The Dragon’s Apprentice

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the imagination of New York Times bestselling author James Riley comes a hilarious, heart-pounding fantasy adventure that turns everything you know about dragons upside down.

Meet Ciara, a twelve-year-old girl from the tiny village of Skael who’s about to make the most spectacular mistake of her life. When she stumbles upon a forbidden spell in an ancient book, she accidentally summons Scorch—a cranky, sarcastic dragon who insists that everything the Emperor has told them about magic is a lie. Dragons don’t eat people. They don’t terrorize villages. In fact, a thousand years ago, they taught humans magic.

Now Ciara has struck a dangerous deal: if Scorch teaches her the forbidden magic she needs to rescue her mother and free her village from the Emperor’s iron grip, she’ll help the dragon uncover the truth about what really happened all those centuries ago.

Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and Brandon Mull, this spellbinding adventure combines laugh-out-loud humor with genuine heart. Riley masterfully weaves together themes of courage, questioning authority, and the power of unlikely friendships. The special first edition paperback features gorgeous colored edges with a dragon design that makes it a treasure for any shelf.

Fair warning: this book contains magic spells, fire-breathing dragons, and one very determined girl who refuses to follow the rules. Consider yourself warned—and utterly enchanted.

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