Anya and the Dragon Review written by the Ent on 4/ /2021. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Read
Book: Anya and the Dragon
Author: Sofiya Pasternack
Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Age suggested : 8 and up
Release Date: September 24th, 2019
Themes: Purpose, anti-Semitism, magic, trust, family, moral dilemmas
Warnings: There are several instances of outright anti-Semitism in the book. It is always performed by the villains of the story. A plot line also deals with the death of a parent.
Anya and the Dragon Quick Summary:
Anya is a simple farm girl (although not a very good one). She has been a main source of support for her family since her dad died in battle. When a family emergency arises, Anya must figure out how to get enough money to help her family. This leads her on a path which crosses into the realm fantastical adventure. If you’ve got a kiddo older than 8 who loved the movie Raya and the Last Dragon– you are definitely not going to want to miss this one!
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Anya and the Dragon Review: (Contains light Spoilers)
-Characters-
The characters in Anya and the Dragon are relatively simple, but very effective. For the most part, the good characters are good, but struggle and the bad characters are evil. This plays well with the classic fantasy tropes. Our main character, Anya, plays a consistently conflicted character. At the beginning of the story she is conflicted about her purpose in life, but later faces much larger scale conflicts.
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The side characters, such as the mother and the dragon, play huge and important roles. They add a lot to the plot and add a dynamic that keeps the story intriguing. The connection with the character is very important in reading this book, because overall the plot is fairly straight forward. So, without the character connection, the story could be considered a bit slow and boring.
-Plot/Story-
Anya and the Dragon tells a very fun, generally light story while also delving into some very complex and difficult topics. The overall plot of anti-Semitism towards Anya and her family plays a major role and is the driving force of Anya’s actions. This story is handled very well and gives very quick attachment toward the main character and her family.
The pacing is a bit slow for a middle grade book, but it definitely kicks up a notch when Anya is thrust into a journey to slay a dragon, which ultimately leads her to multiple interesting moral dilemmas. Those decisions push the latter half of the book from decent fantasy book into enthralling, complex material.
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-Setting-
Anya’s land of Zmeyreka is very interesting. Mythical creatures have gone completely extinct, except for in this small land. Anya’s household has a house spirit and regularly are involved with communication with other creatures. This adds a very interesting dimension because in every other land, it just seems like the late Middle Ages of the western world.
Another interesting dynamic in this book is the fact that religions play a decent role in the book. Specifically, Anya and her family are Jewish, but they are the only ones in the town who are. This comes off as a bit odd in a fantasy world, but by the end, it is written well enough to be believable.
–Why Read Anya and the Dragon-
If you or anyone if your family is interested in fantasy or dragons, this is a very fun read. For younger readers, it may be best to read with them to keep them interested. The story although simple in style, provides an incredible amount of depth in moral dilemmas and ethnic prejudices. This could be played as political, but is more of a driving force to make you more emotionally attached to the characters.
Anya and the Dragon Discussion Questions (Contains light spoilers)
- If you had the ability to conjure magic, what would you use it for.
- Anya faces anti-semitism (being treated poorly because of her Jewish ethnicity). Have you ever been treated badly because you were different? Have you ever treated someone else badly because they were different?
- Anya has a house spirit, Domovoi, who consisntenly disrupts her life. What do you think it would be like to have a house spirit in your house?
- What would your reaction be if you encountered a talking dragon?
- Anya is faced with a very difficult decision: Save her family or save the dragon? If faced with this same decision, what do you think you would choose and why?
Thanks for checking out our Anya and the Dragon Review. Before you go, check out these other posts:
-5 Lessons from Raya and the Last Dragon
–5 Family-friendly Fantasy shows on Netflix
–Door on Half Bald Hill: An Irish village is thrown into danger when their only water source begins to get poisoned.
-The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Review and Curriculum
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