Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate, the second book in a popular young adult series written by Adrienne Kress, has everything a youth could want in a novel: ninja, pirates, evil old ladies, dragons, treasure hunters, crazy taxi drivers, clueless businessmen, and much more. While the pacing is a bit uneven at the beginning, later in the tale it practically reads itself.

The hero, Timothy, is a smart child with a very bad attitude, one who has been expelled from every school in the city. While he frequently felt persecuted, often with good reason, he purposefully did things to freak out or annoy his instructors, such as squeaking his chair ominously to distract them in class. Because he no longer has any lessons to attend, he follows his dad to work, and eventually becomes an intern at the company.

One day Timothy is left in the care of a neighbor, Sir Bazalgette. Bazalgette is a famous architect who uses mirrors and light to illuminate rooms so that they appear bigger then they really are. He’s also an amateur treasure hunter who often loses his findings to governments who claim ownership of them, something he’s quite bitter about.

Bazalgette has a very unusual friend, Mr. Shen, a dragon in human form. Timothy learns that Shen was not only cursed to remain trapped in his new body until the 125th Year of the Dragon, but also that he is re-quired to obey the whim of whoever owns the mystical dragon key. Timothy manages to acquire the key and suddenly finds himself the target of a conspiracy, running a gauntlet of ninja assassins, crazy taxi drivers, kid-nappers, and other hazards to free Mr. Shen and keep evildoers from using his powers.

While the tale is aimed at eight- to twelve-year-olds, it will also appeal to slightly older audiences, those whose attention spans are more developed. With solid characters, quirky humor, and an intelligent plot, young adults who enjoy fantasy should be captivated by this story. Kress, a former drama instructor, is a successful playwright as well as an up-and-coming writer. Her previous work is Alex and the Ironic Gentleman. (January)

When we first meet him, Timothy Freshwater is a fairly unpleasant character. “Too smart for his own good” and perpetually bored, he’s quick with the backtalk and flip remarks, dismissive of anyone who isn’t as smart as he is (which, he believes, is most people) and generally surly. The 11-year-old is also pretty unhappy. His father is too busy to connect with him, his mother (a second-rate actress) is almost entirely absent from his life, he has no friends, and he’s just been expelled from the last school in the city.

All of this changes, as one might expect, when Timothy meets a dragon. That’s the set-up for Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate, the enthralling and impressive new novel from Toronto writer, actor, and teacher Adrienne Kress. Set in the same whimsical (and often surprisingly violent) universe as her debut, Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, Kress has crafted an engrossing tale laced subtly with its own set of valuable lessons – ones she is careful never to oversell. Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate might be about growth and selflessness and generosity, but kids don’t want to read that stuff: they want stories about pirates, ninjas, epic battles, sewer chases, and dragons, which Kress delivers in spades.

The dragon in question is Mr. Shen, a mighty beast who has been trapped in human form for a thousand years. Almost despite himself, Timothy takes on the task of getting Mr. Shen to China, where he must scale an ancient monument, the Dragon’s Gate, before the end of a festival marking the 125th Year of the Dragon in order to regain his true form. It’s an epic journey, and one that will keep readers turning the pages. And when the red sails of the Ironic Gentleman appear, fans of the earlier book will be hard-pressed to contain their cheers.

Kress employs a deceptively casual tone, an ease that belies the complexity of her prose style. While some might feel uncomfortable with her use of authorial asides, she never abuses the technique (unlike some Lemony Snickets one might mention), and these rejoinders and comments add to the overall sense that Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate is an old-fashioned tale, being told by a gifted storyteller, to an audience of one.

Reviewed by Robert J. Wiersema (from the March 2009 issue)

Timothy and the Dragon's Gate
Adrienne Kress

Action-packed and full of reader-directed asides, Kress’s sophomore novel follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, Alex and the Ironic Gentleman. Here, Kress introduces 11-year-old Timothy Freshwater, who, newly expelled from school, stumbles into an internship at his father’s company (in a building nicknamed the “Tall and Imposing Tower of Doom”). There he meets Mr. Shen, ostensibly a mail clerk, but in actuality, an ancient Eastern dragon forced to take human form and act as a servant to whoever holds a golden key. Unwittingly and somewhat unwillingly, Timothy ends up helping Mr. Shen get to China—with a ninja, pirates and a fleet of black cabs in hot pursuit—so that he can return to his dragon form. (Among others, Timothy gets some help from Alex and the crew of the Ironic Gentleman.) Brief chapters keep the story moving, and Timothy’s general surliness and sardonic observations, particularly in contrast with Mr. Shen’s courteousness and Alex’s daring, make for plenty of comic moments (Timothy’s “last thought” before plunging into the ocean after being pushed from a plane is “Whatever”). A spirited follow-up. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)

