Does your middle-grade reader love dragons?

Many dragon books for tweens are coming out these days. Dragon books manage to hook young readers every time. These stories usually contain an epic battle between good and evil, with the dragon serving as a symbol of ultimate power. In addition, dragon stories often feature a young protagonist who must overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. The heroic protagonists can inspire kids who may feel like they are facing challenges of their own. Dragon stories often contain a healthy dose of humor, which can be another big draw for kids.

If your middle-grade reader is searching for a new book, they’re in for a real treat with this list of cool dragon books! From dragon keepers to dragon slayers, these reads are sure to excite and entertain every tween reader.

Check out the list below…

Dragon Book for Tweens

The world of Fablehaven returns with this collectible boxed set featuring the first three books in the New York Times bestselling sequel series from Brandon Mull. This is my favorite set of dragon books for tweens! We own all of these books and LOVE them.

Billy Chan and his friends have been transported 5,000 years into the future where the evil Dragon of Death has become ruler of Dragon City. Humans now live to serve the dragon population, and it’s no different for Billy, Charlotte, Dylan, and Ling-Fei. After losing contact with their own dragons, they’re determined to track them down in this new city, even if it means putting their own lives at risk. But one dragon has turned to the dark side and has no plans to return. With the help of a new clan of dragons, can the four friends undo the Dragon of Death’s villainous work—or will she triumph eternally?

Thirteen-year-old piper, Patch Brightwater, is a boy in disgrace. Thrown in jail for playing a forbidden spell, he is no one’s idea of a hero. But then he discovers a deadly truth—the evil Piper responsible for the disappearance of human and dragon children is on the loose!

With the help of Wren, a girl cursed to live as a rat, and Barver, a fire-breathing dracogriff, Patch must stop the Piper of Hamelyn from plunging the human and dragon worlds into utter war and chaos. This dragon book for tweens is top-notch!

Once upon a time, Alliana believed in dreams and fairy tales as sweet as spun-sugar clouds. Alliana wished on shooting stars, sure that someday she and her grandmother would be able to travel to the capital city to see the queen. Then her grandmother passed away—and those dreams disappeared in a disenchanted puff.
 
Now Alliana’s forced to attend to the whims of her wicked stepmother—with long days of cleaning her stepfamily’s inn as her skin burns raw or staying up until the crack of dawn to embroider her stepsister’s ball gowns. Until she meets two beings who change her life forever—the first is a young night dragon that Alliana discovers she can magically talk to. And the second is Nela, a young witch.
 
Nela needs Alliana’s help navigating the mysterious abyss, filled with dangerous beasts, a place Alliana knows by heart. Alliana sees Nela’s request as a chance to break free of her stepmother’s shadow and to seize a chance at a life she’s barely dared to hope for—but there’s a risk. If caught, Alliana will be stuck working for her stepmother for the rest of her life. Can Alliana truly make wisps of dreams into her own, better-than-a-fairy-tale happily ever after?

Identical twins Fifer and Thisbe Stow have natural magical talent that is even greater than that of their brother Alex, head mage of Artimé. But their powers are dangerously uncontrollable. When Fifer and Thisbe accidentally strike down a beloved creature, Alex threatens to lock them away until they can master their abilities.

The threat is forgotten, however, when the dragon Hux comes to Artimé seeking help for the land of dragons, which has been enslaved by the notoriously evil Revinir. Seeking a chance to right their wrong and escape their brother’s wrath, Thisbe and Fifer, together with their friend Seth, sneak away to rescue the dragons from grave peril. From there a new adventure begins that will bring danger, shocking twists, and magical wonders for all the people of Artimé. If you’re looking for dragon books for tweens, this series will make your middle-grade readers squeal in delight!

A war has been raging between the dragon tribes of Pyrrhia for years. According to a prophecy, five dragonets will end the bloodshed and choose a new queen. But not every dragonet wants a destiny. And when Clay, Tsunami, Glory, Starflight, and Sunny discover the truth about their unusual, secret upbringing, they might choose freedom over fate — and find a way to save their world in their own way. Discover the first five thrilling installments in the bestselling Wings of Fire series, now in one red-hot boxed set: The Dragonet Prophecy; The Lost Heir; The Hidden Kingdom; The Dark Secret; and The Brightest Night.

Beast Quest meets Percy Jackson in this epic new middle-grade fantasy series!

