Danny's Dragon

Ten-year-old Danny Branahan refuses to believe news that would tear his world apart: news that his best friend, his dad, isn't coming home from Iraq, not now, not ever. Blaming himself and his horse, Dragon, for his father's demise, Danny rides on the back of his magical dragon to the war-torn desert far away, hoping to find his father and bring him home. Told through Danny's eyes, this timely book tells the story of a Montana ranching family surviving a casualty of war. Danny's vivid imagination intesifies his grief as it carries him through its stages to finally accept his father's death. It also gives him compassion and empathy for all of the many victims of the violence of war. By reaching out to his animals and learning to make new friends, Danny is able to reconnect with his family- and himself. Middle-grade adult readers will relate to Danny's journey through grief, guilt, and changing lifestyle.