Eragon

Bibliographic Information
Title: Eragon
Author: Christopher Paolini
Type of Media: text
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Copyright Date: June 25, 2003
ISBN: 978-0375826689
Genre: Fantasy
Curriculum Ties: Young writers
Reading Level: Lexile 710
Interest Age: 11-18






Plot Summary
Eragon is a farm boy who lives with his uncle and cousin in the land of Alagaesia after his mother abandoned him as a boy and no one knows who was his father. He lives a simple life when he comes across a dragon egg while hunting. Once the egg hatches he is suddenly taking care of a young dragon named Saphira who he has bonded to as her dragon rider. This sets off a chain of events which will drive him from his home into unknown lands and terrible danger. He soon realizes that the fate of Alagaesia is in his hands as he is possibly the last dragon rider who can stand up to the King and his dragon. At the age of fifteen Eragon finds himself making decisions that will affect the whole land.

Critical Evaluation
One of the most amazing things about this book is the fact that Paolini was a teenager himself when he wrote and had this story published but you would never know it based on the intriguing and adventurous fast-paced plotline that he has put together. The world that he has built is one of mystery and magic with dwarfs, elves, shades, dragons, and humans all living side by side although not peacefully since the time of the dragon riders. This book has it all to be included with the best of high fantasy.

Reader's Annotation
Once you read this book you will no longer wait for a Hogwarts letter but instead will search for your dragon's egg.

Author Biography

Christopher Paolini was born on November 17, 1983 in Southern California. He has lived most of his life in Paradise Valley, Montana with his parents and younger sister, Angela. As a child, he often wrote short stories and poems, made frequent trips to the library, and read widely. The idea of Eragon began as the daydreams of a teen. Christopher's love for the magic of stories led him to craft a novel that he would enjoy reading. The project began as a hobby, a personal challenge; he never intended it to be published. All the characters in Eragon are from Christopher's imagination except Angela the herbalist, who is loosely based on his sister. Christopher was fifteen when he wrote the first draft of Eragon. He took a second year to revise the book and then gave it to his parents to read. The family decided to self-publish the book and spent a third year preparing the manuscript for publication: copyediting, proofreading, designing a cover, typesetting the manuscript, and creating marketing materials. During this time Christopher drew the map for Eragon, as well as the dragon eye for the book cover (that now appears inside the Knopf hardcover edition). The manuscript was sent to press and the first books arrived in November 2001. The Paolini family spent the next year promoting the book at libraries, bookstores, and schools in 2002 and early 2003. In summer 2002, author Carl Hiaasen, whose stepson read a copy of the self-published book while on vacation in Montana, brought Eragon to the attention of his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, which is part of Random House. Knopf published Eragon in August 2003. Eldest, which continues the adventures of Eragon and the dragon Saphira was published in August 2005, and in December 2006, Fox 2000 released their movie adaptation of Eragon in theaters around the world.

Christopher Paolini. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Christopher-Paolini/e/B001IGLLNK/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Book Talk Ideas

• Dragons
• Following your dreams

Possible Challenges

•  Violence

Defense File

Have the library's selection policy and the Library Bill of Rights ready to hand out

Access to honest reviews from trusted sources

Know the awards, if any, the book has earned

Understand the material so you can explain the use of the book as a good talking point for serious and sensitive issues

A lot of times people just want their concerns heard, so make sure you listen

If they are still persistent be able to offer them a reconsideration form

 
Reason for Inclusion
This book is so well written that any fantasy reader will love slipping into the world of Alagaesia but to make it even more of a must read is the fact that the author was only 15 when he wrote the first draft. This book could be a great inspiration to many teenagers. It also won the Book Sense of the Year Award for Children's Literature.