Wren and the Storm Dragon
A baker’s daughter, a wiggling rock in the oven, and a wizard made of tin.
Wren Tolliver has never had an adventure bigger than chasing a runaway goat. Then one morning she reaches into the bakery oven for the bread paddle, and finds a rock. The rock is hot. The rock is wiggling. And when it cracks open, a teeny, tiny rumble of thunder rolls across the bakery floor.
His name is Bramble, and he is the very last storm dragon egg in the kingdom of Thistlemere. Magister Vane, the Tin Wizard, has been hunting it for nine years, with a flock of clockwork crows and a fortress of iron at the edge of the world.
With a wizard’s apprentice whose spells go sideways, an old wizard with a leaky hat, and a bread paddle, Wren sets out to get Bramble home to his mother. She is small. The Tin Wizard is not. But it turns out that being brave has very little to do with being big.
Listen
Prologue: The Egg in the Storm
The first chapter is free to try. Buy the book to unlock the rest.
What it teaches
- CourageWren is frightened most of the way through, and goes anyway. Courage is doing the right thing while your knees shake.
- Helping because you are there“He was stuck, and I was the one who was there.” Wren does not walk past a creature in trouble.
- A steady heartFear makes thunder, but lightning only comes when the heart is steady. Wren hums Papa’s kneading song, and Bramble finds his calm.
- Your odd gift is still a giftOdo’s spells always curve left. “Stop aiming like other wizards. Aim like Odo Finch.”
- Mercy to an enemyThe Tin Wizard is beaten, and then handed a hammer to mend what he broke.
For parents: the Bible underneath
The story never names God or quotes Scripture. These notes show where each part comes from, so you can make the connection yourself. Each verse has a plain-words summary; read it in your family’s own Bible.
Small is not the same as weak
Wren faces the Tin Wizard with a bread paddle, the tool she already knows how to use. David faced Goliath with a shepherd’s sling for the same reason, and both of them refused borrowed armour.
- 1 Samuel 17:45-47David tells Goliath he comes without sword or spear, and that the battle belongs to the Lord.
- 1 Samuel 16:7People look at the outside. God looks at the heart.
Courage comes from who is with you
Wren is never told she will not be afraid. She is told she is not alone. That is the same promise given to Joshua.
- Joshua 1:9Be strong and brave. Do not be afraid, because God is with you wherever you go.
- Psalm 56:3When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
A steady heart
Bramble cannot make lightning while he is frightened or cross. It comes when Wren sings, “I am here. I have got you. You are not alone.”
- 1 John 4:18Perfect love drives out fear.
- Psalm 46:10Be still, and know that I am God.
Not walking past
The dragons of Cloudroost have good reasons to stay hidden. Wren goes because someone is stuck and she knows where. Jesus told a story about who stops and who walks by.
- Luke 10:33-34A traveller sees the hurt man, feels for him, and stops to help.
Different gifts
Odo thinks he is the worst wizard in Thistlemere. The crooked aim he is ashamed of is what cracks the Great Jar.
- 1 Corinthians 12:14-18A body has many different parts, each put where it is needed.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9My power is made perfect in weakness.
What to do with a beaten enemy
Some dragons want to drop the Tin Wizard in the sea. Instead he is given honest work. Book 2 shows what that mercy grows into.
- Romans 12:20-21If your enemy is hungry, feed him. Overcome evil with good.
- Micah 6:8Do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
Talk about it
- Wren says she was scared every single day. Can you be brave and scared at once?
- Elder Flint said hiding kept the dragons safe. Wren said hiding is not the same as being safe. Who was right?
- What helps your heart feel steady when you are frightened or cross?
- What is something about you that feels like a mistake, the way Odo’s crooked aim did?
- Was it fair that the Tin Wizard got a hammer instead of a dungeon? Why?
- Wren fibs to Mrs. Pennywhistle about a sneeze, and bluffs past the tin soldiers. Was that all right? (Book 2 has a lot to say about it.)
Good to know
Mild peril, always undercut by humour: clockwork crows at the door, a fall into a river, an avalanche, and a caged hatchling in the final chapters. Enemies are all clockwork, and nobody is hurt. Most chapters end on a cliffhanger, so pick your stopping place at bedtime. The villain is shown mercy.