Book Descriptions
for Dreki by Mary Logue
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Johan is excited to spend a few weeks with his beloved Icelandic grandfather while his parents travel abroad. While Grandpa Siggy is not as spry as he once was, 12-year-old Johan (white) values his company. Soon into his stay, Johan discovers that Grandpa has been hiding something in the basement for decades: a baby dragon named Dreki. Shocked by Grandpa’s secret and the existence of this mythical beast, Johan doesn’t have much time to process before Grandpa adds to the drama. Dreki needs to return to his homeland. He has grown too big, and Grandpa Siggy has grown too old. Leaving the Mississippi shores of Stockholm, Wisconsin, behind, Johan assists with covertly smuggling Dreki onto an international flight and through customs with his plucky grandfather. Once on Icelandic soil, Johan is enchanted with the ancient island home of his grandparents, where he learns that dragons, elves, and other elements of magic are just as real as the majestic fjords and kind people. Johan realizes that not only will he be leaving Dreki in Iceland, but Grandpa Siggy will not be returning home. Humor and tenderness prevail in this fantastical family story.
CCBC Choices 2026. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin – Madison, 2026. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
A boy, his grandfather, and a baby dragon set off on an international adventure that takes them from the Midwest to Iceland in this children's fantasy novel perfect for fans of When You Trap a Tiger and How to Train Your Dragon.
Johan is off to visit his Grandpa Siggy--a charismatic, impetuous Icelander with a big secret: He took a dragon egg with him when he immigrated to America. As fate would have it, Dreki hatched just a few hours after Johan was born, magically linking the two. But Dreki was kept hidden.
Now, many years later, the time has come for Dreki to journey home and for Johan to discover his ancestry through a life-changing trip to Iceland. But the clock is ticking, as both Siggy's and Dreki's health are in jeopardy. This cross-cultural coming-of-age story explores aspects of Icelandic folklore while dealing sensitively with the themes of aging, generational memory, and returning home.
Johan is off to visit his Grandpa Siggy--a charismatic, impetuous Icelander with a big secret: He took a dragon egg with him when he immigrated to America. As fate would have it, Dreki hatched just a few hours after Johan was born, magically linking the two. But Dreki was kept hidden.
Now, many years later, the time has come for Dreki to journey home and for Johan to discover his ancestry through a life-changing trip to Iceland. But the clock is ticking, as both Siggy's and Dreki's health are in jeopardy. This cross-cultural coming-of-age story explores aspects of Icelandic folklore while dealing sensitively with the themes of aging, generational memory, and returning home.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