Deep within the mountain, a great creature stirred in its sleep. Its eyes rolled back in its head, and its wings jerked wide open…
 
When 12-year-old Billy Chan finds out his parents are sending him to a summer camp in middle-of-nowhere China, he doesn’t know what to expect. There he meets fellow campers Dylan, Charlotte, and Ling-Fei, and together they stumble upon an age-old secret: there are four powerful warrior dragons hidden deep within the mountain behind the camp! They need the children’s help to set them free before terrible evil in the guise of the Dragon of Death is unleashed upon the earth. Billy and his friends must set off on a dangerous adventure that will take them to the heart of the Dragon Realm. But can they save the dragon and human worlds from destruction? One of the best dragon books for tweens out there!

Percy Jackson meets Wings of Fire in this hilarious, action-packed new series about a misfit kid who is destined to protect the world as a mighty, legendary dragon!

THE LAST DRAGONS IN THE KINGDOM WERE KILLED A HALF-CENTURY AGO.
At least that’s what twelve-year-old Eliana has grown up hearing. Imagine her surprise when one morning in the forest she finds herself eye to eye with a young dragon. When she learns the dragon’s father has been missing since the last full moon, she vows to help.

Together, they seek the King for guidance, but upon reaching the castle they realize the short, frazzled King has problems of his own. The kingdom’s treasure is missing and the tribute to the Overking is due in a few short weeks. If the King doesn’t pay, he will lose his kingdom to the Overking’s feckless nephew. If you’re searching for dragon books for tweens, this one will put a smile on your face!

True friends can and do emerge in the darkest of times, from the most unlikely of places, if you’re willing to wait, believe, and hope. Wonder, an unusual and rare baby dragon with beautiful, multi-colored skin, is captured and caged in the Kingdom Zoo. Her captors use her to make money by putting her on display to visitors. But she is rarely cared for, or valued for the creature she is. She is mistreated, bullied, and barely fed and watered enough to survive. She’s held in a cage too tiny to spread her wings. She loses all but a shred of hope of ever having a better life.

Other animals in the zoo suffer a similar fate, but rather than care about her, they too bully her. From the zookeepers to the other animals, it seems like the entire world is against her — and the only one who seems to care, the Zoo’s vet, is powerless to help. Wonder longs to escape. She’s not sure how she’d ever break out until several unlikely allies come to her aid. In the actions and kindness of strangers, she finds unexpected hope, community, and safety. Her freedom is short-lived. Back again in her cage, Wonder learns that true friends fight for each other, no matter the risks.

Fablehaven meets How to Train Your Dragon in this action-packed fantasy about a young boy and girl who become reluctant allies when caring for a baby dragon—the first in a brand-new duology! Dragon books for tweens are cropping up everywhere, and Seekers is fast becoming a beloved classic.

Welcome to Dragon Ops, the world’s first augmented-reality video-game theme park. Set on a once-deserted island, our three beta players—classic-gamer geek Ian; his adventure-seeking sister, Lily; and their too-cool-for-gaming cousin, Derek—have been lucky enough to score an invite to play before the fully immersive experience opens to the public.

But once inside, they find themselves trapped in a game taken over by a rogue AI dragon called Atreus, and suddenly the stakes go beyond the virtual world. With no cheat codes, guidebooks, save points or do-overs, they’ll need all their cunning and video-game hacks to beat the game . . . and survive in real life.

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Wings of Fire series, Tui T. Sutherland, and her sister, Kari Sutherland, comes the second exciting adventure in the Menagerie trilogy! Combining the magic of Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series and the charm and humor of Carl Hiaasen, The Menagerie #2: Dragon on Trial is perfect for young readers who love myths, fairy tales, and fantastic creatures. For tweens who love dragons, this book will put a smile on your middle-grade reader’s face.

Someone or something has murdered the goose who laid the golden eggs, and the evidence points to a dragon named Scratch. Zoe and Logan are back on the case—but this mystery won’t be that easy to solve….

One boy, one dragon, and a world of adventure come together in this four-book boxed set collection that makes a perfect gift for fantasy fans. Classic dragon books for tweens!

Collected together for the first time are Patricia C. Wrede’s hilarious adventure stories about Cimorene, the princess who refuses to be proper. Every one of Cimorene’s adventures is included in its paperback edition–Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons, and Talking to Dragons–in one handsome package that’s perfect for gift giving.

Read the books that inspired the hit movie sensation with this new and complete paperback gift set of the New York Times bestselling How to Train Your Dragon series!

How to Train Your Dragon chronicles the adventures and misadventures of reluctant Viking hero Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless. Join them in all twelve of their exciting stories.

Thirteen years ago, books of magic were unearthed around the world, buried next to the bones of dragons. But only the children born after “Discovery Day” have the ability to wield their dangerous power.

Now, on a vacation to Washington, DC, Fort Fitzgerald’s father is lost when a giant creature bursts through the earth, attacking the city. Fort is devastated until an opportunity for justice arrives six months later when a man named Dr. Opps invites Fort to the government-run Oppenheimer School to learn magic from those same books.

