TIMOTHY AND THE DRAGON’S GATE
by Adrienne Kress
Weinstein Books
ISBN: 9781602860230
Ages 9-12
368 pages
Teachers cower in his presence, his father has abandoned any sort of punishment, and his mother left town long ago. Timothy Freshwater is so smart that he doesn’t know what to do with himself. A long list of expulsions taints his school record. His latest humiliation leaves him with no more school options, and Timothy is forced to follow his father around at work. The words “stay put” float in and out of Timothy’s ears, and soon he bumps into a most peculiar person in Mr. Shen. Later, Mr. Shen tells Timothy a most fantastic story about a dragon trapped in human shape and forced into servant hood as punishment. Mr. Shen can only assume his true shape by passing beneath the Dragon’s Gate during the 125th year of the dragon.
Timothy soon becomes Mr. Shen’s keeper and pledges to return Mr. Shen to his true form. Timothy doesn’t expect to encounter any difficulty and for once plans on accomplishing something in his disappointing life. How hard can it be, right? Unfortunately, the man in the Beige Suit has different plans. He dispatches his highly skilled --- and punctual --- ninja, Emily, to retrieve the key that holds Mr. Shen in servitude. Add to the mix three ominous black limousines, a less than pleasant plane ride, and a fleet of Chinese pirates, and Timothy finds himself wondering if he’ll always be the failure everyone has destined him to be.
Things would not be complete, of course, without a visit from our hero from Adrienne Kress’s first book, ALEX AND THE IRONIC GENTLEMAN. Just when Timothy is at his lowest point, Alex swoops in and saves the day --- sort of. Timothy isn’t sure what to think of Alex, but faithful readers will know that Alex does not give up easily, and she accompanies Timothy on his adventure. With time running out, Timothy has to accomplish a few small items: find the dragon’s gate (somewhere in China), gamble a little, and locate the missing Mr. Shen.
Kress once again narrates the story in her quirky style that sometimes tries too hard to illicit a smirk from the reader. You can’t fault her, however, for being unique, and while the approach isn’t necessarily fresh, it keeps the story interesting. The rapidly changing scenarios and colorful array of characters are what Kress does best, and TIMOTHY AND THE DRAGON’S GATE is full of them. Younger readers will appreciate the lack of lucidity among some of the adult characters and the continual growth of Timothy and Alex.
It is unclear whether or not Kress has plans to continue the series, but I have a feeling that both Alex and Timothy could pop up again. After all, when you’re only 11 years old and have defeated numerable ruthless pirates, located a long-lost treasure, befriended a dragon, and started believing in yourself, you’re probably ready to handle just about anything.
--- Reviewed by Ben Boche
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