Mouse and the Dragon Crystal

The Willow Tree Trilogy, Book 1

By: Deborah Tipp

Narrated by: Joella Berkner

Mouse - A 12-year-old girl, who has just moved to the village of Willowdown with her Mum and Dad, during the summer holidays, and has yet to make friends with the local children.

Kromus - In another world, is a descendant of the evil old King Harold. Old King Harold, legendary for slaying the last dragon, hundreds of years ago, had brought upon himself and his Kingdom, a curse, which still plagues the mind and body of Kromus.

One late summer's day, on Mouse's 12th Birthday she gets an Artist's Box full of paints, pastels and pencils, from her Mum and Dad. And when Mouse draws a beautiful picture under a magical old willow tree, little does she know that she would be transported to another world. A world turned upside down, just by her presence. A world where she has to fight for her life and those around her. A world full of dark, mystical characters who will stop at nothing to get their hands on her.

Who will survive the quest for the last crystal?

And the biggest question of all… will she ever get home!

©2013 Deborah Tipp (P)2014 Deborah Tipp

Great Young Adult Fantasy

Would you consider the audio edition of Mouse and the Dragon Crystal to be better than the print version?

I've never read the print, so I can't be sure.

What other book might you compare Mouse and the Dragon Crystal to and why?

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles and the Unicorn Chronicles

What does Joella Berkner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A great voice and life to the characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not in particular

Any additional comments?

This is a great book to introduce fantasy to tweens and young teens.

Classic YA Fantasy, solid narration

When a longtime friend of mine mentioned she'd narrated a couple of audiobooks, I had to check them out, not least because it's been far too long since we've been in the same area of the country. Her narration of them is quite pleasant; though she doesn't have a large variety of voices, her natural voice has a pleasingly warm timbre that wraps around the story beautifully. Nothing's too loud or sudden, either, making this a good listen to chill out to, and it's even possible to play a chapter for a bedtime story.

The story is a solid YA fantasy about a tween who finds herself magically transported to another planet after falling asleep under an ancient willow. The world and characters are believable; there is some action, but nothing gets too violent, in keeping with the intended YA audience. There's an ongoing question of whether Mouse will be able to find the help she needs to return to her world, and I won't spoil the answer for you if you haven't read the book. Larger questions are raised, too, during the course of the plot, and I hope to find the answers to those over the remainder of the trilogy.

Charming but not juvenile

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would say the first half is "younger" - charming village, happy family, sparkly trees etc - but if you stopped there you would miss the best part of the book. The second half has breathtaking battles and other goodies that I won't spoil by mentioning.

Loved the narration by Joella Berkner - I thought she was especially good with voicing Mouse and the dragon mom. She was a pleasure to listen to.

Star ratings for story and overall are based on this type of book, not all books everywhere.