A
15‑year‑old farm boy finds
a dragon's egg. It hatches into a blue
female dragon that he names Saphira.
Together, they embark on a journey to
defend his homeland against an evil
king, Galbatorix. "Eragon"
fans are gearing up for the long‑awaited
movie to be released on December 15.
To celebrate the occasion, the North
Valley Regional Library in Anthem is
having an Eragon discussion for kids
ages 12‑18, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
on Wed., Dec. 13.
It's
interesting to note that Christopher
Paolini began writing his fantasy novel
"Eragon" when he was 15. It
took him a year to write the first draft.
At age 21, he wrote a sequel, "Eldest,"
which was an instant New York Times
bestseller–even beating Harry Potter.
Christopher
attributes his success to the fact that
he was homeschooled. According to Paolini,
"Everything I did was only possible
because my parents were dedicated and
loving enough to homeschool my sister
and me. My mother, a former Montessori
teacher and author of several children's
books, took the time to instruct us
every day. Aside from textbook lessons,
she had us perform many exercises designed
to stimulate our creativity."
I
gave the book "Eragon" to
my son for his 14th birthday two years
ago. Once he started reading, he couldn't
put it down until 11 hours later, after
he had finished all 497 pages. Since
then, Peter has re‑read "Eragon"
thirteen more times. My 11‑year‑old
son Jon also recommends "Eragon,"
saying "It was a little funny,
a little sad, and a lot exciting. It
reminded me of ‘Lord of the Rings.'"
I
decided to venture into the world of
Alagaesia myself and read both books
one weekend. I must say, these books
are ten times better than the typical
mass‑market juvenile fiction.
I think anyone who doesn't like them
is just jealous that they were written
by a homeschooled teenager.
Christopher
Paolini was obviously influenced by
Tolkien's "Middle Earth,"
Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders,"
and even "Star Wars," but
his story line is unique. Though the
books are lengthy, the unpredictable
turn of events makes you keep reading
to see what will happen.
The
first book, "Eragon," has
short chapters and action‑packed
scenes. The second book, "Eldest,"
has longer chapters containing more
background information and descriptive
details on Eragon's training with the
elves. After hearing us talking about
it for so long, Dad is finally now reading
"Eragon." He is actually enjoying
the story, too, saying that it's been
a long time since he's read a good adventure
book.
Dragon
movies over the years have included:
"Dragonheart," "Dragonslayer,"
"Dragonworld," "Dragon's
World," "Dungeons and Dragons,"
"Flight of Dragons," "Pete's
Dragon," and "Reign of Fire."
Unfortunately, most of these weren't
very good. However, judging from the
trailers that I've seen, it looks like
director Stefen Fangmeier has finally
made a decent dragon movie. This is
the first movie that he's directed himself,
having previously been the visual effects
supervisor for "Master and Commander,"
"The Perfect Storm," "Galaxy
Quest," "Saving Private Ryan,"
and "Twister."
If
you like "Eragon" and "Eldest,"
you may also like the following books:
"The
Book of Dragons," by Michael Hague.
"Dragon
Rider," by Cornelia Funke.
"Dragonology:
The Complete Book of Dragons,"
by Ernest Drake.
"Dragonology
Handbook : A Practical Course in Dragons,"
by Dugald Steer.
"Dragonriders
of Pern Trilogy," by Anne McCaffrey.
"The
Dragon's Boy," by Jane Yolen.
"The
Dragons are Singing Tonight," by
Jack Prelutsky.
"The
Flight of Dragons," by Peter Dickinson.
"Harper
Hall Trilogy (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger,
and Dragondrums)," by Anne McCaffrey.
"Here
There Be Dragons," by Jane Yolen.
"How
to Train Your Dragon," by Cressida
Cowell.
"My
Father's Dragon Trilogy," by Ruth
Gannett.
