A Horse Called Dora: Book 2

This is the second in a series of books about Sam J. Butterbiggins and his quest to become a knight. Sam lives with his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin in Mothsdale Castle, a place which doubles as 'Luxury Holiday Accommodation for Dragons, Griffins and Other Regal Beasts', and, in the first book, he discovered a secret parchment with directions on how to become a knight and managed to perform his first daring deed. Now, what he needs more than anything is a trusty snow-white steed on which to ride to his various quests, but the question is, how does he go about getting one? The instructions that appear magically on his parchment make no sense at all, besides which he and Prunella have been detailed to return Horace the warthog to his owner. The road to returning Horace unexpectedly provides many adventures, involving a country fair, an unhappy walking tree called Hazel and a pair of farm carts. Needless to say, by the end of the book, Sam has returned Horace, found a home for Hazel, solved the cabbages and milk crisis and shown kindness and understanding to a small boy - in short, he has done a number of Noble Deeds and in heart-warming fashion, receives his just reward. Generously illustrated and full of unusual but lovable characters, this book would suit independent young readers who will quickly find themselves keen to follow Sam's adventures as he strives to become a Knight. 103 pages / Ages 7-11 / Reviewed by June Hughes, school librarian.

Suggested Reading Age 7+

This is the second book in the Knight in Training series but the first that I have read. I will definitely look out for number one and look forward to numbers three to six! A Horse Called Dora sees our hero , Sam J Butterbuggins, musing over his diary about such things as trees that wave (in a 'hello' kind of way) and the ancient scroll, which he presumably found in Book One, which contains a list of tasks to be undertaken by anyone who wishes to be a Truly Noble Knight. He is currently staying with his aunt and uncle and his cousin, Prunella, in their castle. As you will have guessed, Prunella- or 'Prune' - is his sparky companion. The second task is that Sam must gain a snow white steed by performing good deeds. And so we're off on the quest to achieve this and on the way we will meet a quirky collection of characters, from a warthog called Horace to a talking tree called Hazel. This is a very pleasing little read with charming illustrations which nicely break up the text, making it very accessible to those reluctant boy readers. My only tiny pedantic gripe would be that the characters seemed to be dressed in clothing from a mix of eras, but this is totally outweighed by the refreshing use of the subjunctive on page 37! Told you I was pedantic! I can envisage this book being used in school to demonstrate problem solving, and as a lesson in generosity, and as an example of diary writing. In the library I would aim it at both boys and girls who enjoy a bit of fun and fantasy- who doesn't?- and promote it as a 'How To Train Your Dragon' for younger readers. The six tasks would provide fertile ground for little reading rewards - a dragon card, a horse card etc maybe. Very enjoyable read. 128 pages / Ages 7+ / Reviewed by Rose Palmer, librarian.

Suggested Reading Age 7+