THE TEA DRAGON SERIES BY K. O’NEILL

Vol 1 : The Tea Dragon Society, Vol 2, the Tea Dragon Festival, Vol 3, The Tea Dragon Tapestry

Greta is a young, aspiring blacksmith in a fantastical world with many animal-human hybrid beings. She finds a tea dragon in the market one day and rescues it from becoming dinner for some hungry wolves. Greta returns the tea dragon, Jasmine, to her master Hesekiel, a local tea house proprietor. When Greta becomes interested in tea dragons, Hesekiel and his partner, Erik, bring Greta into their fledgling Tea Dragon Society, comprised of themselves and a foundling named Minette. In the second volume, we see Erik and Hesekiel in their past adventuring days. Erik takes Hesekiel back to his village where Rinn, his niece, is trying to find her place in village life. Rinn finds a dragon who has been asleep for eighty years who was supposed to be guarding the village, but was put to sleep by the creature Erik and Hesekiel are here to take out. In the third volume, Greta has the opportunity to become a blacksmith apprentice to a well-respected master as long as she smiths a piece that inspires him. Minette, meanwhile, is struggling with her lack of memories and some of her residual powers we found out about in volume one. Greta continues to care for her tea dragon, Ginseng, who is mourning for its former master.

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This series is very cute, but it has a lot of depth to it. There are things about this world that are not fully explained, but I don’t miss the lack of exposition. O'Neill succeeds in drawing the reader in to this lovely little world she's built, to the point where I don't need to know why some of the characters are mostly human with animal features, and others are fully animal. All of the little tea dragons are extremely adorable, and I think there is a good morale to be had in inspiring others to take care of animals that could be transferred to every-day pets for young readers. The characters are also drawn very cutely with large eyes and soft features. The colors are beautiful, as seen on the covers of the books, with beautiful balance of pastels and shading that make the landscapes very lush and inviting. This is a charming series that will appeal to younger readers who are looking for a fantasy tale about friendship and animals.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 4-7