Magic and Community in Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott
I’ve been meaning to read the Dragons in a Bag series by Zetta Elliott for awhile and something or the other kept getting in the way. I finally got to listen to the audiobook of Book 1. It kept me company as I began to muddle through the revision of a middle grade fantasy work-in-progress of my own.
Dragons in a Bag (the series is named for the first book) is filled with lots of magic and gentle mayhem (transporter malfunctions, anyone?) for this spooky time of year. But it packs a lot of substance in the process. It’s the story of young Jaxon, who, with his Mama, is about to be kicked out of their Brooklyn apartment.
Mama’s off to save them, as mothers will, but what’s she going to do with Jaxon? He becomes a reluctant hero thrust into an adventure when his mother leaves him with a mean old lady for the day, and she, to pull no punches, turns out to be a witch. This is magic with a delightful and distinctly African American flavor, with sources that reach from Brooklyn all the way to Madagascar, all of it cleverly integrated into an urban neighborhood.
Pedas: Prashant Sahu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Jaxon of course, enlists the help of his friend Vikram, whose little sister Kavita naturally tags along. Vik and his sister are Indian American, a sweet touch of intercultural connections, deftly woven in. Me, I was pleased to find good old Indian pedas folded into the text as snacks for kids and baby dragons alike. With such crumbs to feed readers, who can resist the hatching of dragons? Who can resist these kids?
Elliot creates a loving community as backdrop to the kids’ adventures. Jaxon’s adult allies offer windows into his own life while showing him pathways between reality and the world of magic. Kid and adult secondary characters alike are pleasingly eccentric and unique. The grownups make mistakes, nurture grievances and regrets, and make room for the kids to fully inhabit this story.
Zetta Elliott’s been doing the hard work for years with integrity and commitment, so it’s wonderful to see these books out in the world. Now all I have to do is wrap my mind around the remaining four!
