Here are 100 books that Three Tasks for a Dragon fans have personally recommended if you like
Three Tasks for a Dragon.
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I’m a children’s story writer. I frequently include dragons, from babyhood to adulthood. They aren’t just pets – they can be scary. I like to show characters who become better people by coping with their fears. Dragons are symbols. Plus, I love imagining what they might do in my plots.
I love the idea of a rebellious girl who creates a telepathic bond with a dragon.
I would have settled for a telepathic bond with my pet parakeet, but a dragon is much more exciting. They fly. They are strong. They can defend the kingdom. Plus, being bonded to a dragon gives Lessa a chance to grow up.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Together in one volume—the first three books in the world’s most beloved science-fiction series!
DRAGONFLIGHT
On a beautiful world called Pern, an ancient way of life is about to come under attack. Lessa is an outcast survivor—her parents murdered, her birthright stolen—a strong young woman who has never stopped dreaming of revenge. But when an ancient threat reemerges, Lessa will rise—upon the back of a great dragon with whom she shares a telepathic bond more intimate than any human connection. Together, dragon and rider will fly, and Pern will be changed forever.
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…
I’m a children’s story writer. I frequently include dragons, from babyhood to adulthood. They aren’t just pets – they can be scary. I like to show characters who become better people by coping with their fears. Dragons are symbols. Plus, I love imagining what they might do in my plots.
I love the idea of a protagonist who is half human and half dragon.
I’ve always felt that there was something odd about me that scared people. Seraphina is in that same position. She has a reason for it, and a special talent that comes of her mixed heritage. She’s worried that her talent will give away her secret. But she practices integrity, which is a trait I admire.
The kingdom of Goredd is populated by humans and by dragons who fold themselves into a human form. Though they live alongside each other, the peace between them is uneasy.
But when a member of the royal family is murdered, and the crime appears to have been committed by a dragon the peace and treaty between both worlds is seriously threatened . . .
Into this comes Seraphina, a gifted musician who joins the royal court as the assistant to the court composer. She is soon drawn into the murder investigation and, as she uncovers hints of a sinister plot…
I’m a children’s story writer. I frequently include dragons, from babyhood to adulthood. They aren’t just pets – they can be scary. I like to show characters who become better people by coping with their fears. Dragons are symbols. Plus, I love imagining what they might do in my plots.
I know this sounds odd, but Jessica Townsend has built a world in which magic is a serious science and people bet on dragons’ ability to perform tricky flight maneuvers.
People still solve murder mysteries, have personal squabbles, and do sneaky things (even the good guys). Dragons have been peripheral to the action in previous books in this Nevermoor series. This time, they are an important part of the plot. I particularly love it that the best dragon rider is in a handicap chair.
Be sure to read the first three books in this series before you open Silverborn, so you are familiar with the world, and the plot makes sense.
Enter the fantastically Wundrous world of Nevermoor - perfect for all adventurous young readers. Morrigan Crow has a dangerous choice to make in the fourth of this bestselling, award-winning series ...
Praise for Nevermoor: 'Exciting, mysterious, marvellous and magical ... quite simply one of the best children's books I've read in years' Robin Stevens, author of Murder Most Unladylike.
Morrigan Crow is ready for a new adventure. In Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow, we will travel to places in Nevermoor that we've never seen, we'll meet people from Morrigan's past who will be very important in untangling the mystery…
In Book 1 in the epic dragon romantasy series Annals of the Dragon Dreamer, Zyla Powerbane rises from orphan obscurity to dragon rider as she completes a seemingly never-ending set of tasks to return her world to balance and save the sentient Lynkyn forests that are key to dragon survival.…
I’m a children’s story writer. I frequently include dragons, from babyhood to adulthood. They aren’t just pets – they can be scary. I like to show characters who become better people by coping with their fears. Dragons are symbols. Plus, I love imagining what they might do in my plots.
I’m a sucker for the idea of a magical book store that has wonderful things in addition to books – like a dragon’s egg, that you can actually hatch.
