Dragonfly

Product Information

So there were some things about this book I liked. The writing was gorgeous and I liked the world, sort of. It was just really boring. The characters were all so bland. I was also kind of uncomfortable with how some of the races in this book were coded. Tashi, as Tadiana pointed out in her review, is coded-- by name, culture, motif, and ritual-- as being Asian-inspired, even though she looks white and has blonde hair. Which feels kind of culturally appropriating, imo. Likewise, the savage guy with the last name Spearthrower and the multiple wives seemed kind of... I don't know. Questionable. Dragonfly is somewhat simplistic as far as characterization and writing style go. On the other hand, there’s also a fair amount of warfare, violent sword-fighting, and death in the plot. It’s not too gruesome, but it’s not handwaved either. I think I would have adored this fantasy and light romance when I was about thirteen years old, but for older readers who prefer more complex YA fantasy, Dragonfly may fall a little flat. On balance, Dragonfly seems like it would appeal most to young readers in the 10-15 age range, and I’d recommend it fairly enthusiastically for fantasy readers in that age group.

Dragonflies (Insects) | Introduces some of the characteristics of dragonflies that includes information on their color, their habitat, eyes, and wings. So, apparently I'm in the huge minority of people that don't think this book is all that great. And I think the reason that I think this is because it's all a little too planned out. I know, I know - books that are planned out are good! It means the author knows where they want things to go, blah blah blah. But this was one of those books that even when things went wrong, they went right. There were no real disasters or anything. Dazzling Dragonflies | If you’re looking for a very simple introduction to the life cycle of a dragonfly, Dazzling Dragonflies is the book you’re looking for! It has simple, attractive illustrations and an engaging story. The book is the perfect introduction to the life cycle of dragonflies.A (slightly) fantastical story about a shy girl who befriends an injured dragonfly. In this book, you’ll find the themes of compassion, friendship, and shyness. The cool-toned grey illustrations are an interesting contrast to most dragonfly books. Dragonfly by Aimée M. Bissonette, illustrated by Catherine Pearson Family matters (Books that deal with issues affecting the family, such as divorce, adoption, a new baby, moving, etc.) World War II is in full throttle and five young Americans are chosen to work with the OSS. They will be fighting for their country and serving in France. Not only do they not know one another at the outset, their families cannot not know that they will soon become spies. They are code-named Dragonfly, and are each given false identities.

It’s ‘not easy’ remembering five characters names and what each of them are about- right from the start of a book.,,.let alone ‘15’ names. My second issue is that there wasn't much of a plot. They are a spy circle sent to collect intel. There's not much driving the plot except that. There also seemed to be a lot of telling and wanted to tell Meacham, "Show, don't tell!"

A note about Ramil: Usually when the main guy character is introduced to the story, I just immediately start getting excited, well, because, THE ROMANCE BEGINS! Unless, of course, the protagonist is male. But when he was first introduced, he gave me the impression of a spoiled prince who didn't know anything. I've noticed that I kinda like a love story, when the characters start off hating each other. It makes it more interesting. Instead of instantly falling in love. I don't mind the instant falling in love, it's just some authors don't pull it off very well, so the love story doesn't seem believable, and it takes away from the story. But with this book I felt the love story was totally believable. They slowly got over the hatred for one another, then a friendship started up, and then the blossoming of there love grew at the right time, to make it very believable. Even the secondary relationships were believable. Anyways, it's a really cute story of adventure. Really adventurous. Yeah, the more I think about it, it really is like The Princess Bride.

Our book award contest exclusively for children’s books! We accept printed books, audiobooks, and eBooks. With 59 categories to choose from, winning a coveted Purple Dragonfly Book Award helps authors and illustrators alike garner instant credibility, attention from the media, and an opportunity to increase book sales. Even better, when children and parents see a Purple Dragonfly seal on your book's cover, they will know that they are reading a highly acclaimed publication. Without knowing anything more ...I opened up my Overdrive App. on my iPhone ... and there it was, “Dragonfly”, by Leila Meacham: available as an audiobook. I also have to say that this time around, the romance was so much believable for me from Ramil's POV, there was an actual arch there, while Tashi was... "oh, I guess he doesn't hate me anymore... I guess, I'm in then!"Then we have Gerfal which is your classical mediaeval European-coded country with it's patriarchy, God and excessive familiarity (and one could argue casual sexism, though I'm not sure if this was intended by the author). From Gerfal comes our hero Ramil who loves horses, because his mother came from people known as Horse Followers. This brings us to an interesting point, Horse Followers are described as dark-skinned people and Ramil is coded as brown-skinned, even though the racial dynamics of this world are never properly explored this makes the central relationship of the book interracial. But at the same time... it's what makes this book a bit problematic. What captured my interest and left me reeling was Meacham's ability to trigger countless emotions through her lyrical descriptions of an occupied society at war. Her vivid descriptions transported me to the tense-filled streets of Paris and made me feel every ounce of the paranoia and self-preservation citizens possessed during such a turbulent time in our world history. She made me feel shame for the prejudice German characters faced Stateside, fear for the person that might be turned over to the Gestapo by a starved neighbor hoping to trade secrets for scraps of food, and absolute terror at the atrocities conducted against Jews and any individual that dared to disagree with the Third Reich.