What's a New Dragon Rider to do?

Eragon is happy living on a farm with his uncle and cousin, though he would’ve loved to have known his mom and dad. When he finds a unique blue stone in “the spine” one day he takes it, hoping it will be of value and his family can sell it for money. Eragon has trouble finding a buyer, but one night unexpected sounds start coming from the stone. When a dragon hatches, Eragon’s life will never be the same. Right from the start he and his dragon, who he names Saphira, have a special connection. That’s always the way it’s been with Dragon Riders. There are few Dragon Riders left, and the ones that are around are forced to work for the Empire. Terrible things happen and Eragon must quickly decide what to do. As he tries to escape, a man he's known all is life, Brom, offers to come with him and teach him ancient ways. But their path is dangerous, filled with people and creatures who may or may not be able to be trusted. Eragon’s small farm world expands as he sets out to learn more about the place that he's lived all his life. Will Eragon and Saphira be able to survive? Can Brom teach Eragon all he needs to know? Is it possible for them to get away from so many beings that want to capture and kill them? How will Eragon ever know what he should do with his new Dragon Rider power? Jump aboard this fantasy and soar into a world where anything is possible.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini has been around for over ten years. Ever since I first heard of it I've been curious about the story because it was written by a teenager and the book's journey to publication fascinated me. I listened to the audio and the narrator, Gerard Doyle, did a fabulous job using a variety of voices and inflections. I feel like I know the characters in the book and I connected with them- especially the main characters. I cheered on Eragon when things went well, and I was frustrated when I felt he was doing the wrong thing. I tried to judge the characters he was encountering to see if I would trust them or not too. Being a Dragon Rider sounds fascinating, but it definitely would be scary to have people trying to capture you because of your power. This is a book that involves a new world, ancient languages, magic, and creatures of all kinds. For those reasons I would recommend this book to kids in fifth grade and up or anyone who enjoys fantasy*. I just found out there are four books in the series. I do look forward to finding out what happens, but it may take me a while to make it through all those books!

Has anyone else read Eragon? Or have you read another book by Christopher Paolini? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!
~L
*After writing my review I heard from a blogging friend that future books in the series are better suited to older readers. As I had only read the first book in the series, I wasn't aware of some things that come up in later books. For that reason it may be more appropriate to recommend this book to kids in middle school and up.