Dragons for the Mid-Summer Heat
Olsen, Quenby. Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons.
Olsen, Quenby. Miss Percy’s Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons.
Osen, Quenby. Miss Percy’s Definitive Guide to the Restoration of Dragons.
I have become an audiobook addict. I love listening to cozy mystery, cozy fantasy, and children’s books in the car. Most cozy mysteries and fantasies are appropriate for children’s ears, even if it’s not something they are going to care a lot about, making them perfect for parents who are driving kids to and from activities or going on a road trip.
If you love dragons and proper English ladies, I highly recommend the Miss Percy’s Guide series. Miss Mildred Percy lives with her younger sister Diana and her family, including her nieces and nephew, Belinda, Nettie and Matthew. She is considered very old at 40 (making me, at almost 52, feel positively ancient). Her sister makes sure to point out all of the “comfort” she has given Mildred (although Mildred has helped raise her children, so she didn’t have to hire a nursemaid, nanny, tutor, or governess). When Mildred receives a letter saying that her great-uncle has left her something in his will, she is immediately told by her sister that “they” are hoping for enough money to help launch Belinda with a nice dowry. Since when should Mildred’s inheritance, whatever it may be, belong to the family instead of her?
The inheritance comes one night when the family is out – a large trunk full of rocks, geodes, and other archeological treasures, as well as her uncle’s research papers. Mildred unloads it all into her room and drags the trunk to one of the outbuildings. The local vicar, Mr. Wiggan, happens to walk by and assists her. After they discuss what came in the trunk, he suggests that she bring some of the items to him, and he’ll help her research. Since this request was sincere and not at all attempting to steal her inheritance, she takes him up on the offer. One of the items, which she thought was a geode, turns out to be an egg. The egg hatches, and it is, well, a bronze reptile, with wings, and smoke that occasionally comes out of its nostrils. But naming it a dragon? That’s not something Mildred or Claude Wiggan are quite ready to do.
But they do name the creature Fitz (short for Fitzwilliam), and shortly he has charmed Mildred, Nettie, Matthew, Mr. Wiggan, and Mr. Wiggan’s housekeeper. Unfortunately, there’s someone else who thought he ought to have inherited the dragon egg. Mr. Hawthorne arrives in Upper Plimpton, and he isn’t going to take no for an answer about “his” inheritance.
The story continues through three books, adding more locales (and dragons) to the mix. They are an absolute joy to listen to. The narrator is perfect – a lovely English accent plus perfect comic timing for all of the funny lines she gets to say!
What I love is watching/listening to Mildred become emboldened to dream again after many years of “just” being Aunt Mildred. So many women feel this way, whether they are mothers, aunts, or the unacknowledged presence at work or at home that makes sure things get done each day. Several times in the series, Mildred thinks, maybe I should go back to Upper Plimpton and live in my sister’s spare bedroom and have a predictable but boring life, but every time, she realizes that she’s grown too much for that life to ever fit comfortably again.
So get a cup of tea, some nice biscuits or cake, and listen to the Miss Percy novels. I hope you will be just as charmed as I was!
Mary Beth A. is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries.