Brambleheart by Henry Cole

The young chipmunk, Twig, feels like an outsider in the woodland community of the Hill. This is because Twig doesn’t feel confident in the crafts he is taught at school. In the Hill, craft mastery determines a creature’s social standing. After a disastrous day, Twig runs away to escape his problems. However, he runs across a new problem: a newborn dragon. Seeing no mother dragon, Twig adopts the baby and returns home to secretly care for it. Twig enlists his best friend, Lily, to care for the baby dragon and together they call it Char. But how long can Twig and Lily keep Char a secret from the Hill?

Cole’s Brambleheart is a Pete’s Dragon story downsized to a forest-floor adventure. Cole’s expressive graphite illustrations help readers to tag right alongside Twig as he stumbles with his choices and succeeds in protecting Char. Twig believes he is worthless in the Hill community. It seems Twig is only good at imagining life outside of the Hill. When Twig finds Char, Twig’s imagination is ignited by Char’s abilities. However, when Char’s health declines, Twig realizes he has put Char’s life in danger just to improve his social standing. Pushing aside the judgments of the Hill, Twig relies on the power of close-knit friendships to save Char’s life. A fun and fast-paced woodland adventure ideal for young readers ages 8 and up.