Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold, kids love this cloth

Xerox and Coca-Cola are brand names that have become synonymous with their product. Cola, soda, or ‘make a copy’ are their siblings that are hiding in plain sight. Likewise, books that are closely associated with their contemporaries are often grouped together, for example, it’s like Harry Potter, Wimpy Kid, or Dog Man. For young readers of a certain age or period of their life, Wimpy Kid, and the world that surrounds him, represent their go-to entertainment. However, Wimpy Kid, when used in those instances is an adjective and not a noun. Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold is a great example of that being used as an adjective. It follows the cartoon and text format to an extent; but has aspects that allow the book to be embraced by readers who are younger, as well as, reeling in those reluctant readers.

How does Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold manage to be attractive to mid-elementary all the way through middle school readers? The chapters are around twelve pages long. That length might sound intimidating or too long for those younger readers to embrace, but look at how the book flows. About half of the pages consist of cartoon illustrations that help flesh out the action or moves, add background or move the story forward. The fact that they’re not just ancillary illustrations makes their addition feel more like a real book also.

Easy there on the real book talk dude. I know, reading is reading, but there has always been something about the 500-pound gorilla that Quest Kids has been compared to that has put me off. For the record- again, anything that makes young readers actively want to read is fabulous. Personally, and having seen the books that our children were attracted to, the notebook angle, as well as, the font that’s used in the other books made reading them not as much fun. That, plus speaking as a teacher, the overall presentation doesn’t use as deep of a vocabulary as I would like, especially for those middle school readers.

Younger readers who dig into Quest Kids will like the fact that it’s loaded with illustrations. They’re placed between the text in ways that build upon the ‘picture is worth 1,000 words’ saying. Instead of having to read about our Ned, the main character buying a bagel, you’ll see an illustration of him trying not to crush over a cute girl, while he’s getting bagels for his quest. Quest Kids is written in first person and while that might have similarities to wimpy things, that’s where they stop. Ned is adventurous, and he doesn’t whine as much as some other characters he might be compared to. Oh, he’s got problems, but they’re bigger than the elder-brother-is-a-jerk type issues.

This is about a quest, a mighty quest for a group of young warriors who are out to prove themselves worthy, and make some money. Gil is a kid wizard, Terra is a very old elf who looks like a kid, Boulder is a rock being and Ash is a four-legged companion that’s somewhere between a pig and a dog. Their quest, as it’s been presented to them by a dragon whose about to burn down a village, is to get some gold sweatpants for the flying fire-breathing giant to wear.

As you’ve surmised, Quest Kids is also very silly, and those younger audiences will appreciate that. There’s also a faux historical angle that will amuse them, in addition to older readers. You see, this series of texts were discovered in some caves in a remote part of Switzerland by an adventurer who has spent the last 70 years discovering them. The book even shows a photograph of him in a cave!

The adventurer even interjects his own content or background information on the times that Ned and his friends lived in, a couple of times in the book. This content is written in a more serious font and presented in a slightly higher reading level.

Older readers will appreciate that the book is thick. It’s not some elementary school skinny book. Likewise, those elementary readers will gain confidence by reading a thicker book. Everyone will enjoy the fact that Quest Kids is fun. That’s an odd, all-encompassing descriptor, but this is a quick-paced book that deftly jumps between a graphic novel and chapter book, within each chapter. It reminds us of the fun we had while reading Fart Quest. That mglit series doesn’t have many illustrations at all but runs with a loose, happy spirit that grades 5 through 8 are looking for. Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold is a more entertaining vehicle for those Wimpy Kid kids. It uses more illustrations that fill in the action, which allows the adventure to take place across a bigger canvas.

Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold is by Mark Leiknes and is available on Union Square & Co., an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co.

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