A lovely easy read. A great shorter book for a younger age range. Kitty and Harris and Red the dragon become involved in a race between London and Manchester. Based on fact but purely fiction.!

A wonderful tale of the two children and their winged friend.

This is a brilliant story set around the real historical event of the first flight from London to Manchester. Kitty and Harris live with their dad and spend time with him every day at the airfield in Hendon where he works as an engineer helping to repair and fix up planes. Kitty wants to learn how to fly a plane just like her father’s employer Claude Grahame-White but her dad always refuses to let her learn. Sulking one day, Kitty throws a stone into a river and sees something underneath the water. Soon she and Harris have pulled out a giant egg from the water and not long after they go home find it hatches into a baby dragon. While both siblings are excited about their new pet, could the dragon be Kitty’s answer to her dreams of flying?

This is such a fun story set in the early 1900s and narrated by Kitty. Always excited to watch planes flying, Kitty really wants to learn how to fly them herself, but whenever she asks someone they always refuse saying it’s too dangerous. But Kitty is determined that one day she will become a pilot and fly, while her brother Harris is only interested in reading, especially about dragons. One day when the pair go to a river, Harris is busy reading his book while Kitty throws stones at the water. She soon discovers something exciting under the water and the twins later hatch a dragon which they hide in a disused aircraft hanger at the Hendon Airfield as it grows up. I love what happens in this story when the kids discover the dragon egg. The way the dragon acts and purrs when it’s hatched is so cute and I love what it ends up eating as it gets bigger and bigger!

As the story moves on, there ends up being a competition flight between two famous aeronauts who are in a competition to see who will reach Manchester first in a flight from London. I love how this story is based around this real event in history, but with a great dragon flying twist with the kids finding a way to fly the dragon too! I don’t want to spoil it by saying what happens but it’s a brilliant story and I like how unpredictable the dragon becomes with the things she ends up doing. But the relationship between the kids and the dragon is so sweet and I love what happens later with the kids and dragon when they meet with one of the pilots flying in the race.

The story has some lovely illustrations throughout the book and I have to say I really love the way everything and everyone looks. Each of the images is in black, white and grey and I love how these pictures add to the story and sense of excitement. I also love how the dragon looks especially! The book is a dyslexia friendly read which means it has some special features making it easier for dyslexics to read such as a special font used for the text, larger than usual text size, separated paragraphs and the physical book would be printed on thick pages with a yellow/creamy tint to them. It’s also just around 100 pages long making it a good shorter read for reluctant readers too.

There is a great ending to the story that’s very satisfying and there’s an author’s note at the end which explains more about the real life flight between the two pilots mentioned in the story who really did try to be the first to fly from London to Manchester in less than twenty four hours. I love how this story features that real life event, but turns it into something even more exciting while still keeping to the original facts of what happened between the two pilots. Overall this is such a great and fun read and perfect for anyone who loves a good historical story, but with a fantasy dragon twist!

Peter Bunzl is a fantastic author and in this short story for Barrington Stoke he manages to combine the reality of the early days of flying, together with the idea of there actually being dragons. It is full of action and adventure and is a joy to read.

Dragonracers is such a fun little book!

It's published by Barrington Stoke, whose praises I've sung many times before on this blog, but that's not going to stop me from doing so again. Barrington Stoke specialise in publishing stories for reluctant readers and people with reading difficulties. This philosophy infuses everything they do, from the colour and thickness of the paper they use, through the font, to the language used, to make sure the whole thing is as accessible as possible. They also have some of the best children's authors in the business writing for them too. These short books are written beautifully, and cleverly and are definitely not "dumbed down" for any potential audience. They also make wonderful short reads for those of us who are highly capable and not at all reluctant readers. Sometimes you just want a great story that you can finish in a couple of hours, like after a long, and intensely emotional novel, or, in my case with Dragonracers, when you're on a coach to London to take part in a kids' lit pub quiz with Peter Bunzl on your team. (We finished second, Alwyn Hamilton and her team narrowly beat us.)

Dragonracers is a superb example. It's about two siblings, twins Kitty and Harris Hawk, who grow up on an airfield. The setting is the exciting days of early aviation, when planes were new and exciting and there were challenges to see how far people could fly them. It is 1910, and the skies are just opening up to the "Bird Men", those early daredevil aeronauts.

Kitty is the engineering minded twin, taking after her dad, Peregrine, who is an engineer at the airfield. She really wants to fly, but isn't allowed, One of the things I really liked about this was, despite the early twentieth century setting, there was no suggestion that Kitty wouldn't be allowed to fly because she was a girl, or that this would prevent her from her engineering studies. It's more that it's too dangerous and she's too young. Her brother, Harris, is more interested in reading, particularly dragon stories, while Kitty is desperate to fly.

