Alliana, Girl of Dragons

by Julie Abe (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Once upon a time, Alliana believed in dreams and fairy tales as sweet as spun-sugar clouds. Alliana wished on shooting stars, sure that someday she and her grandmother would be able to travel to the capital city to see the queen. Then her grandmother passed away--and those dreams disappeared in a disenchanted puff. Now Alliana's forced to attend to the whims of her wicked stepmother--with long days of cleaning her stepfamily's inn as her skin burns raw or staying up until the crack of dawn to embroider her stepsister's ball gowns.

Until she meets two beings who change her life forever--the first is a young nightdragon who Alliana discovers she can magically talk to. And the second is Nela, a young witch. Nela needs Alliana's help navigating the mysterious abyss, filled with dangerous beasts, a place Alliana knows by heart. Alliana sees Nela's request as a chance to break free of her stepmother's shadow and to seize a chance at a life she's barely dared to hope for--but there's a risk. If caught, Alliana will be stuck working for her stepmother for the rest of her life. Can Alliana truly make wisps of dreams into her own, better-than-a-fairy-tale happily ever after?

Inspired by the Japanese Cinderella story and set in the same world as the Eva Evergreen series, this story can be read as a standalone.

Select format:
Paperback
$8.99

Kirkus

A thrilling take on “Cinderella” with magic and dragons. 

ALA/Booklist

An engrossing Cinderella story with deeper friendships, heaps more adventure, and an extra dash of dragons.

Review quotes

"Alliana, Girl of Dragons made my heart soar! This beautiful and moving story celebrates internal strength, enduring familial love, and the life-changing power of friendship."—Alyssa Colman, author of The Gilded Girl
Julie Abe
Julie Abe has lived in Silicon Valley, spent many humid summers in Japan, and currently basks in the sunshine of Southern California with never enough books or tea, where she creates stories about magical adventures. Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch is her debut novel. Visit her online at www.julieabebooks.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316300469
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
February 06, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV030020 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Asia
JUV002270 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dragons, Unicorns & Mythical
JUV012040 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | Adaptations
Library of Congress categories
Magic
Orphans
Dragons
Fantasy
Witches
Fantasy fiction
Stepfamilies
Novels

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!