Dealing with Dragons Kai
This is a book report on Dealing
with Dragons, by Patricia Wrede. The
main characters in this book are Cimorene, Kazul, and Morwen. Morwen is a
witch. Kazul is a dragon and Cimorene is a princess. They all live near the
Cimorene lives in the
Cimorene’s parents were going to make her marry Therendill, which she did not want to do. Cimorene said she would rather be eaten by a dragon. A frog told her that that could be arranged and how she could get to the dragons.
Cimorene decided to follow the frogs advice and ran away to live with the dragons. When she met them she was overwhelmed. One of the dragons thought that it would be easier to go ahead and eat her. But then Kazul came and wanted Cimorene for her princess. Kazul wanted a princess because her last one ran away. Dragon’s princesses help the dragons by cooking and cleaning treasure vaults and so Kazul needed one.
Cimorene decided that she liked being Kazul’s princess. She thought it was much more interesting than embroidery and etiquette. She liked cleaning the treasure vaults and studying latin, which she wasn’t allowed to study at the castle. She also liked that whatever clothes she needed her wardrobe would supply her with. Later, when the knights started coming to try to rescue her, she sent them away. They didn’t like that since her father was offering half the kingdom to her rescuer.
Since the wizards had been snooping around the dragon’s caves recently, Kazul decided to have a dinner party to decide what they should do about the wizards. Over dessert the dragons got mad at each other because they thought that there ideas were best and they started shooting flame at each other. Cimorene thought that is she could find a fire proofing spell that wouldn’t be bad.
Then one day Morwen, the witch, decided to come meet Cimorene. Cimorene found Morwen to be quite nice. Cimorene learned that Morwen had 12 cats. Morwen admired that Cimorene is the first of Kazul’s princesses to keep up with the kitchen. Cimorene told Morwen about the Latin and fencing lessons that she had liked and had to quit. Morwen suggested that Cimorene put up a sign that said the road was washed out so that she wouldn’t have as many problems with knights.
When Cimorene went to put up the sign she met a wizard named Zeminar. He turned two bits of the ledge invisible, so that he would have to help her. Cimorene made it across her self. When Cimorene got back to Kazul’s cave she told the dragon that she had met the wizard. She also told her that the wizard said he would come to the cave later on. Kazul was happy about coming to visit so that perhaps she could find out what the wizards had been looking for.
Several days later Zeminar came with his son to Kazul’s cave. While Cimorene was showing them around the library she saw them looking at a book on the Caves of Fire and Night. That is how they learned what the wizards were looking for.
Cimorene learned from a friend that the wizards were trying to get a particular dragon get to be the king so that he would give them a crystal that they wanted. The wizards killed the old king and then cast a spell on the special stone that the dragons use to choose the new king. Unluckily for the wizards, their dragon did not get to be the king. Kazul ended up being the king and the other dragon ended up being a toad—he he he he! Cimorene and her friends were responsible keeping the kingship contest fair. They melted the wizards who were trying to cheat.
At the end of the story Kazul moved to the King’s cave. Cimorene was excited about this since there were more books and treasure to organize—which she thought was fun. Cimorene was also glad that Kazul was king because Kazul liked being king. Cimorene was also glad since she did not have to go back to Linderwald. She was glad to not have to be a proper princess ever again.
It was fun to read this book. I really liked that Cimorene ran away and was happy living with Kazul. I liked that the other dragon turned into a toad.