One of the main drivers for the plot is a proposed flying race, from London to Manchester. The local ace, Claud, is going to compete against a French pilot, Lois Paulhan, for glory and bragging rights and a very large prize purse. I really love those early days of exploration and challenge, when things like flying from London to Manchester were new and bold and ambitious, and Dragonracers captures the feel of that period beautifully.

It's not all historically accurate though, because there's this dragon!

Honestly, it's brilliant. This lovely little historical novel about the early days of aviation and adventure gets completely derailed when the twins find a dragon egg, that then hatches, and imprints on them. Somehow the blend works incredibly well, this mix of the fantasy and the historic, and it is so fun watching the twins trying to conceal and train their new draconic friend. And, well, Harris loves dragons, and Kitty is just desperate to fly, so it's all quite the perfect mix. It all leads up to that long distance race, which is tense and thrilling and exciting.

A wonderful mix of fantasy and history, with two wonderful young characters.

Out March 2nd Dragonracers is perfect for the child who would love to fly a dragon. Great for KS2 it's a touch of history mixed with a dragon any pilot would envy. Once again, Peter Bunzl and Barrington Stoke give us something fun.

Dragonracers takes readers back in time to the early days of aviation to meet Kitty and Harris Hawk, a pair of children whose father works on a small airfield as an aviation engineer. Having grown up on an airfield, the two kids have a deep love of flying, and Kitty dreams that she might one day be a pilot herself. But, her father doesn't think that the air is place for a girl, and doesn't want her to train. And with an upcoming long distance flying race coming up, he's forbidden her from taking part.

However, when she and Harris find a strange egg at the bottom of the pond it opens a world of possibilities for them, especially when Harris tells her that it's a dragon egg. Using Harris' expertise on dragons, the two of them manage to get the egg to hatch and become parents to a baby dragon. As the dragon begins to grow at an incredibly fast rate the two of them must find a way to keep it hidden from everyone else; but then a plan begins to form in their heads. If they can teach the dragon to fly, why can't they enter the race?

One of the more surprising aspects of Dragonracers is that there's a lot more to this than first appears. On the surface it's a child focused adventure story about these two siblings who find a baby dragon and get to take part in this big event, achieving fame and fortune for themselves. But there's also other stuff going on. The story incorporates messages about not giving up chasing your dreams, and to fight against those voices who tell you that you can't do certain things because of your gender (Kitty's father makes it clear he doesn't think girls can be pilots). This message about misogyny and societal expectations also incorporates plot about parents learning and growing thanks to their children; with Kitty's father accepting that he was wrong and improving as a person because of it.

The book also takes some real historical people and events and plays with them a little. The race that happens in the book actually happened, and the people involved in the book were there at the time racing their planes. Though there wasn't actually a dragon in the race as far as historical documents tell us (unless it's being kept very under wraps). Whilst the book changes these events, their inclusion means that any child reading the book who finds it interesting has a starting point in which to explore the subject. They can look into the 1910 London to Manchester air race, or Claude Grahame-White, or Louis Paulhan. This may be a fantastical retelling, but it's also a great starting point for kids with an interest in history or flying.

Best of all though, the book is really easy to get on with. Both Kitty and Harris are really engaging protagonists, and Bunzl very quickly brings them to life and fills them with character. The two of them are lovely to read about, and their relationship feels warm and genuine. Kitty is the more open of the two, but as the book goes on and the dragon is introduced the more reserved dragon obsessed Harris really gets to come out of his shell. I think that young readers will find it easy to connect with both of the siblings, and will very quickly get sucked into their story.

The book also comes with some great illustrations by Lia Visirin, who helps to bring the story to life by illustrating key points. These illustrations help to make certain moments feel more action packed and filled with energy, such as the dragon soaring through the air, but also help with the historical context, giving young readers pretty clear images of the planes used at the time to better help them understand what they were like.

Dragonracers is an enjoyable read that blends together historical events with high fantasy, resulting in a delightful story about two siblings getting to do the impossible.

Dragonracers is like a delectable dish filled with perfectly proportioned helpings of all that you love (well, all that I love anyway!). Peter Bunzl has long since been one of my favourite authors, right back to the Cogheart days. So when his talents had been combined, yet again, with one of my most admired and championed publishers, Barrington Stoke, it made Dragonracers all the more appealing. I loved Featherlight, a book written and published by the same combo and had high hopes for Dragonracers - I wasn't disappointed.

Just before I move on to share my views about Bunzl's new addition, I wanted to clarify my partiality to Barrington Stoke publications. Where many chapters books have been inaccessible to my upper primary aged, lower ability children, Barrington Stoke with their dyslexic friendly approach and their easy to follow, yet engaging texts, have made the impossible, possible for some of my most reluctant readers and I am forever grateful for this.

