550wordsorless.wordpress.com Open in urlscan Pro
192.0.78.12 Public Scan

Back to summary

Submitted URL:
https://dragonbitebooks.com/
Effective URL:
https://550wordsorless.wordpress.com/
Submission: On August 03 via api (August 3rd 2024, 8:38:28 pm UTC) from BE — Scanned from DE

Form analysis
4 forms found in the DOM

GET https://550wordsorless.wordpress.com/

<form role="search" method="get" class="search-form" action="https://550wordsorless.wordpress.com/">
  <label>
    <span class="screen-reader-text">Search for:</span>
    <input type="search" class="search-field" placeholder="Search …" value="" name="s">
  </label>
  <input type="submit" class="search-submit" value="Search">
</form>

POST https://subscribe.wordpress.com

<form action="https://subscribe.wordpress.com" method="post" accept-charset="utf-8" data-blog="23737673" data-post_access_level="everybody" id="subscribe-blog">
  <p>Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.</p>
  <p id="subscribe-email">
    <label id="subscribe-field-label" for="subscribe-field" class="screen-reader-text"> Email Address: </label>
    <input type="email" name="email" style="width: 95%; padding: 1px 10px" placeholder="Email Address" value="" id="subscribe-field" required="">
  </p>
  <p id="subscribe-submit">
    <input type="hidden" name="action" value="subscribe">
    <input type="hidden" name="blog_id" value="23737673">
    <input type="hidden" name="source" value="https://550wordsorless.wordpress.com/">
    <input type="hidden" name="sub-type" value="widget">
    <input type="hidden" name="redirect_fragment" value="subscribe-blog">
    <input type="hidden" id="_wpnonce" name="_wpnonce" value="13453f5a9a"> <button type="submit" class="wp-block-button__link"> Follow </button>
  </p>
</form>

POST https://subscribe.wordpress.com

<form method="post" action="https://subscribe.wordpress.com" accept-charset="utf-8" style="display: none;">
  <div class="actnbr-follow-count">Join 350 other subscribers</div>
  <div>
    <input type="email" name="email" placeholder="Enter your email address" class="actnbr-email-field" aria-label="Enter your email address">
  </div>
  <input type="hidden" name="action" value="subscribe">
  <input type="hidden" name="blog_id" value="23737673">
  <input type="hidden" name="source" value="https://550wordsorless.wordpress.com/">
  <input type="hidden" name="sub-type" value="actionbar-follow">
  <input type="hidden" id="_wpnonce" name="_wpnonce" value="13453f5a9a">
  <div class="actnbr-button-wrap">
    <button type="submit" value="Sign me up"> Sign me up </button>
  </div>
</form>

<form id="jp-carousel-comment-form">
  <label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-comment-field" class="screen-reader-text">Write a Comment...</label>
  <textarea name="comment" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-textarea" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-comment-field" placeholder="Write a Comment..."></textarea>
  <div id="jp-carousel-comment-form-submit-and-info-wrapper">
    <div id="jp-carousel-comment-form-commenting-as">
      <fieldset>
        <label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-email-field">Email</label>
        <input type="text" name="email" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-text-field" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-email-field">
      </fieldset>
      <fieldset>
        <label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-author-field">Name</label>
        <input type="text" name="author" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-text-field" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-author-field">
      </fieldset>
      <fieldset>
        <label for="jp-carousel-comment-form-url-field">Website</label>
        <input type="text" name="url" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-field jp-carousel-comment-form-text-field" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-url-field">
      </fieldset>
    </div>
    <input type="submit" name="submit" class="jp-carousel-comment-form-button" id="jp-carousel-comment-form-button-submit" value="Post Comment">
  </div>
</form>

Text Content

Roanoke's Hybrid Secondhand Bookshop & Creative Reuse Center

DRAGON BITE BOOKS & CRAFTS

Menu
* Book Reviews
* Meet the Dragon and Me
* Publications and Past Presentations
* Reviews: How to Read My Stars & Find the Best Books
* Challenge: Legal Theft
* About Tiranvof
* Representation Matters
* Glossary
* Historical Fiction
* Buy My Books
* A Playlist by Which to Browse Books
* Editorial Services

BOOK REVIEWS: TRUE STORIES FROM SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

July 30, 2024July 30, 2024 by Kathryn, posted in Review

Archual, Valerie. Carter’s Star City Trolley Ride. Illus. Hannah E. Carroll.
CreateSpace, 2019.

Visit the author’s page for links to order and a description.

