Kristyn Malanowski-book review 1

McMullan, Kate. Count Down To The Year 1000. New York : Grosset and Dunlap , 1999. Print.

Count Down to the Year 1000 is the eighth book in the Dragon Slayer’s Academy series.  The series, in general, is about a boy named Wiglaf who hails from the town of Pinkwick.   He journeys off to the Dragon Slayer’s Academy with his pet pig Daisy, who can speak Pig-Latin, to learn how to slay dragons and obtain their hoards of gold.   In this book, it is year 999 and according to a mysterious prophecy, the end of the world is coming.   Wiglaf and his friends are all frightened until a boy named Zack, star of the Zack Files, pops out of a book and convinces them that the world is not going to end; for he is from the year 1999.  Count Upsohigh tries to take every one’s gold by saying that he can save the world, but in the end he is revealed for the true type of person he is; a crook. 

            The DSA series is one that I hold near and dear to my heart.  The first book of the series came out in 1997 when I was only seven years old.  DSA was one of the first series that I have ever read.  I remember the first time I read The New Kid at School, and how I re-read it about ten times before I put it down.  Kate McMullan’s books opened up a whole new world for me and really started my interest in reading.  Ever since, I have loved fantasy books.  Reading the DSA books allowed me to feel as though I was back the medieval ages.  I could picture myself side by side with Wiglaf as he fearfully, and accidentally, killed his first dragon.  I still read the books from time to time and would recommend them for any fantasy lover out there.    

            It is hard to say what grade I would classify the DSA books for.  I was only seven when I began to read them, but I was also an advanced reader.  I truly feel that second and third graders could read the DSA books.  Children may need help, though, with the way the characters speak.  Also, some of the names may be a little bit harder to pronounce.  The setting is during the medieval age, and thus there are names like “Sir Mort du Mort, Lady Lobelia, and, my favorite, Professor Prissius Pluck”.  Overall, the books are quite an easy, interesting, and entertaining read. 

            DSA brings up a gender conflict.  During the medieval ages, girls were not off slaying dragons, they were at home sewing something or they were “helpless” princesses.  Dragon Slayer’s Academy is an all-boy’s school.  We find out in the first book that one of Wiglaf’s friends, Eric, is actually Erica.  Erica is actually a princess.  Erica came to DSA because she wanted to learn how to slay dragons.  In order for her to attend DSA, she had to disguise herself as a boy.  Wiglaf is the only person that knows Eric is actually Erica; he found out when they went to slay their first dragon.  If the headmaster were to find out he was a she, Erica would be kicked out of DSA. I have always believed that girls can do anything that guys can do…if not better :).  I feel that this series does a great job of proving my theory.  Yes, Erica may have to hide her identity, but they portray her as one of the smartest characters and the one who truly wants to slay dragons.  In contrast, Wiglaf can read, but he cannot stand the sight of blood.  Basically, Wiglaf, who has only killed two dragons due to pure luck, can attend DSA just because he is a boy, while Erica, who would willingly charge into a dragon’s cave, has to hide her identity just because she is a girl.  My moral for this would be: Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot do something just because you are a girl. 

Prophecy - a prediction of a future event that is believed to reveal the will of a deity.   This book is all about a prophecy stating that the world will end in the year 1000.  The prophecy in the book states

“The year 1000 fast approaches, None will survive except the roaches.  Say hello to Armageddon, For that is where we’re surely headin’-Earthquakes, firestorms, flaming pits, Black plague, brown plagues, gas pains, Zits, How to know the world will end?  Beware these signs, my frightened friend:  When chickens bark and dogs me-ow, When pig-faced calf is born to cow, When fish are kept in golden cages, Then bid farewell to Middle Ages!” (McMullan, 4-5).

 This prophecy brings about mass hysteria.  It sort of reminded me of The Crucible and the Salem Witch Trials.  Just because somebody says the world is going to end, does not mean it will really happen.  But of course, by way of mouth, everyone begins to freak out and say that they heard a dog me-ow and that a pig faced calf was born to a cow.  In reality, no one heard or saw any of this happen.  When something big is going to happen, people start to believe what other people say without seeing it for themselves.  Once something crazy starts to happen, it is hard to stop.  Even with factual evidence that the world was not going to end, some characters still believed in the prophecy.  The point I am trying to make is, when mass hysteria hits, others take advantage of the situation.  In this case, a crooked count wanted to steel every ones gold.  He spread the word that he could stop the world from ending if everyone gave him their gold to melt into a large hippo.  For no reason what so ever, people listened.  They thought a golden hippo would save them all.  HOW REDICULOUS?!?!  In reality, the count was taking advantage of everyone else, knowing nothing was really going to happen.  DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT listen to everything you are told without evidence.  You could end up like the townsfolk of Toenail and get tricked into giving up all of your gold.  Be smart like Wiglaf, take some time, sit back, relax, and process what is going on around you.  Realize that the hippo is made of butter and that the count is stealing all of your gold! This book does a great job of showing you how something so ridiculous can blow up into a big mess in just an instance.  This book makes you stop and think about all of the things you have witnessed growing up and how some of those things were just plain idiotic.  I feel that this story could help children learn to process a situation and make their own judgments about a situation.  Hopefully, they will learn to march to the beat of their own drum, and not someone elses'.