Dragons in a Bag

By: Zetta Elliott

Narrated by: Ron Butler, Zetta Elliott

The dragon's out of the bag in this diverse, young urban fantasy from an award-winning author!

When Jaxon is sent to spend the day with a mean old lady his mother calls Ma, he finds out she's not his grandmother--but she is a witch! She needs his help delivering baby dragons to a magical world where they'll be safe. There are two rules when it comes to the dragons: don't let them out of the bag, and don't feed them anything sweet. Before he knows it, Jax and his friends Vikram and Kavita have broken both rules! Will Jax get the baby dragons delivered safe and sound? Or will they be lost in Brooklyn forever?

AN ALA-ALSC NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

The Dragons in a Bag series continues! Don't miss The Dragon Thief, and The Witch's Apprentice.

Critic reviews

"What a breath of fresh air: a chapter-book fantasy with an urban setting, an array of brown-skinned magic wielders, and a lovable black protagonist readers will root for and sympathize with... Good, solid fantasy fun."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Elliott skillfully introduces themes about creating positive change, examines issues of othering and the fear of differences, and touches upon the complexities of family, gentrification, and segregation. A promising start to a new series..."—School Library Journal, starred review

Real life issues + sci-fi elements!

This story was so satisfying. I am a mom of a middle schooler and I am a writer of young adult fiction. I love Newberry honored books and read them for my own pleasure. Favorites include Island of the Blue Dolphins, Holes, A Wrinkle in Time, Roar of Thunder Hear My Cry, Alone, and One Crazy Summer. This books falls into this stack of winners and hear is why. I love the blending of early African history with the sci-fi elements of this story. I love time travel and the progressive twist the character "Ma" brings to time travel. I found the balance of real life verses fantasy just right. The New York City location was refreshing. The characters were so loveable and the talented voice actor chosen to narrate this adventure blew my mind. Lastly, the length was nice and short--my style for sure. I would recommend this read for classrooms, homeschool, and leisure. It is a clean read that encourages an understanding of social issues such as poverty and also the acceptance of people making a new start after having a criminal past. Highly recommended.

My boys LOVED this story!

My son(9) said his favorite part was the end. He is sentimentalabout family and the ending really touched him. He also didn't ever want to pause the book, and immediately asked if there was another book and if it was a series. So I will for sure be looking out for more.
I personally enjoyed that it had hardships of reality as well as fictional.

fabulous read for any adventure boy

I heard about this book from a multi-cultural parenting group. This story is a fun adventure for my little boy, and the narration is absolutely perfect. highly recommend this for any elementary student who has a spirit for adventure.

Dragons in a bag

What an amazing story that can transcend all ages! It totally spoke to the child in me and made me think of dreams and do much potential for the child encouraged to dream and live life with no restraint! Bravo for writing this and being so inspiring! Keep writing takes like this one!!!

ear catching, imagination inspiring great book

such a great book for the whole family. its about a 5th grade boy who stays with a sitter & ends up helping to save 3 dragons. there are all sorts of twist & turns that happen through out this 1 day. different dimensions are crossed, friends are made & trust is built.
this was a great book. my kids would sit quietly still & listen for hours on end with the only request being "no talking".
my kids are ready to read the book a 2nd time. I myself also really enjoyed it. I could definitely relate to some of the adult emotion in the book.