Valerie Archual, the Ne Ne of the text, wrote Carter’s Star City Trolley Ride
for her grandson, Carter. In it, the two go into Roanoke City to run some
errands and explore. Their exploration takes them on the Star Line Trolley, to
the farmer’s market, to the Candy Store and Center in the Square, across the
train tracks to the Hotel Roanoke…. From downtown, Roanoke’s Star is visible on
the top of Mill Mountain. For a person currently living near Roanoke, it was a
treat and a delight to see the familiar city through a child’s wondering eyes.
While I am aware of the trolley, I have never taken it, but I know and have
visited many of the sites visited by Carter and his grandmother, Archual.

Continue reading “Book Reviews: True Stories from Southwest Virginia” →

Tagged adults, American history, animal protagonists, Appalachia, Barack Obama,
Black American, Black history, children's, Civil Rights Movement, creative
nonfiction, Franklin County, Gayle Danielsen, Hannah E. Carroll, history,
literature, memoir, nonfiction, peacock, Penny Edwards Blue, picture book,
Roanoke, Valerie Archual, VirginiaLeave a comment

BOOK REVIEW: JEEVES 1947

July 26, 2024July 26, 2024 by Kathryn, posted in Review

Have you ever read any P. G. Wodehouse? This 20th century author (his first book
was published in 1902) seems to be more popular in his homeland, Britain, than
in America. I was introduced to him in 2006 but couldn’t at the time find any of
his works for sale. In fact since then the only book of his that I have
purchased, I purchased in London.

I found this copy of Jeeves in the Morning (alternately titled Joy in the
Morning) in one of the local Little Free Libraries. This was my fifth Wodehouse
novel and the second I have read in the Jeeves series.

Originally published in 1947 in the latter part of his career, this is 8th in
his series about Bertie Wooster and his extremely clever valet, Jeeves. The plot
reminds me a bit of a Shakespearean comedy with the characters’ central problems
being getting in and out of marriage through elaborate and farcical schemes.
Boko, an old friend of Bertie’s, wishes to wed another friend if Bertie’s,
Nobby. Nobby is the ward of Bertie’s uncle by marriage, Lord Worplesdon, who
does not approve of the match. A college friend of Bertie’s, Stilton, is engaged
to an old girlfriend of Bertie’s, Florence, Worplesdon’s daughter. But fierce
Florence breaks it off with Stilton—in part because he has done the unthinkable
and taken a job—and a job as a constable at that—and she decides that she will
instead wed Bertie against Bertie’s wishes, and he’s desperate to get out of the
engagement.

Continue reading “Book Review: Jeeves 1947” →

Tagged Bertie Wooster, Bertram Wooster, comedy, comedy of manners, farce,
Jeeves, Jeeves and Wooster, novel, P. G. Wodehouse, prose novel, realistic
fictionLeave a comment

BOOK SERIES REVIEW: PONY PALS, BEGINNING TO END

June 6, 2024July 26, 2024 by Kathryn, posted in Review

Pony Pals was my series at a certain younger age. I read not all of them but a
LOT of them before moving on to longer books with more complex characters and
plots. There were at the time other available horse series; Pony Tails and The
Saddle Club especially, both by Bonnie Bryant, were if memory serves more
popular series. The Saddle Club was written for an older audience than Pony Pals
or Pony Tails, and the problems were often drama caused by human characters and
relationships rather than—as in Pony Pals—ponies in danger. The Pony Pals do
fight, but it’s usually a disagreement over how to best help a pony. Though
Bryant wrote many books for both Pony Tails and The Saddle Club, both series
were eventually handed over to ghostwriters. Pony Pals was only ever written by
Jeanne Betancourt.

Autumn 2022, I found the 4th in this series at a library sale, was surprised by
how well it held up, how enjoyable it still was, and then not long afterward, I
happened upon a collection of this series at a used bookstore, and brought home
books 1, 7, 9, and 17, which were the first in the series and then the earliest
that the store had in the series that centered each of the three protagonists
because I wondered if I would prefer one POV to another. 1, 4, and 7 center Lulu
Sanders. 9 is Pam Crandal’s. 17 is Anna Harley’s. I later found 15, another that
centers Pam; and Super Special Book 6, the very last book in the series,
published in 2004, where the girls were given equal page time and were each
facing a crisis.

Having read 3 where Lulu is the primary narrator, 2 where Pam is, and only 1
where Anna is, I think my sampling is still too small for me to determine if I
have a favorite narrator.

