Who hasn’t tasted chocolate and loved it at first bite? Dragons are no different than humans when it comes to falling in love with the silky sweet taste of chocolate. And this is what happens in Stephanie Burgis’ The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart, as you can tell by the title of this children’s novel.

But having two things that kids are fascinated with — dragons and chocolates — isn’t enough to make a good story. Thankfully Burgis didn’t disappoint and has come up with a plot and characters that are refreshing and different.

Take for instance what happens to the main protagonist, the dragon Aventurine. While in most dragon-related stories we read about humans being made captive by dragons, here the dragon — which is a young female — is turned into a girl by the human she was trying to capture! And she is even kind of enslaved because of her obsession for chocolates after drinking an enchanted chocolate that made her human.

Aventurine has quite a few adventures as she becomes an apprenticeship in a chocolate business — anything for chocolates! Things get more interesting as Aventurine, with her equally sassy boss Marina, try to fail all attempts being made to shut down the chocolate business.

There are other interesting female characters, all very strong, smart and with a mind of their own that doesn’t listen to others. Silke is a friend Aventurine makes, while the princesses too are smart young girls living life on their own terms.

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart is a book 10 to 14 year olds will enjoy for its adventurous and delightful story and if you are looking for a deeper message in it, there is focus on relationships and finding your own path in life.

But be warned, the book is going to give you serious chocolate cravings so keep some chocolates handy.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 27th, 2018