In the seventh book of the series, we join Stone Rabbit, Henri and Andy are sucked into a mythical board game Dragons & Stuff when they use magical dice that Henri stole from Larry at the antiques store. Henri gradually learns his lesson of why you shouldn't take things that don’t belong to you as the trio must advance through the game in order to return to Happy Glades. The text of the book includes dialogue, transitional statements, and onomatopoeias that make this a fast paced and action packed story. The colored, cartoon illustrations appear in a variety of ways including multi-paned pages or single pictures on multiple pages. The story makes use of basic graphic novel techniques, such as the portrayal of simultaneous events in addition to the passage of time through pictures and words. The back matter includes a list of new vocabulary from the story with corresponding definitions. This book would be an engaging alternative to transitional chapter books for readers trying to build their reading skills and vocabulary. However, as the seventh book in the series, readers are not introduced to the characters or setting of the series and will likely want to read the books in order. This book is recommend as an additional purchase for a transitional chapter book or graphic novel selection. (Ages 7-10) ( )

Stone Rabbit #7: Dragon Boogie comes off as a hyperactive combination between Jumanji and Dungeons and Dragons. It’s humorous and it’s silly; it’s got everything that boys (well, children of a certain age in general, really) love: fart jokes and adventure. While at times the illustrations are so jam-packed and colorful one wonders if they should be preceded by a seizure warning, it is doubtless that young readers have fun with Erik Craddock’s graphic novel series.

In Dragon Boogie, Stone Rabbit and his friends Henri and Andy, are stuck inside during a storm when the electricity goes out. Andy suggests they play a game of “Dragons and Stuff,” and when Henri uses a pair of stolen dice, the boys are transported to a medieval world and have to finish out their game in real life. They are aided by Henri’s grandfather, Grandpa the Great, who is a slightly ineffectual wizard in this new world. Several familiar faces are encountered along the way, as they battle monsters, dragons and various otherworldly foes.

The text of Dragon Boogie is easy to understand for struggling readers but Craddock includes some higher vocabulary words to challenge readers and expand their skills, with helpful definitions and pronunciations at the back of the book. The action zooms by and will be an excellent choice for any reader with a shorter attention span. ( )

Stone Rabbit and his friends Henri and Andy depart on one of the rabbit’s classic adventures in another installment of this graphic novel series. The boys try playing a board game called Dragons and Stuff in an attempt to distract themselves from the boredom of a power outage. The problem is they get sucked into the board via a magical set of dice and get sent on a series of. They must figure out how to defeat the Lord of Darkness while trying to navigate this unfamiliar medieval land. How will they manage to get themselves out of this mess? The story is humorous in a way most boys would love with everything from non-sense spells to fart jokes. The text itself is fairly advanced, more for age 8-12, and includes a glossary of the medieval words on the final page. The illustrations are vibrant and eye catching, helping the reader not only fully immerse in the story, but puzzle out any confusing ideas within the text. Dragon Boogie is a silly little adventure book for boys looking for a quick read and fun story. Recommended. ( )

Ages 9-15

Know readers who can’t get enough fart and booger jokes? Do they also happen to like fantasy or graphic novels? Point them towards Dragon Boogie.

Stuck inside during a thunderstorm, Andy, Henri, and Stone Rabbit are bored and decide to play “Dragons and Stuff.” When Henri produces some suspicious dice, a single roll transports them to a magical land. There they must defeat the Lord of Darkness with the help of grandpa wizard and a hexed dragon.

The images in this graphic novel are action and color packed. The text complements but does not overwhelm the images of sword fights, dragon flights, noxious gas clouds, minions and many armed monsters.

While the text is not dense and the syntax straightforward, the content of Dragon Boogie has broad appeal. The combination makes this book appropriate for readers who haven’t yet made it to chapter books, all the way to high schoolers. The text introduces medieval themed vocabulary that is collected at the back of the book in a glossary.

Dragon Boogie has some clever points that caution against making assumptions about people and underestimating your neighborhood nerd. Grab the next book in the Stone Rabbit series if you like this one! ( )