Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Exciting saga of magic, martial arts, bike racing continues.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In the wake of the events in Phoenix, teen bike racing ace Ryan Vanderhausen's recovering from his evil uncle's doping efforts but struggling to rid his system of the magical dragon's bone. His fellow bikers Phoenix, Jake, and (visiting from China) Hú Dié, are helping with moral support and lots of riding. His mom decides to help the effort along by sending all four of them to train with her brother, a famous coach who was a noted racer himself till he lost the use of his legs in an accident. But while the kids are improving their form and stamina on the hills of Carmel, bad guys are bent on securing dragon bone for themselves, and won't hesitate to kill to get it. A few bad guys from Book 1 are still in the picture, some new and scary ones are getting into the act. As the action-packed tale continues, the teens witness murders and abductions, are kidnapped themselves, and have adventures in San Francisco's Chinatown.
Is It Any Good?
Author Jeff Stone has achieved much success with his exciting, page-turning epics that draw even reluctant readers into the adventure, and LION follows in that tradition. The characters are appealing, with distinct personalities that get a good chance to develop further in this installment -- as does the creative mix of martial arts, mythology, and bicycle racing.
Parents might want to check whether the book's plentiful, mostly cartoonish violence is too much for their particular kid, but in general, Lion's a well-crafted, compelling tale with many positive lessons about friendship, teamwork, perseverance, and trying to do the right thing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the issue of doping in sports, whether by steroids or dragon bone. Does Lion give you any insight into athletes' struggles with this issue?
Life changes for the teens when a blogger posts a photo of them online. Has this happened to you? How do you deal with the balancing act between passing along cool stuff and respecting people's privacy?
Does the exciting action in Northern California, particularly San Francisco, make you think you might like to visit those places?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Adventure
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Random House
- Publication date : September 24, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 240
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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