The Last Dragon

Gr 4-8–Picking up immediately after The Revenge of Magic ends, Riley’s newest offering should only be read as a follow-up to the original story. Indeed, the first few paragraphs mirror the beginning of the first book. Readers will realize that Fort is reliving the capture of his father by strange monsters in a dream. He and his friends have been successfully sent to their new school, and this time no one has any idea as to the location of America’s only school for magic. Just as Fort and his friends are settling into their new home, things are shaken up again and Fort is not only demoted to the beginners’ classes—he also has to babysit one of the new students. He has absolutely no interest in this assignment, as it will prevent him from carrying out the heist he has been planning to help find and save his father. This title’s breakneck pace will appeal to some reluctant readers, but detracts from the plot development and characters. Fort and friends are not really fleshed out and it may be tough for readers to become attached to any specific character. The story would benefit from a deeper dive into the mechanics and history of the fantasy world that unfolds on the pages—hopefully this is explored further in the next installment.