Coming-of-Age, anti-bully story for children ages 8+
All Niall wants is to stay out of trouble at his new school, but Thorin, the school bully, has other ideas. When Niall comes home sporting bruises and asking for money, his grandfather’s suspicions grow, but Niall won’t open up about his troubles. To gain Niall’s trust, his grandfather recruits him to help care for Grayson, a newborn, wingless dragonet—himself a victim of cruelty and prejudice. Niall bonds with the dragonet and swears his allegiance to the Tuatha dragon clan. Now he must keep the dragon clan a secret, especially from the school bully.
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Praise for Reluctant Paladin
“Compelling characters in an imaginative setting with lots of excitement and adventure. I loved every page!”—Penny Warner, author of THE CODE BUSTERS CLUB series.
“I’ve always thought Sophocles’s play “Oedipus Rex” was the best mystery ever written. It has drama, of course, and a tightly-crafted plot that is mesmerizing, breath-taking. But in thinking about the play, I find that the plot isn’t so much an ingenious jigsaw puzzle as it is a story that grows out of the play’s characters — Oedipus, Jocasta and all of the characters involved in Sophocles’s tragedy. One of the things I enjoyed most about the story in Jordan Bernal’s “Reluctant Paladin” is that it develops from the story’s characters, the young boys Niall and Thorin, Niall’s grandfather, and Grayson, a young dragon wise beyond its years. The story has drama/conflict, and although I wish a full conclusion of the dragon-slayer mystery had been contained in the novel — the conclusion is found in another of Bernal’s works — the major conflicts in “Reluctant Paladin” are resolved to the reader’s satisfaction. It’s a good story, and it’s a story that grows from the wonderful, memorable characters Bernal has created.” — Don Walters “Red” on Amazon
“Beautifully written story of the trials of a young boy Niall and his struggles to confront Thorin a bully. When forced to work through his own fears, Niall learns the meaning of compassion and trust while finding the inner strength to protect the dragon that chose him to protect and an age-old secret.” — Sally L. Kimball on Amazon
“I bought this book for my grandaughter’s 10th birthday. She is an ardent Harry Potter fan so I was hoping this would fit into her love of fantasy while giving her some education about dealing with bullying. I need not have worried about her acceptance of the book. She read it in record time and was bright eyed and smiling. She is eagerly awaiting “the next book in the series”. I believe she thinks that all books are a part of a series, just like the Harry Potter books. Maybe not a bad idea. How about it Ms. Bernal?” — Gary S. Lea on Amazon
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