Dragonracers is another great addition to the family. It is a recount of the history of flight, seamlessly integrated into a heart-warming fantasy story. It involves the discovery of a mysterious egg, hatched by the skilful Harris, brother to the flying obsessed, Kitty. It is this discovery that results in the pair becoming competitors in the Air Race between London and Manchester (a real event that took place in April,1910). Being a proud Mancunian and the fact that Manchester is featured (albeit briefly), it makes the story even more appealing. It is a thrilling and exhilarating race to the end, but a journey that I am glad I embarked upon and one I will be sharing with the children I teach. A lovely addition to both Bunzl's and Barrington Stokes repertoires.

Brilliant retelling of the early days of human flight, but with supernatural twists. Is Historical Fantasy a genre?! If so, this is it!

Packed with nostalgia and facts, adorned with magic and impossibility, and all edited to maximise dyslexia-friendliness. Wonderful.

The daring exploits of aviation pioneers in the early 1900’s inspire twins Kitty and Harris to take to the skies in a thrilling blend of fantasy, adventure and historical fact.

Growing up next to Hendon Airfield where their father works as an engineer, ten-year-old twins Kitty and Harris Hawk are no strangers to flying machines. Kitty is obsessed with planes and harbours dreams of taking to the skies, something her father has forbidden. Harris’ interests lie in a different form of flight…dragons.

When the pair take a strange egg home they are not expecting a dragon to hatch, a very hungry dragon that rapidly outgrows its hangar home and becomes an extremely difficult secret to keep. A dragon though could be just what Kitty needs to enter the London to Manchester air race and prove to everyone that she is the best pilot of them all…

Fast-paced, exciting and well-researched, Dragonracers takes inspiration from events in April 1910 and adds a dragon and some determined young aeronauts who want to experience the wonder of flight for themselves. It is a brilliant short story that is filled with the thrill of those early days of aviation and has some great historical facts - Claude Grahame-White and Louis Paulhan were involved in the London to Manchester air race - that will encourage young aeronauts to find out more.

Dragon obsessed Harris, and Kitty with her dreams of flying, share a wonderful sibling bond, their love and kindness shining through as they nurture their dragon before hopping aboard for the adventure of a lifetime. Kitty especially will encourage children to chase their dreams and to find courage in the face of adversity. Despite being told that being a pilot is not for girls she won’t let anything stop her; having to prove both her dad and Claude wrong adds plenty of dragon-fire to her belly.

Dragons, adventure and racing through the skies…what’s not to love! Dragonracers will soar.

Recommended for 8+.

I am always on the look out for new books which will appeal to my reluctant readers and Dragonracers certainly ticks this box. The text is in manageable chunks and the vocabulary simple yet able to create a clear image. I loved the details linked to animals and flight from the names of the main characters (Kitty, Harris and Peregrine) to the finding of the dragon egg.
This would be ideal as a whole-class reader.

I’ve enjoyed many of Peter Bunzl’s previous books, and I enjoy stories about dragons, so Dragonracers was a no brainier for me.

I really loved Kitty and her absolute determination to fly, though I can understand why her father is so reluctant to allow how to participate in such a dangerous (at that time) activity as a child. I liked that she and Harris didn’t lose their kindness towards others in their ambition to win the race.

The plot was a lot of fun, with Kitty and Harris trying to keep the dragon secret as she grows so rapidly! And the race was exciting to read. I loved the author’s note at the end, which described the real London to Manchester air race.

Overall, this was a wonderful adventure that was huge fun to read.

I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

In keeping with other Barrington Stokes publications, 'Dragonracers' perfectly walks the fine line between simplicity of language and accessibility of chapter length on the one hand, and compelling storytelling on the other. Kitty and Harris Hawk, children of a flight engineer live at the time of the London to Manchester air race in 1910. Kitty has long wanted to learn to fly, but her dreams are thwarted by her father who believes his little girl should keep her feet firmly on the ground and avoid the dangers of flight in the early days of aeroplane development. Harris, meanwhile, has his nose constantly in books about dragons. The story tracks their adventure as they discover a dragon's egg and raise a dragon in time to fly it in the air race alongside two famous pilots.

For reluctant readers interested in dragons, or planes, or the fight faced by girls to follow their dreams, this read would be perfect. The story is fast paced and draws the reader in quickly to the action , making it a great choice for children who find reading has challenges. I would also recommend it as a fun read aloud for teachers exploring the history of flight with KS1 pupils.

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!