Continue reading “Book Series Review: Pony Pals, Beginning to End” →
Tagged beginning chapter book, Black American, book series, cat story,
children's, contemporary fiction, dyslexia, horse story, Jeanne Betancourt,
literature, novel, Paul Bachem, Pony Pals, prose novel, realistic fiction,
Richard JonesLeave a comment

PICTURE BOOK REVIEWS: BE ACCEPTED FOR YOURSELF: GUSTAVO & RED

April 3, 2024July 26, 2024 by Kathryn, posted in Review

Drago, Flavia Z. Gustavo, the Shy Ghost. Candlewick, 2020.

Intended audience: Ages 3-7, Grades PreK-2.

Visit the publisher’s page for links to order, summary, sample pages, reviews,
activity kids, teacher’s guide, and author’s bio.

From its cover and because it entered my library’s Libby catalog at the same
time as a few other stories about Día de los Muertos, I expected Gustavo, the
Shy Ghost to be about the Day of the Dead. It is not. Instead, Gustavo is a
lonely ghost in a world of other supernatural “monsters” who feels unseen. This
is a story of putting yourself out there, being brave, and making friends.
Gustavo decides to play his violin in the cemetery and invites everyone that he
wishes were his friend to come listen. At first it seems as if no one will come,
but Gustavo glows with happiness as he plays anyway. The whole group arrives
late with flowers for Gustavo, having gotten lost in the graveyard. After that,
he is included in the monsters’ play, he becomes their friend, but he is never
asked to be more outgoing or to act differently: “everyone discovered that even
if he didn’t talk much, he was the best at helping and protecting his friends.
But mostly, Gustavo never stopped surprising them. And they never stopped loving
him.” The introverted Gustavo gets to remain an introvert and is included
anyway.

Continue reading “Picture Book Reviews: Be Accepted for Yourself: Gustavo & Red”
→
Tagged children's, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, dyslexia, Flavia Z.
Drago, Halloween, LGBTQIA+, literature, Michael Hall, picture book, school
storyLeave a comment

BOOK REVIEWS: THE PROBLEMS OF OVERCONSUMPTION

March 26, 2024July 26, 2024 by Kathryn, posted in Review

Brockington, Drew. CatStronauts, Book 1: Mission to the Moon. Little, Brown
Ink-Hachette, 2017.

Visit the author’s page for links to order and swag.

This book was a bit of a letdown, honestly, but I think because I was too
excited to finally have a chance to read it: CatStronauts—cat astronauts—how
could I not love that? The plot though was predictable, its twists foreshadowed,
broadcasted in plain sight. I was not given enough time dwelling on the story’s
problems to truly expect the CatStronauts or the plan to end the world’s energy
crisis to fail. The cats themselves did not have well-defined personalities
beyond their role in the group and their personal passions—nor did they have
compelling arcs and experience growth, the one exception being Major Meowser,
who grows to respect his team as individuals more by the end of the book. The
story itself was an odd mix of outlandish hijinks and realistic training and
mission sequences.

Continue reading “Book Reviews: The Problems of Overconsumption” →
Tagged anthropomorphism, CatStronauts, children's, Clayton Junior, contemporary
fiction, dog story, Drew Brockington, fantasy adventure, graphic novel, issue
book, literature, middle-grade, novel, realistic fiction, science-fiction,
teenLeave a comment

BOOK REVIEWS: TIMES BETWEEN: THE SINGER OF APOLLO & THOSE LEFT BEHIND

March 12, 2024July 26, 2024 by Kathryn, posted in Review

Riordan, Rick. “Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo.” Guys Read: Other
Worlds, edited by Jon Scieszka. Walden Pond-HarperCollins, 2013.

Visit the publisher’s page for links to order the anthology, summary, excerpt,
discussion guide, and editor’s and authors’ bios.

I struggled to put this short story in chronological order when I read it. I
looked up the publication order, and that places it between “The Son of Sobek”
and The House of Hades. Publication order then is not helpful. Percy was
otherwise occupied in the very brief chronological time between The Mark of
Athena and The House of Hades. So where does this story fit?

In it, a birthday celebration in Central Park for Grover Underwood is
interrupted by the god Apollo (this then must be before The Blood of Olympus. In
fact, for Percy to be in New York and Apollo a god, this must fit before The
Lost Hero, perhaps in that odd time between the end of Percy Jackson & the
Olympians and the start of The Heroes of Olympus (Goodreads calls this Camp
Half-Blood, Book 5.1 which would seem to agree with this placement), or
otherwise after The Trials of Apollo (the finale, having been published in 2020,
I find it unlikely that this story is meant to happen after The Trials of
Apollo).

