I absolutely love the Dragons in a Bag series and this prequel is a fantastic addition to the series and Ma was always my favorite character so to see her get her own book as a little girl is a serious gift. Zetta Elliott is a treasure and her writing is perfect for my 5th graders but I also love reading them myself!

Zetta Elliott has done it again! What a wonderful way to wrap up her Dragons in a Bag series and give us Ma’ s backstory. The way she thoughtfully weaves in real life historical race events is always an added bonus learning experience. My students love this series and I can’t wait to introduce them to this final installment.

The Oracle’s Door by Zetta Elliott stands alone as the origin story of Ma, one of the main characters some readers will know well from the previous books of Elliott’s Dragon in a Bag series. In this book, we meet Vinny, a nine-year old girl living on the South side of Chicago in 1919, a particularly dangerous time to be Black in the United States. Vinny finds herself able to open portals and travels, with her friend L. Roy, into a magical world called Palmara. There she meets Sis, the guardian of Palmara and its dragons, and the Oracle who delivers a frightening prophecy.

Vinny is smart, irreverent, and feisty which makes her an entertaining narrator for this adventure in which she and L. Roy try to save a baby dragon in Palmara while dealing with racism, bullies, and bigotry in their real world. Elliott has never shied away from introducing her readers to difficult realities through the eyes of her child characters and renders an accurate but unsentimental account of the reality that Vinny would have faced. In The Oracle’s Door, the blatant 1919’s racism is every day life for Vinny and she takes it in stride while opening herself to finding a diverse cast of allies.

Within the 1919 context, Vinny grapples with a number of issues that young readers will recognize and relate to, for example, when is it appropriate to challenge authority, the importance of family—even difficult family situations, friendship, and staying loyal in difficult times. While most readers do not face the dangers Vinny lives with day-to-day, they will connect with her emotional journey and they will love the spunky attitude with which she faces her challenges.

This prequel is a narration from Ma (an adult Vinny) to her grandson Jaxon, explaining how she discovered and accepted her calling to be a witch, and a number of other events that ensued and led to the events in the final book in the Dragon in a Bag series. As a result, the narrative has two threads, the 1919 story and Ma’s interjections. If a reader has not read the first books, there are nuances they might miss and references they may not understand, however, it is still possible to thoroughly enjoy The Oracle’s Door whether you have read the previous books or not.

Elliott has written a fun, heartwarming fast-paced adventure with a protagonist who is flawed, smart, and lovable. Readers will thoroughly enjoy the time they spend with her and long to read more.

In this prequel to the popular Dragons in a Bag, we meet Ma when she was still just Lavinia aka Vinny, growing up on Chicago's South Side.

The story is told using two points of view both belonging to Ma, but from different stages in her life. The device works well, from the youthful voice of Vinny to the geriatric but powerful witch who has lived for more than a century.

How Vinny entered the world of magic, her introduction to dragons and how she became a witch are all events captivatingly described in this story.

The book also deals with themes of racism and inequality in an intelligent and relatable way. It will be a hit with readers in the target age group as well as the young at heart.

What worked:
This book is the backstory for a series. It’s set in the early 1900s when black families flee the South only to discover they’re not universally accepted in the North. Families from different ethnicities don’t interact despite living as neighbors on the same streets. Racial tension runs throughout the story and the Red Summer is the climactic moment in the plot. The Red Summer occurred in 1919 when riots between blacks and whites spilled into Chicago streets. The story includes historical references to add authenticity and to describe the emotional turbulence of the times.
The plot follows Vinny’s journey into a magical world called Palmara where she learns she has powers and can train to become a witch. Sis is the Guardian of the realm and Vinny and L. Roy, her best friend, have mixed reactions to Sis’s view of humans. L. Roy is offended that she thinks humans are violent and crave power but Vinny knows there is truth in the Guardian’s words. Vinny becomes connected to a baby dragon but its critical condition after a premature birth has her worried. Sis, Vinny, and L. Roy have different ideas about what is best for the dragon and it develops into a major issue between them.
Vinny experiences racism from white neighbors and she struggles when her desire to stand up for herself conflicts with her mother’s wish for her to mind her place. Vinny’s father had been hanged by white men and Vinny had stones thrown at her while walking along the shore of Lake Michigan. Readers can understand Vinnie’s desire to live her own life but they can also appreciate her mother’s protective nature. Vinny’s grandmother doesn’t interfere with the mother’s decisions but she offers Vinny counseling and comfort when they’re alone. The story includes an old man the children fear but Vinny finds out he’s misunderstood and may be a valuable ally.
What didn’t work as well:
Readers can enjoy this book independent of the series but they’ll miss out on connections with the rest of the series. This book lacks significant tension and suspense in the plot as Vinny discovers the new world. There is friction between characters but the Red Summer offers the most serious consequences but doesn’t arise until the climax.
The final verdict:
While the discovery of Palmara is important, the book mainly addresses racial pressure and uncertainty during this time in history. Vinny’s relationships with her mother and best friend present different kinds of conflict that highlight the story. This book is more compelling than readers might expect and I recommend you give it a shot.

This book provides much-needed multicultural representation in the fantasy genre, incorporating well the historical context of the pre-depression era.