Twelve-year-old Cora lives in a world filled with dragons, who are all slaves or pets. But when Cora’s unusual nurse dragon allows her to open a business selling baby dragons, this hatches a conflict with the authorities. H. L. Burke’s Cora and the Nurse Dragon poses hard questions to its young subject. Should Cora release the illegal queen dragon, created by her nurse dragon, to a life of drugged egg production? Or will she set it free to an uncertain future? Her father, once an advocate of dragon freedom, now supports the law of the land. Her peers have notions of their own. Can she see through what’s expected in order to discern what’s right? Despite this potentially suspenseful setup, Cora and the Nurse Dragon keeps a light touch, preferring to serve the pleasant read of an immersive fable.

Best for: Older children and fans of middle-grade stories.

Discern: Light elements of a Christian worldview.