This is a wonderful short story from Peter Bunzl, author of the incredible Cogheart series of books amongst others. It is the perfect blend of historical fact and heartwarming fantasy - a thrilling dragon ride against the backdrop of pre-war Britain.

The story follows Kitty and Harris Hawk, whose father is assisting in the building, repairing and flying of early planes. While Harris is absorbed in his books, Kitty dreams of being an aeronaut, despite her father's insistence that it isn't for her. When a race from London to Manchester (based on a real events) coincides with the twins finding and hatching a dragon's egg, the children set out to prove everyone wrong.

Despite being a short book, I came to care about the twins quickly and loved how their individual strengths worked well together. The action was quick to start and the story progressed at a good pace. This is going to be a popular book in y classroom and I already know exactly which children I'm going to recommend this to in other classes too!

Lastly, a note on Barrington Stoke, who I have been promoting and purchasing for over a decade now. Their books are incredible. While made primarily for dyslexic readers, I have found these to be an invaluable resource in my classroom for many, many children. Due to the less complex sentence structure and short chapters, these books are perfect for those young readers that are still building up their reading stamina. The stories are well-written and carefully structured but non-threatening or overwhelming for those children who want to progress to chapter books but find most of them daunting. Thank you, Barrington Stoke!

This is a Barrington Stoke title, which means the typesetting, page layout, paper colour/thickness and vocabulary are all carefully considered to make this book easily readable for those readers with dyslexia, visual impairments/stress or those who are reluctant or struggling. I love their publications, and would urge anyone who hasn't bought any for their young people to do so immediately.

That being said, while I love Peter Bunzl as an author and Barrington Stoke as a publisher, I did have some issues with this title. The first is that almost the entire story is told in flashback, which on occasion led to flashbacks within flashbacks within flashbacks. It was difficult for me to get my head around the timing and place of some of these instances in relation to the main story, never mind someone who maybe has issues with time, reading or the past participles of verbs. Also, the inclusion of the dragon was so random to me and never really explained. Where did the egg come from? Why did the MC's brother's fiction book about dragons end up being so eerily right about dragon care and upbringing? I just couldn't get my head around this one aspect and it felt very out of place amongst the world of flying machines we had been initially introduced to.

I did enjoy the inclusion of real people from the history of flight, as well as some of the story of the earliest years of aviation. I didn't know why that didn't remain the focus of the story, as I do feel there are some young people who would love to read about flight but would be completely put off by the inclusion of the dragon. I'm also aware that the book is for a certain reading age and interest age, however it did read to me a little younger than that, and the illustrations also reinforced that impression.

A lovely, fast-paced story about a brother and sister around the beginnings of aviation. But this short book takes a turn for the fantastical as a dragon egg is discovered! Thr children secretly raise the dragon and then miraculously learnt to fly it in a race against two airplanes. This book opens up lots of opportunities for finding out more about aviation and exploring this major development in human history. That a dragon is introduced to the story only adds to the excitement. It would make a great short book to read in KS1 to sit alongside the history curriculum as it is based around an aviation race that actually did take place.

We enjoy Barrington Stokes publications because even the youngest of my Grandchildren can join in our reading group and this really builds her reading confidence. Peter Bunzl is considered a superstar amongst the children and this exciting book certainly lived up to our expectations, buy it now - you will be glad you did.

Arc Copy...Ok first ARC review of the year! I thought it was a delightful, cute and whimsical early chapter (judging by the length) reader with historical touch too. I found it awe whenever the kids take care of the dragon alias kids and a new pet friend for life.

Kitty lives with her twin Harris and their Dad in a cottage at Hendon Airfield, their mother died when they were babies and her Dad has always looked after them. Her Dad is a engineer for Claude who who wants to run a small flying school at the airfield he has started, he already starting to teach in his biplane. It is still the beginning of flight, just 7 years after the Wright brothers first flight but things moved quickly.
Kitty wants to learn but her Dad says she is too young, that she should spend more time reading like Harris, who is more interested in Dragon books!
The children are throwing rocks in a pool, Kitty is super annoyed about Claude and Dad saying children should be concentrating on books. Then there is something in the pond, a glowing pearl the size of a football. They pick it out of the water, they guess it's an egg but aren't sure from what but decide to keep it a secret from Dad. Harris checks his book....can it really be...A DRAGON! The adventure with the baby dragon continues and intertwines so well with the story of a biplane race.

Like all of Peter Bunzl's books that I've read, this is a beautiful story. The fact that it's for publication by Barrington stoke makes me love it more! I love getting these for school for all children.

Well this is just a delight! Dragons, brave kids, loads of interesting stuff about flights and flying and a lot of tenacity! Who wouldn’t wanna find a dragon and fly it? I loved this! Can’t wait to get a copy for school!