Cornelia Funke

German author Funke is best known in the U.S. for The Thief Lord and Inkheart. Here, a heroic dragon and his boy sidekick fight Nettlebrand, a man-made dragon, and his spy, Twigleg.

Firedrake is a leader on a quest to save the rest of the dragon population, with some help from a boy and a mischievous brownie. The book is long, but a definite page turner, and a great introduction to fantasy for young readers.