Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville (Illustrated by Gary A. Lippincott)

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher is the second book in the Magic Shop series by Bruce Coville, but can be read as a stand-alone. Gary A. Lippincott provides pencil drawn illustrations for each chapter. Jeremy Thatcher is the smallest kid in his class and is constantly bullied because of it; that is, until one day when he walks into a magic shop that suddenly appeared. Jeremy becomes the proud owner of a dragon egg, one that he finds out contains a beautiful red dragon named Tiamat. Raising Tiamat is not easy, is Jeremy up to the challenge?

   Bruce Coville has created a book that a lot of kids will be able to connect to. Jeremy is small, not overly smart, and bullied. Jeremy did not wish or ask for a dragon, but rather a dragon asked for him. What kid wouldn't want a dragon to help them come out of their own shell? 

   Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher is a work of fantasy set in today's world. 

   Gary A. Lippincott provided illustrations for the cover and title pages in the book. The illustrations are pencil drawings that are meant to enhance the story and bring the characters to life. However, my personal opinion is that they detracted from the story. I did not find them particularly well drawn. 

For Teachers: 

   Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher may not be a book assigned to read during the school year, but it does have potential for grades 6-8 summer reading. If it was to be assigned during the school year, some activities could include: 

• Science: Look at the life cycle of a reptile, from egg to adult. Discuss what other animals hatch from eggs. 
• Midsummer Night: What is Midsummer Night? Discuss some of the traditions and tales associated with it. 
• Art: What fantasy creature would you want to raise? Draw a picture of this creature. 
• Art: The author uses colors to depict emotion. What colors would you use for various emotions? 
• Vocabulary word suggestions: smug, scorn, sincerity, incredibly, humiliation, kaleidoscope, intriguing, complicated, almanac, trivial, burnished, intelligent, agitation, concentration, symphony, disappearance, alternately, ammunition, reputed, marauding, mystification, repressive, crisis, searing, banishment, anticipation, intimidate, astonishment, tapered, chiding. 
• Discussion questions: Why do you think Tiamat chose Jeremy? Would you want to raise an animal (real or fantasy) from birth; if so, what kind? Do you think Jeremy should have told anyone about Tiamat; why or why not? Discuss the conflict between Jeremy and Mr. Kravitz; was the conflict resolved; how would you have handled the situation? 

My Thoughts: 

   I really enjoyed this book, even though there were a couple spelling and grammatical errors. I don't think Jeremy Thatcher could ever become the next Harry Potter, but he does have a quality about him that a lot of kids would be drawn to. Hey, I may even read the other books in the series. 

Additional Resources: 

Students may enjoy the other Magic Shop books by Bruce Coville: 

• The Monster's Ring
• Jennifer Murdley's Toad
• The Skull of Truth
• Juliet Dove, Queen of Love

Students may also enjoy Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons by Dugald A. Steer, Ernest Drake, and Wayne Anderson. 

Reference: 

Coville, B. (2002). Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher. San Diego, CA: Harcourt, Inc.