Dragon Rider
Cornelia Funke's 1997 children's fantasy, translated into English in 2004 by Anthea Bell, is one of the most beloved dragon stories of the last quarter century. Firedrake is a young silver dragon whose Scottish glen is about to be flooded by humans, and the elder of his clan tells him about a hidden valley called the Rim of Heaven where dragons can live in peace. Firedrake sets out to find it with two unlikely companions, the brownie Sorrel and an orphaned human boy named Ben who climbs onto his back in a London graveyard. Behind them flies Nettlebrand, a golden monster bred to hunt dragons, who has been waiting centuries for one to reappear. Funke writes with the warmth of an oral storyteller and the precision of a classic British illustrator's daughter. A staple of middle grade fantasy reading lists ever since.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Dragon Rider
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
When humans threaten the hidden valley where Europe's last dragons live, young silver dragon Firedrake, his brownie companion Sorrel, and an orphaned human boy named Ben fly east to find the mythical Rim of Heaven.
Dragon Rider was written by Cornelia Funke, originally published in German in 1997 and translated into English in 2004. It is part of a loose trilogy with The Griffin's Feather and Firedrake. Cornelia Funke also wrote Inkheart.
Dragon Rider is middle grade, recommended for readers 8 to 12. The dragon and brownie heroes and gentle adventure tone make it especially popular with younger middle-grade readers.
Dragon Rider is a standalone novel by an unknown author, not part of a series.
Dragon Rider is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.