The Dragon With a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis

During the Autumn term of 2017, Year 6 children from 7 primary schools in Shropshire were tasked with reading a long-list of 55 books that were submitted by leading publishers, as part of Shrewsbury Bookfest’s Big Book Award 2018 project.

This book, suitable for children aged between 9 and 11, was enthusiastically put forward by pupils from Coleham Primary School in Shrewsbury as a hot contender for the shortlist.  It was highly recommended by the children and so we thought we’d share this valuable information with you:

About the Book:

Aventurine is the fiercest, bravest kind of dragon, and she’s ready to prove it to her family by leaving the safety of their mountain cave and capturing the most dangerous prey of all: a human.

But when the human she captures tricks her into drinking enchanted hot chocolate, she finds herself transformed into a puny human girl. She’s still the fiercest creature in these mountains though – and now she’s found her true passion: chocolate! All she has to do is walk on two feet to the human city, find herself an apprenticeship in a chocolate house, and she’ll be conquering new territory in no time … won’t she?

The pupils from Coleham Primary School, Shrewsbury commented:

• I thought that the dragon part could be interpreted as metaphor for real life.
• It almost seemed as if I was watching them talk and stir pots of delicious creamy chocolate