Pip never wants to be at home nowadays. There’s no laughter anymore and her mum isn’t happy. She spends most of her time alone, daydreaming and digging for treasure by the dirty creek.
But one night, Pip finds something incredible – a dragon. Tiny, possibly dying, but definitely a dragon. She quickly realises that dragons don’t come with instructions: what do you feed a dragon? Where could it have come from? And how can Pip cope with the enormous changes this creature will bring into her life?
From the moment you start reading, you know that things are not right at home for Pip. Her life with her mum and Matt is not a happy one and she wishes more than anything that her mum would pluck up the courage to leave the abusive relationship that has them both trapped in misery. Pip’s despondence is further exacerbated by the loss of her best-friend, Mika, the details around which are slowly revealed as the story unfolds. Even the arrival of the dragon is tinged with sadness, as he fights for survival on a diet of sugar-water and love.
Set in a small mining town in the Australian outback, the story has the feel of the 1970s about it, children running free out in the countryside, riding their bikes, climbing trees, splashing in waterholes, telling stories and exploring, all accompanied by scuffed knees, shoes with holes in and quite a cuts, scrapes and bruises. It is this which makes the story so relatable, it makes it and adventure.
The absent character of Mika is a delight to read, it is his heart-warming character which binds the threads of the other characters lives together in a bittersweet knot. A story of grief and loss, but also one of growth and friendship as Pip discovers new friends in unexpected places. I highly recommend this as a read for Year 6, perhaps even a summer read for Year 5s
The underlying theme of domestic abuse is treated very sensitively throughout, but could be triggering for some children, so recommend with care.
Dragon Skin is out on 28th October 2021, you can pre-order your copy here: