Dragon Rider

Dragon Rider is the first installment in a middle grade fantasy trilogy by popular German children’s author Cornelia Funke. Funke is best known for her Inkheart fantasy series, which inspired the 2009 Inkheart film. Dragon Rider, first published in Germany in 1997, was published in the US by Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic in 2004, with a translation by Anthea Bell.

Dragon Rider follows the quest of a silver dragon named Firedrake, a household fairy—or brownie—girl named Sorrell and a human boy named Ben, as they search for the mythical homeland of the dragons, the Rim of Heaven. Along the way, they face many dangers, including Nettlebrand, the ancient nemesis of the silver dragons, and gather an eclectic assortment of friends and allies. The novel explores themes of The Human Impact on Nature, The Value of Friendship, The Need for Home, and the importance of family.

This study guide refers to the 2018 paperback edition published by Chicken House/Scholastic, with a translation by Anthea Bell.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of animal cruelty, graphic violence, and death.

Plot Summary

In the Scottish Highlands, Rosa the Rat warns the dragons that humans are headed for their valley. The eldest dragon believes they should return to their mythic ancestral home, the Rim of Heaven. Unfortunately, he does not remember how to find it though he knows it is hidden in the world’s highest mountains. The dragon Firedrake and his brownie friend, Sorrel, accept the task of searching for it. Rosa advises them to visit her cousin, Gilbert, who lives in a human city.

Firedrake and Sorrel fly to the city, where they encounter the young orphan boy, Ben. They find Gilbert, who gives them a map to the Himalayas, suggesting they search there. Gilbert also warns them about strange ravens, who have been asking about the Rim of Heaven for years. Before they leave, Firedrake invites Ben to join them on their quest.

On their journey, they rest on a mountain, where they encounter dwarves. One dwarf, Gravelbeard, sneaks away to tell the golden dragon, Nettlebrand, that he spotted a silver dragon. Created by an alchemist, Nettlebrand hunted the silver dragons nearly to extinction centuries ago. He sends a raven and his servant, Twigleg, a tiny homunculus, to spy on Firedrake.

The group next travels south. A storm forces them to land in Egypt, where they find an archeological campsite. The humans capture Sorrel, forcing Ben to rescue her. Ben also rescues Twigleg, who claims to have escaped a cruel master.

One archeologist, Professor Greenbloom, specializes in studying fantastical creatures. He knows of a djinn who can answer any question and might tell them how to find the Rim of Heaven. He also has a colleague, Zubeida Ghalib, who studies dragon lore in Pakistan. He gives the group supplies for their journey including one of the golden scales he found on a dig, keeping the other for himself.

Meanwhile, Twigleg secretly contacts Nettlebrand to tell him what he has learned. After the group leaves, Nettlebrand travels through well water to attack the professor, trying to recover his scale. He fails, and the professor rushes after the group to warn them.

As the group travels, Twigleg is touched by Ben’s kindness. They find the djinn, who describes the way to the Rim of Heaven. Twigleg sneaks away to report to Nettlebrand. However, when Nettlebrand threatens to eat Ben, Twigleg lies to him, sending him to a desert, where he cannot travel through water.

The group crosses the sea, but a lunar eclipse makes them crash; silver dragons need moonlight to fly. They land on the back of a sea serpent, who offers to carry them across the sea. On the way, she tells them the story of the golden dragon, who attacked the silver dragons 150 years ago. The golden dragon could control water and commanded ravens. The group recalls Gilbert’s warning about ravens looking for the Rim of Heaven. They then spot a raven following them. Sorrel uses brownie spit, which has magical powers, and a well-thrown stone to knock the raven out of the sky.

Finally, the sea serpent leaves them at a village at the mouth of the Indus River, where Zubeida Ghalib lives. Professor Greenbloom, his wife Vita, and his daughter, Guinevere, have beat them there, wishing to warn them about Nettlebrand.

When they arrive, Zubeida shows the group to the tomb of the dragon rider. Centuries before, a human befriended the dragons: A prophecy claims that the dragon rider will return to help the dragons defeat the Golden One. Zubeida believes Ben is that prophesied dragon rider. Earlier, she discovered blue flowers that gather moonlight their dew, and she gives Firedrake a bottle of this dew, explaining that it will allow him to fly without moonlight.

Ashamed, Twigleg finally admits that he is the spy but promises that he has stopped helping Nettlebrand. To prove his loyalty, Twigleg tries to contact Nettlebrand to find out his next move. However, Gravelbeard convinces the group that Nettlebrand died in the desert. Secretly, Nettlebrand has discovered Twigleg’s betrayal and lies in wait near the village.

The group flies along the Indus River with the Greenblooms following by boat and Nettlebrand following in the water. On the way, they meet an airplane-flying rat named Lola Graytail, who leads them to a monastery. The lama of the monastery shows Ben how to summon a brownie called Burr-Burr-Chan, who used to live with the dragons in the Rim of Heaven. After being summoned, Burr-Burr-Chan agrees to lead the group.

Gravelbeard has been secretly helping Nettlebrand. He eavesdrops on the group and reports to the dragon. When the group departs, the Greenblooms decide to wait at the monastery. The rest of the group travels to the Rim of Heaven, a large valley among the mountains with a lake in the center. Twigleg can sense that Nettlebrand is hiding in the lake.

While Twigleg and Lola distract Nettlebrand, the others sneak into the dragons’ cave. They find the other dragons petrified by long deprivation from moonlight. The only remaining dragon is Maia, who agrees to help them fight. Outside, Twigleg and Lola capture Gravelbeard, as he attempts to spy on them again.

Using the golden scale from Professor Greenbloom—that they now know is one of Nettlebrand’s—the group discovers that a combination of brownie spit and dragon-fire melts Nettlebrand’s golden scales. Knowing that Nettlebrand will command Gravelbeard to polish his scales before attacking, Twigleg replaces Gravelbeard’s bottle of polish with brownie spit, and then allows him to escape.

As expected, Gravelbeard polishes Nettlebrand’s gold scales and leads him to the dragon’s cave. Firedrake and Maia corner Nettlebrand and breathe fire on him, melting the scales away. Thus defeated, all that remains of Nettlebrand is the toad from which he was created. Gravelbeard offers to help them de-petrify the other dragons in exchange for his safety.

The group then returns to the monastery. From there, Firedrake, Sorrel, Maia, and Burr-Burr-Chan return to the Scottish Highlands. Ben goes to live with the Greenblooms, and Twigleg joins him. Two months later, they read a news report about a flock of giant birds sighted over the Scottish Highlands. Knowing they are the dragons, Ben and the Greenblooms agree to meet their friends when school lets out for the holidays.