Dragonracers by Peter Bunzl

March 2023

Dragonracers by Peter Bunzl is a brilliant blend of fantasy and history, all wrapped up in the story of the first London to Manchester Air Race in 1910!

Ten-year-old Kitty and Harris Hawk are twins who have grown up around the first planes in Britain. Their father is chief aircraft engineer to Britain’s most famous “Bird man”, Claude Grahame-White. Kitty loves everything to do with airplanes and wants nothing more than to be a pilot herself. Harris is much more interested in magic and dragons.

The pair find a strange, white, marbled egg. It hatches and they are shocked to discover it contains a baby dragon! They have to keep it a secret but that’s much easier said than done. Their dragon grows incredibly quickly and eats everything in sight. When the London to Manchester Air Race is announced with the famous French pilot Louis Paulhan set to defeat Claude Grahame-White, Kitty & Harris are determined to be involved. Maybe their dragon is just what they need!

Dragonracers is a wonderfully empowering story that encourages readers to follow their dreams. Kitty is told that a girl can’t be a pilot but she doesn’t let that stop her. Positivity, love and the warmth of sibling companionship radiate off the page. The fast-paced action of the race itself is so engaging, prompting readers to learn more about the actual race that took place in April 1910 and explore the people and places of first flight in Britain.

Thank you to Barrington Stoke & NetGalleyUK for this accessible and incredibly enjoyable book! With dyslexia-friendly font, spacing and page tint as well as careful vocabulary choice, so many children will be able to join Kitty and Harris on their high-flying adventure!

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