But life’s no easier at the school, where secrets abound and Fort sees memories of an expelled student each time he sleeps. Unless Fort can learn the truth about magic and the ancient creatures it unleashed, more attacks will come—and this time, nothing can stop them.

Looking for dragon books for tweens? Storm beasts and their guardians create perfect weather every day, and Mina longs for a storm beast of her own. But when the gentle girl bonds with a lightning beast—a creature of fire and chaos—everyone’s certain it’s a mistake. Everyone but Mina and the beast himself, Pixit. Quickly enrolled in lightning school, Mina struggles to master a guardian’s skills, and she discovers that her country’s weather comes at a devastating cost—one people wish to hide. Mina’s never been the type to speak out, but someone has to tell the truth, and, with Pixit’s help, she resolves to find a way to be heard.

A never before seen Dragonrider Prequel. One box set of dragon books for tweens is packed with epic battles, royal conspiracies, and one half-elf boy’s struggle to protect the people he loves. Jaevid Broadfeather has grown up as a wartime refugee, hiding from the world because of his half-elven heritage. His future seems hopeless … until a chance encounter with a wild dragon lands him in Blybrig Academy where all of the kingdom’s Dragonriders are trained for battle.

Blybrig is a place usually forbidden to anyone except the rich and royal, but Jaevid’s case is special—no dragon has voluntarily chosen a rider in decades. Chosen or not, Jaevid will have to fight to keep his place as a dragon rider, especially when facing the battlefront. But trying to protect his friends could also mean fighting his mother’s people—the mysterious Grey elves of Luntharda. After so much bloodshed, all hope for peace seems lost. Can Jaevid rise to the task of ending the war? Or will a secret hidden in his own past be Jaevid’s ultimate demise?

Princess Toli may be heir to the throne, but she longs to be a fierce hunter and warrior. Alone in a frozen world, her queendom is at the mercy of the dragons that killed her father, and Toli is certain it’s only a matter of time before they come back to destroy what’s left of her family.

When the dragons rise and seize her mother, Toli will do anything to save her―even trust a young dragon who may be the only key to the Queen’s release.

With her sister and best friend at her side, Toli makes the treacherous journey across the vast ice barrens to Dragon Mountain, where long-held secrets await. Bear-cats are on their trail, and dragons stalk them, but the greatest danger might be a mystery buried in Toli’s past.

Best-selling author Chris d’Lacey brings us a magical story about mysterious hand-crafted clay dragons who have unusual powers. When David moves in with Liz and Lucy, he discovers a collection of hand-crafted, clay dragons that comes to life and has magical powers. David’s personalized dragon, Gadzooks, can forecast the future, and inspires him to write a story that reveals the truth behind an unsolved mystery close to home. The story has an unhappy ending, and when David realizes the consequences of it he is angry. Then David finds Gadzooks crying and near death, and he discovers that these special dragons die when they are not loved. Soon David is forced to save his friend and unlock the powers of the fire within.

Anya and the Dragon is the story of fantasy and mayhem in tenth century Eastern Europe, where headstrong eleven-year-old Anya is the daughter of the only Jewish family in her village. When her family’s livelihood is threatened by a bigoted magistrate, Anya is lured in by a friendly family of fools, who promise her money in exchange for helping them capture the last dragon in Kievan Rus. This seems easy enough until she finds out that the scary old dragon isn’t as old—or as scary—as everyone thought. Now Anya is faced with a choice: save the dragon, or save her family.

Twins Zac and Lu grew up on their mother’s stories of the Wildewoods, an imaginary land where mythical beasts roam free. These creatures fill the pages of Zac’s sketchbooks and inspire Lu’s love of animals, and on most days, they’re the only thing the twins have in common.

When their mother dies, a heartbroken Lu and Zac are shipped off to England to spend the summer with relatives they’ve never met. But it doesn’t take the twins long to uncover the incredible secret tucked away in the forest behind their ancestral home: their mother’s wonderful tales about unicorns and dragons and centaurs weren’t make-believe after all. Their family serves as keepers of the Wildewoods, the last place on earth where these mythical creatures can live safe from human harm.

But there are also many dangers in these lands—as well as a terrible curse. When Zac and Lu fall victim to it, their only hope is finding the very last living phoenix left in the world. But will breaking the curse mean the end of the Wildewoods?

In Sum…

Dragon books for tweens are always popular. If your reader is looking for a good dragon book, then they should check out this list!

For more middle-grade book recommendations, see New Middle-Grade Fantasy Books, New Mysteries & Thrillers That Will Hook Your Middle-Grade Reader, and 20 of The Best Middle School Horror Books.

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