Dragon fruit. Who hasn't heard the name and considered the possibilities? I remember when I first came across dragon fruit at Shivaji Market. Ooh! Dragon fruit!And the way I see it, that tiny spark lit a fire in author Andy Shepherd. She took the idea to its logical conclusion - a fantasy story about dragons hatching out of fruits on a tree!The Boy Who Grew Dragons is a charming read. Tomas grows his first dragon by chance. Soon, however, he realises that there's more to growing dragons than the thrill of having a fantastic pet. Firefighting becomes second nature to him as his dragon Flicker sheds exploding poo all over his room. That's not the only thing Tomas has to contend with, though. The class bully Liam is determined to prise out what Tomas is hiding. Tomas's little sister is too little to even understand that a dragon, however exciting, must not be shared with adults. … [Read more...]