Having a dragon is a great way to deal with bullies. Plus, Jeremy isn’t the most clever kid. I always thought I could be having more fun than he is – if I had that dragon.
Sixth-grader Jeremy Thatcher discovers a strange magic shop he has never seen before. He enters, and his life is changed forever. Buying what he thinks is a marble, he discovers he has really purchased a dragon’s egg. “A funny, enjoyable, imaginative story whose serious undercurrents lend it unexpected depth.”-Kirkus Reviews
Fantasy has been at the heart of our friendship for as long as we can remember. We are Adelina Cortese Pons and Valentina Branca, co-authors of our book, listed below, and our journey as writers began when we were eleven, sharing a single copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, reading it aloud, taking turns with each chapter. That love for fantasy only grew stronger over the years—through travels, studies in International Relations, and countless late-night writing sessions. Today, despite living an ocean apart, we still meet every Friday to write together, crafting new worlds and unforgettable stories because, for us, fantasy is more than a genre—it’s home.
Reading this book feels like soaring through the skies on Dragonback, experiencing a world filled with magic, danger, and destiny. From the moment Eragon discovers Saphira’s egg, we’re thrown into an adventure that takes us across vast landscapes—towering mountains, ancient forests, and bustling cities full of secrets.
The bond between dragon and rider is at the heart of this story, and it’s impossible not to feel a sense of awe as they grow together. Christopher Paolini builds a world so rich and immersive that every battle, every piece of lore, and every new land explored feels like stepping into something legendary. It’s a book that makes us want to go on our own epic journey—if only we had a dragon to take us.
When poor farm boy Eragon finds a polished stone in the forest, he thinks it's a lucky discovery. Perhaps, he will be able to buy his family food for the winter.
But, when a baby dragon hatches out of the stone, Eragon realises he's stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.
His simple life is shattered, and he's thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic and power. To navigate this dark terrain, and survive his cruel king's evil ways, he must take up the mantle of the…
My dad raised me on science fiction and fantasy. At first, it was enough for me to be entertained by stories of spaceflight, of rescuing maidens in distress, and of fighting bug-eyed monsters. But over the years, as I read more, I realized that I wanted stories with a moral or ethical center, stories where murder, mayhem, and war were to be avoided if possible, and where, if they couldn’t be avoided, the protagonists struggled deeply with the moral dimensions of the actions forced upon them. I wanted to see characters growing into their ethical consciousness.
I love this series of three short novels enough to have read it more times than I can count. The language of the novel is simple and evocative. I love the main character, a young wizard who starts out as proud, angry and arrogant, but becomes deeply compassionate when his hubris leads him to make a tragic and evil use of magic.
I could feel myself grabbed by the world of the novel, a world of men and dragons, of islands dotted in an endless sea, of powerful mages who interfere at their peril with the precarious balance of the world between good and evil.
The first book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with The Tombs of Atuan, The Furthest Shore and Tehanu
With illustrations from Charles Vess
'[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking' Neil Gaiman
'Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it' David Mitchell
Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth.
A corrupt kingdom. A rising darkness. Can a broken warrior save a world?
Mithranar is a country divided by ignorance and magic. Oppressed by their winged folk rulers, humans struggle to eke out an existence. Their only help comes from the mysterious Shadowhawk, a criminal who has evaded all attempts…
When I read, I want to read something that’s going to make me feel something. My friends make fun of me because, whether it is music or books, I want to have my heart shattered into a million pieces and then put back together. And when a little magic is added to the mix, it only makes the story richer and more heartbreaking. This list is everything I love about magical middle grades that makes me feel something on a deeper level about what it means to be human.
When I started this story, I honestly wasn’t sure where it was going. And to be honest, at the time, I wasn’t even sure I enjoyed fantasy all that much. But this story drew me in and made me fall in love with fantasy. I was floored by the intricacies of this enchanting and stunning tale of a found family featuring an elderly witch, a magical teen, a dragon, and a swamp monster.
Once I was in the story, it kept me breathless and stole my heart. Exploring themes of love, sacrifice, the cost of magic, and loss, this story is one I cannot wait to read again to discover new magical ways to be surprised.
