(no cover art yet) Jessica Day George's website says that the upcoming DRAGON SPEAR is the last of the books she will write about Creel and her dragon friends, and now I am VERY VERY MAD at Jessica Day George. Stop writing if the books seem in danger of starting to suck, yes, but THAT IS NOT THE CASE HERE.
Creel's story begins in DRAGON SLIPPERS, with her aunt deciding that she can't/doesn't want to support her anymore, so she takes Creel and leaves her outside of a dragon's cave. Her aunt hopes that a noble lad from the village will come in and rescue her niece and marry her AND distribute the treasure around, thus making them all rich. Unfortunately for her aunt, Creel bargains with the dragon (who, in truth, couldn't be less interested in eating her) and ends up setting off for the Big City to become a dressmaker, an odd pair of shoes in her hands, and a giant adventure (with still more dragons!) in front of her.
The story continues in DRAGON FLIGHT, the second book. I don't want to say too much about the two plots because I don't want to spoil anything, but I need to tell you: these books are awesome. They're funny and really well-plotted and Creel is spunky and smart and the kind of character you wish you could know. The dragons are almost better than she is; instead of collecting treasure they all collect something different. Seriously, one dragon collects DOGS. One collects stained glass windows. It's so ridiculously great. And they all have wildly different personalities, each one so distinct and so well-drawn.
So because I don't want to spoil anything for you, I really can't tell you anything about DRAGON SPEAR either, except for this: it is too good to be a series ender. I mean, sure, if Jessica Day George (I just like to type her whole name) insists on ending it here, it has a satisfying closure to it. Unless you define "satisfying" as "clearly paving the way for thirteen or fourteen more books about Creel," which I do. I love this series NOW. I can only imagine being lucky enough to have it when I was ten or eleven or twelve (or, frankly, eight or nine, because I was a very advanced reader). When I read that the series was ending I wanted to (as my toddler daughter would say) "cwy and scweam." I am very, very, very sad about this and very, very, very mad at Jessica Day George. And DRAGON SPEAR is a very, very, very good book; a very, very, very good end to a very, very, very good series and I am very, very, very insistent that if you haven't read it you go out and start doing so immediately. Yes, I meant it. Off with you!
Preorder DRAGON SPEAR from Powell's or find your local independent bookstore.