Dragon Rider: The Griffin's Feather by Cornelia Funke

Ben Greenbloom lives on the island of Mimameidr with his adoptive family, which includes Barnabas his father, Vita his mother, and Guinevere his sister.  On the island, the Greenblooms protect all fabulous creatures like dragons, trolls, rats, a homunculus, centaurs, ravens, geese, swans and many more.  Ben is a dragon rider for Firedrake, the dragon, and during their adventures together; they have become the best of friends.

This story takes off when a Pegasus and his three unborn foals arrive on the island.  The inhabitants of Mimameidr must aid the Pegasus and his offspring. In their travels, they encounter griffins, gibbons, krakens, crabs, lorises, jackal scorpions, and proboscis monkeys.

I became very invested in the lives and adventures of the characters in this book.  As the book progressed, I became very eager to find out how this story would end.  At times, the suspense made it seem all was lost, and the touches of Greek Mythology gave this novel a mysterious angle. The end of Chapter 35 found me smiling from ear to ear. It was awesome!

This novel addresses important topics of family, friendship, responsibility, jealousy, greed, and hate.  The line, “Yet nothing was more dangerous than losing hope.” resonated with me.  The quotes at the beginning of each chapter are a nice touch.  My favorite is, “Is there not glory enough in living the days given to us?  You should know there is adventure in simply being among those we love and the things we love, and beauty, too.  Lloyd Alexander, The Black Cauldron.”

I extremely enjoyed this novel.  It is lengthy, but so worth the time.