Illustrated by Loretta Schauer.

Published by Welbeck Children’s, 2022.

Luma and the Pet Dragon is the first book in a delightful new series by début author Leah Mohammed. On the day of her seventh birthday, Luma finds a baby dragon in the garden. And what’s more, Timir is a magical talking dragon! He’s not quite the female puppy Luma had hoped for for her birthday, but she soon discovers that the dragon transforms into an ordinary grey puppy with a fluffy tail whenever anybody else is around.

Timir might be a dragon but he’s just as mischievous as any puppy – chasing squirrels, bouncing on trampolines and shredding Luma’s teddy collection. Luma must earn Timir’s trust and convince her mom to let her keep him. There’s also the small issue of puppy/dragon training – no mean feat!

The book is perfect for newly confident readers: short chapters, two stories in one and lots of entertaining illustrations. Timir is irresistibly cute and his escapades are endearingly funny.

Children will love Luma and Timir and will be keen to see what they get up to next. They won’t have too long to wait; book two in the series, Luma and the Hiccupping Dragon is published on 4 August 2022.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 6+

Thank you to Welbeck Children’s for sending me this book to review. I reviewed it as part of the Luma and the Pet Dragon blog tour where Leah shared her top tips for new puppy owners. Read them here.

Sam’s verdict (age 6): I think it’s really clever how the dragon can turn into a dog. I like Luma and I think Timir is cute. I like the pink, orange, yellow, green and white love hearts on his body but I was sad when he ripped up the monkey toy because I have a toy monkey and he’s my favourite. 💖🧡💛💚🤍