TIMOTHY AND THE DRAGON’S GATE

The eponymous young heroine of Alex and The Ironic Gentleman (2007) sails in about halfway through to play a supporting role in this equally tongue-in-cheek sequel. Eleven-year-old Timothy finds his pose of cool indifference challenged at every turn after gaining possession of a key that gives him total control of an old Chinese man who claims to be a dragon imprisoned in human form for juvenile behavior until a complicated set of conditions can be met. Not quite sure why, Timothy finds himself headed for China to fulfill said conditions—pursued by both a trio of murderous black taxicabs and an all-too-capable ninja named Emily. Sporting a chip on his shoulder the size of a sequoia while being prone to both snotty behavior and fits of rage, Timothy makes an annoying protagonist. Still, he is endowed with heart as well as patient allies, and in surviving a string of narrow squeaks he comes out with a better self-image. Though at least as wordy as its predecessor, the tale’s snarky dialogue, sudden twists, authorial asides and daffy characters will keep readers turning the pages. (Fantasy. 11-14)

In “The Secret Garden,” Frances Hodgson Burnett created Mary Lennox, a snarky, attitude-filled brat who finally got a clue.

Why am I talking about a 97-year-old classic when this review is supposed to be about Adrienne Kress’ new book, Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate? Go with me here. Timothy’s favorite response to just about anything is, “Whatever.” If Mary Lennox were dropped into the modern world, I’d bet money that “Whatever” would be hers as well.

Timothy isn’t an underachieving punk. Just the opposite: he’s brilliant, insightful, and bored. Adults can’t deal with his intellect and attitude and he’s been expelled from every single school in town. His dad is ineffectual, his mom is off pursuing a mediocre acting career. When Timothy has to accompany his dad to work because no sitter will come within a mile of him, he falls into an internship for his dad’s reclusive boss.

Oh, about the dragon. And the gate. And all the possible adventures that combination conjures up. One might think Timothy—this unlikable eleven-year-old snot—makes the combination doomed to failure.

Don’t be fooled. As Kress did to Alex in her first book, Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, Timothy is thrown into danger and adventures. He has to rely on his intellect to make it through—with the dragon in tow. (Abandon hope. I’m not going to reveal it. About the dragon, that is. And that’s why I can’t quote my favorite line: the dragon says it, and I’d spoil the plot.) In the process, Timothy messes things up to a point where he admits he can’t blame his weak father, his absentee mother, his teachers, or anyone but himself.

No, no, no. Don’t groan. There are no heavy-handed Moral Lessons for Today’s Youth here. (Thank you, Ms. Kress!) Instead, there are ninjas. Fish-herders. Architects who may not be what they seem. (Fish-herders and architects. I swear. What fun!) There are pirates, too, of course. Along with mysterious Chinese gambling-house owners and three black taxicabs that shouldn’t be able to do everything they do. And I guessed wrong on the identity of the secret villain. I love it when books surprise me.

What makes Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate stand out is Kress’ ability to give us an unlikable hero and charm us into rooting for him. Timothy doesn’t turn into a sweet little angel after all his adventures. He’s still himself, but like Mary Lennox, he gets a clue. Kress has the knack of writing child characters who could be my next-door neighbors. Then she mixes them up with delightful fantasy and just enough danger to keep me turning the page to see how they succeed—or temporarily fail. It’s not spoiling the book to reveal that it has very satisfying ending.

I’m a cynical horror writer who runs from sweetness and light like, well, like a dragon’s chasing me. (I couldn’t resist.) But like “Alex and the Ironic Gentleman,” Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate charmed me into staying up way too late to finish it. No syrup here. Instead, there’s adventure, derring-do, attitude, and danger. All wrapped up in a clever and fascinating take on the reluctant hero, courage, loyalty, and—of course—dragons.

Don’t miss it.