THE NO 1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER
'This beautifully written, darkly funny coming-of-age story will enchant and entertain' Daily Mail
Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is in fact a good witch who shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest,…
My first toy was a plastic dinosaur, which I took to school and it bears my toothmarks on the tail. As a young teenager, I stumbled across the Dragonriders of Pern books, and my allegiance transferred to dragons. I find them fascinating, both beautiful and dangerous, and prefer books in which they have their own cultures and are strong characters in their own right. The novels I’ve recommended have great world building to draw you into the fascinating lives of dragons, and the humans who come to know them.
The setting drew me in immediately. Fifteen-year-old Jakkin lives in a penal colony world where the economy has formed around the training and fighting of dragons.
As a young slave boy, he decides to steal a baby dragon, which he’ll raise and train to fight and so earn enough money to buy his freedom. The world-building is exceptional, and I came to love the dragon ‘Heart’s Blood’ as much as Jakkin.
I was a Navy Brat for most of my childhood, moving from place to place every couple of years. It was hard, but my mom somehow always created a community around us of people that I could almost call my aunts and uncles. As an adult, I’ve also found people that I love like family, and created my own little group with my own people. It’s something that I write about in every single book I pen and I’m sure it will continue because I love when people find their people. It’s my favorite.
While this book is a middle-grade fantasy, I love it so much.
Two enemy clans working together to save their world from a threat bigger than either of them is great, but when you also make it so that each representative is an outcast, well, it’s that much better. Not only do these kids work together, facing fear and prejudices head-on, but they become their own family, and it’s oh-so magical.
I again recommend the audiobook, as it’s narrated by the great David Tennant (Barty Crouch Jr., Tenth Doctor on Doctor Who, and Crowley on Good Omens), so it is fantastic.
The No.1 bestselling series from current Waterstones Children's Laureate and author of How To Train Your Dragon, Cressida Cowell. Enter a land of wizards, warriors, mythical creatures and powerful Magic in an exciting fantasy adventure.
Witches are creating havoc in the Wildwoods and danger lurks behind every tree trunk.
Wish is in possession of a powerful, Magic Spelling Book; Xar has a dangerous Witchstain on his hand. Together they can save the Wildwoods from the curse of the Witches but they are separated by the highest wall imaginable, and time is running out ...
Mother of Trees is the first book in an epic fantasy series about a dying goddess, a broken world, and a young elf born without magic in a society ruled by it.
When the ancient being that anchors the world’s power begins to fail, the consequences ripple outward—through prophecy, politics,…
I’ve always loved things like dragons and dinosaurs, even as a child. And as a Malaysian-born Chinese-Australian, I consumed both Western and Eastern media. I read traditional fantasy books such as The Hobbit and Game of Thrones while simultaneously learning about Chinese folklore and eating zongzi for Dragon Boat Festivals. So, while I’ve always had an interest in dragons, I specifically love the lore, magic, and mythology surrounding East Asian dragons. East Asian dragons are different from the typical fire-breathing dragons we see in Western stories. Unlike in Western media, Eastern dragons are not monsters, and it can be hard to find books that portray them in that light.
Amélie Wen Zhao’s prose is absolutely magical, with intricately layered worldbuilding and beautifully wrought imagery. I absolutely loved the dynamic between the main characters, and the dual points-of-view just added to the fun.
In this young adult fantasy, Lan, a songgirl with a secret past, and Zen, the surly magician who discovers her, must go on a quest to save their kingdom. Drawing inspiration from the ancient Chinese myth of the Four Guardians—the dragon, the tiger, the tortoise, and the bird—this story captivated me from the first sentence.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to discovering the secrets of her nation's past—and unleashing the demons that sleep at its heart. An epic fantasy series inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China.
“Brims with pure magic. Zhao has woven together a story of self-discovery, slow-burning romance, and heart-pounding revelations.” —Rebecca Ross, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divine Rivals
“A magical tale set in a glittering, dangerous world featuring a dynamic heroine and an enigmatic hero.” —Isabel Ibañez, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What The River…
