves into why people are so afraid of dragons. Is it their size? Are they scary because they are as smart as humans and can talk, making them essentially our equals, something we have never experienced before? This fear and desire of some people to eradicate them can easily be translated to current political affairs like immigration reform. This opens a world of discussions about borders, nationalism, and xenophobia that could really inspire and open up any student.

The language and content is age appropriate for any middle school student through high school. The multiple layers to the book can make it a fun fantasy for younger students to one with serious current political implications for an older student, making it incredibly versatile. It certainly falls into the fantasy realm, but it is realistic enough to reach kids who don't like serious fantasy. Overall, this was a very interesting book, and I am looking forward to what Vaughn comes out with next!

A High Seas Adventure

Who can resist a story full of cheeky pirates and sword flailing adventure? I was a little hesitant about this story at first, because I generally don't like time travel stories, but Carrie Vaughn rocks this fun pirate story. Steel is a great story with a strong female lead who takes things as they come, even when she is tossed onto a pirate ship centuries before her time.

Jill is a champion fencer, but when she loses the most important match of her career, her world changes in more ways than one. After the loss, her parents decide to take a trip to the Caribbean to lift her spirits and get her out of her room. While on vacation, though, she refuses to pull out of her funk. When she finds the rusted, corroded tip of a rapier on the beach, she feels inexplicably drawn to the sword fragment. Her pull to the sword makes her take it with her on a boat ride with her parents. When she accidentally falls overboard, she and the sword are transported back in time to a pirate ship where the sword tip is more than just a cool artifact- it is the object of a deadly feud between the Diana's Captain Marjory Cooper and her nemesis, Captain Blane.

Aboard the Diana, Jill gets a quick lesson in pirate life. She is forced to swear an oath to the ship or be put in the gallows. When she chooses to sign the oath, she becomes part of the crew- most of which involves endless scrubbing of the deck and seriously hard work. At first she is terrified of the crew and their fearless female captain, but quickly she begins to see they are more of a family. At one point, they even take over a slave ship and deliver the slaves to safety. Jill grew up thinking all pirates were thieves and self-serving, but she quickly finds out there is more to the story. Despite her desire to get back home in any way possible, Jill begins to care for her crew and captain.

But the issue of the broken rapier still exists. Captain Cooper tells Jill it is the piece of Captain Blane's sword she threw in the ocean. Blane used the evil and mystical sword to try and form a pirate empire in the Atlantic- one that would ensure terror and evil controlled the sea and no one would escape. When she defeated Blane, she destroyed the sword, but now that the piece has come back, Blane is chasing the Diana in a murderous effort to reclaim it. Jill must help the crew of the Diana defeat Blane, but ultimately, Jill must find her way home. Will Blane's defeat help her get home or is she stuck on this pirate ship forever?

I love when historical fiction brings strong messages with an exciting story, and that is exactly what Vaughn did with Steel. She showed a world where women should have been second-class citizens, but instead they were captains of mighty ships and revered like any other fair and just captain. On the ship itself, Jill became an equal to the other men (although it required a little time and proof that she was worthy of their respect). This is a strong book with strong characters who I would be proud to share with my students, male and female alike. In fact, although the main character is a girl, this is a great book for both boys and girls. Nothing about it is "girlie" and who doesn't love a girl who fences anyway?!

The language is moderate and there are no inappropriate circumstances. The violence is limited and not overt or gruesome. This is a great book for any high skilled 6-7th grader through a high school student. It has great characters and plenty of action to keep anyone hooked. While it would certainly appeal to a kid who enjoys pirate stories (Pirates of the Caribbean wholeheartedly included) it also would appeal to someone who knows nothing of pirate lore. Vaughn knocked it out of the park with this fun adventure, and I can't wait to see what she does next!