Guarding the Invisible Dragons: A Branches Book (Dragon Masters #22)

This is a solid entry for the Dragon Masters series. My family loved it, and we can’t wait for more of them.I was not surprised to see all the trembling conservatives throwing the “agenda” word around, and swearing off this series…so tiresome.It’s sad to think that some people would get this far into the series reading with their kids/grandkids only to turn their backs on it and lie about what’s inside.Don’t be scared, kids. This is an awesome book. 5 stars, Tracy West!

My son is reading at a 2nd grade level and he managed to read this book in a day. He loves the characters and thr storyline. He binged the whole series all 24 books in less then a month. If you have a beginning chapter book reader I highly recommend the series. He couldn't help but put his tech and toys down and read every chance he got.

I immediately picked up on the they/their character while reading and wondered if my kids (6 & 8) would notice. Toward the end of the book they were talking about the characters (as we often do while reading), and on their own, my kids ended up arguing about whether or not Val was a girl or a boy.I was annoyed at first that any of my kids books are bringing up social issues, as I usually like to talk about these things at our own pace, but just as they probably intended, the book provided an opportunity to do just that.I simply told them that some people don't like to be called girl or boy. When they asked "why", as they always do, I told them there can be different reasons why people prefer being called something else, but what's important is that we help each other be comfortable and call each person whatever they ask. It's easy to do, and it makes people happy, even if it's not what we expected.That was that.It doesn't really matter what I understand or even agree with about gender issues, if it makes my fellow neighbors feel good and feel recognized, I'm all for it. My kids know who they are, and learning about other people's differences doesn't change that.Story wise, I was kind of disappointed. The plot was absolute nonsense, and there's little to no character development. My kids were satisfied with the few exciting and cute moments.We've read the entire series thus far and this was the first time that I felt like the series took a dive in quality, and I hope that Tracy brings us back to DM roots soon with some real adventure, drama, and friendship.

My kids LOVE the Dragon Masters books. The storyline is fun and not too scary/disturbing for even preschool age but is engaging for up to a third grader and they are not painful to read with your child as an adult. We have all 22 books.My complaint is that in THIS book in an apparent attempt to be inclusive of the non-binary community, this book started using “they” as the pronoun for Val. For a kid trying to learn grammar and basic reading comprehension it’s too much at once.I understand that the authors are likely hoping that parents can use it as a springboard to address the issue with their kids and teach kindness and inclusion. My two major complaints here are that 1) it’s the wrong reading level to introduce that curveball and it caused trouble with comprehension and a blow to self esteem and reading fluidity. If it were simply a grammatical adoption of “they” as the singular for all characters as a replacement for all he/she it would a different situation. As it is, it’s confusing and not the confidence builder I as a parent want from this level of reading material.2) I don’t appreciate the non-binary talk being sprung on me in the 22nd book after no indications in the prior books that it would be an issue. It’s a conversation that deserves care and thought and sufficient time to address it in a helpful way for the very young children who are the target audience here. It’s not something that you want to suddenly and unexpectedly have address during a bedtime story time or homework reading time when you’re on a schedule.

I love this book series. Ive been reading it to my son for the past week or so. We zoomed through all the books, sometimes reading up to 3 a day. We just got the newest book in two days ago and loved it! I'm so happy to see this author cares about representation. There's a blind dragon master in one of the other books and in this one the dragon master used They/Them pronouns. You honestly can barely notice it and my kid didn't while I read it to him. Afterward we had a good conversation about how everyone uses pronouns and how they work. I think it's good to try and raise your kids to be mindful and considerate of those around them. Anyone who got upset at this author for having ONE book out of 22 in which one person used they/them pronouns are the issue. Not the author.

We love this book series, Tracey West has shown inclusivity in one way or another in Dragon Masters. In a made up fantasy world it would be very easy to make all the children look a like, but she doesn’t. There are ethnicities and abilities from all over. Yes, one character uses They/Them pronouns and it’s also done tastefully. Representation matters. It’s important for kids to see themselves OR loved ones in the characters.The people that highlighted the They/them/their in the book. That’s almost all the uses in the book, the character is mostly referred to as “Val” Val stood up, Val said this, Val did that. The book doesn’t even explain the pronouns, they’re just their existing. That’s for the parent to decide.Honestly my kiddo didn’t even notice.The Story it’s self was pretty cute. Drake and Worm are vacationing with Carlo and Lalo. Val is Carlo’s Cousin who is obsessed with Dragons. Val knows more about Dragons then the other Dragon Masters. Queen Sophia needs help at her Castle. The Kids and Diego go and help. They find baby Dragons in the watch tower with no parents. Where are their parents? Who will be the Baby Dragon’s new Dragon Master?The story is cute.

My five year old loves these. We can't wait for the next one.What a bizarre fuss over the non-binary character. I was quite pleased to see a non-stereotypical character in the book and my child didn't even notice.

Political agenda. I will not be purchasing anymore of her books. I can’t trust this author anymore! My child needs to learn how to read appropriate and proper grammar. My child doesn’t need any of this in her life at the moment. What a disappointment!

My daughter loved the series and we got all of them for her and even pre ordered this one. I thought I could be confident and trust this book without having to pre read it. Unfortunately the agenda to prevert children has gotten into this book. Eight year old children are girls or boys. We will no longer be purchasing from this autor.

My daughter started reading this series of books when we discovered them about 4 years ago.While she has advanced to other higher-level reading in books, she still enjoys this series as a diversion from her other books and I think she is curious to see what's happening next with the characters and story lines.They hold a child's interest with the drawings of the characters and are good for developing their reading skills and abilities to remember and connect the various plots, sub-plots and stories and to help I would ask her questions about the book.

My son has been reading this series since book #1 and was so excited when this came in the mail! (I pre-ordered) arrived sooner than expected!