Continue reading “Book Reviews: Times Between: The Singer of Apollo & Those
Left Behind” →
Tagged adult, Brett Williams, children's, fantasy adventure, Firefly, graphic
novel, heist fiction, Joss Whedon, literature, low fantasy, middle-grade, novel,
prose novel, Rick Riordan, science-fiction, Serenity, short story, teens, Will
ConradLeave a comment

REPRESENTATION IN MY READING FROM 2021, 2022, & 2023

February 6, 2024February 23, 2024 by Kathryn, posted in Challenge, Grab Bag,
Shelfie

2023:

In 2023, I read 185 books. 38 included a character who identifies as LGBTQIA+
(20%!). In 27 of the 185, a protagonist identified as LGBTQIA+ (14%). 32 of the
185 were by creators that identify as LGBTQIA+ (17%). Those 32 books were by
about 61 creators (one of these books—Be Gay, Do Comics—was an anthology with at
least 40 contributors).

102 of the 185 included a character of color (55%). In 56 books of the 185, a
protagonist was a character of color (30%). 29 were by creators of color (15%).

Continue reading “Representation in My Reading from 2021, 2022, & 2023” →
Tagged 2021, 2021 reflection, 2022, 2022 reflection, 2023, 2023 reflection,
diversity, LGBTQIA+, literature, racial representation, representationLeave a
comment

BOOK REVIEW: 40 YEARS OF LITTLE PONIES

January 30, 2024January 30, 2024 by Kathryn, posted in Review

The book My Little Pony 40th Anniversary Celebration collects three stories:
“Friendship is Forever,” “Tales of Dream Valley,” and “Bonnie,” with “Friendship
is Forever” by Sam Maggs, Keisha Okafor, and Rebecca Nalty being by far the
longest.

In “Friendship is Forever” four best friends take on middle school in 1984, the
year that the first animated special in the My Little Pony franchise aired.

The summer before is filled with hours of playing together with their favorite
My Little Pony figures and with the real ponies that they have leased for the
summer. When they learn that the barn where their ponies are boarded is in
danger of being torn down to make way for a shopping mall, they promise to do
whatever they can to prevent the destruction.

Continue reading “Book Review: 40 Years of Little Ponies” →
Tagged Amy Mebberson, anthropomorphism, Brianna Garcia, children's, fantasy
adventure, graphic novel, Heather Breckel, high fantasy, historical fiction,
Jeremy Whitley, Johanna Nattalie, Keisha Okafor, literature, middle-grade, My
Little Pony, novel, portal fantasy, realistic fiction, Rebecca Nalty, Sam Maggs,
short stories, Tony FleecsLeave a comment

BOOK REVIEWS: PICTURE BOOKS FROM AFAR: HERBERT FROM AUSTRALIA AND PATCHES FROM
THE NETHERLANDS

January 23, 2024 by Kathryn, posted in Review

Alexander, Rilla. Herbert Climbs to the Top. Hippo Park-Astra-Penguin Random,
2023.

Intended audience: Ages 2-5.

Visit the publisher’s page for links to order, summary, and author’s bio.

I won a copy of Herbert Climbs to the Top in Goodreads giveaway. It was not what
I expected. Rather than a board book, what I received is a hand-sized picture
book. That’s no problem for me, but it did make me rethink with which small
child I would share this book; a picture book with paper pages is not as sturdy
as a board book.

Herbert, brother to Fiona, is a purple hippopotamus. At his friends’ urging, he
conquers a new piece of playground equipment, but at the top, Herbert drops his
teddy bear! He and his friends climb down the ladder and down into their
imaginations, where Herbert imagines himself a rescue helicopter as he reclaims
the bear. Proud of his achievements, Herbert looks for his sister but cannot see
her. She calls out to him from the underside of the monkey bars and proclaims
herself a roller-coaster car. Fun continues until the final page where Herbert,
Fiona, and Herbert’s friends are all sitting or standing at the top of bars.
Herbert proclaims, “This is the best part,” a saccharine but heartwarming
ending.

Continue reading “Book Reviews: Picture Books from Afar: Herbert from Australia
and Patches from the Netherlands” →
Tagged anthropomorphism, children's, fantasy adventure, Hippo Park Pals, Julie
Arnoult, literature, Nick Schönfeld, picture book, Rilla AlexanderLeave a
comment

POSTS NAVIGATION

Older posts
Older posts

LOOK FOR UPDATES ON TUESDAYS

Search for:

550wordsorless.wordpress.com Open in urlscan Pro 192.0.78.12 Public Scan

Form analysis 4 forms found in the DOM

GET https://550wordsorless.wordpress.com/

POST https://subscribe.wordpress.com

POST https://subscribe.wordpress.com

Text Content

550wordsorless.wordpress.com Open in urlscan Pro
192.0.78.12 Public Scan

Form analysis
4 forms found in the DOM