What This Book Is About
Drake is just an ordinary farm boy—until the day the king's soldier shows up and announces that he has been chosen to train as a Dragon Master. Taken to the castle, Drake discovers three other kids from faraway lands who have also been selected, each connected to a different dragon. There's Ana with her Sun Dragon, Rori with her Fire Dragon, and Bo with his Water Dragon. Drake's dragon is Worm—a large, brown Earth Dragon who doesn't fly, doesn't breathe fire, and doesn't seem to do much of anything.
Drake is disappointed. How can Worm possibly compare to the other magnificent dragons? But the wise wizard Griffith insists that every dragon has hidden powers, and Drake must learn to connect with Worm to unlock them. Part of Scholastic's Branches line designed specifically for newly independent readers, Dragon Masters combines the page-turning excitement of fantasy adventure with short chapters, simple sentences, and illustrations on nearly every page. With over 30 books in the series and millions of copies sold, it has become one of the most popular early chapter book series for kids transitioning from picture books to longer reading.
Available at Popular bookstores, Kinokuniya, and the Singapore National Library.
Why We Recommend This Book
For A1-level readers (Grade 2), Dragon Masters is an outstanding recommendation for three reasons.
First, the Branches format is purpose-built for building reading independence. Every design choice—short chapters, large text, illustrations on every spread—is engineered to help children who are just beginning to read chapter books on their own feel successful rather than overwhelmed.
Second, the multicultural cast reflects UWC's international community. The four Dragon Masters come from different parts of the world, each bringing unique strengths to the group. The story naturally demonstrates that diversity makes a team stronger—a core UWC value that children absorb through the adventure.
Third, Drake's story teaches patience and looking beyond appearances. His "boring" Earth Dragon turns out to have extraordinary hidden abilities, a powerful message for children learning that every person (and every dragon) has unique gifts worth discovering.
Reading Level Guide
Building reading foundations? Start with picture books and read-alouds first.
Perfect difficulty. The Branches format with illustrations on every page makes this ideal for newly independent readers.
A comfortable, quick read. Great for building speed and enjoying the fantasy adventure.
Other UWC Recommended Books for This Grade
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