Three Tasks for a Dragon by Eoin Colfer

 When his father dies, Prince Lir is driven from the kingdom when his grasping half-brother sends him on a quest to rescue a peasant girl who has been stolen by a dragon. When he arrives at the dragon lair he finds a broken down and pitiful creature who can no longer fly or breath fire.  As part of his quest Lir must do three tasks for the dragon in order to gain the girl's freedom. As Lir uses his wits to perform each task, he gains the loyalty of the dragon and the affection of the maiden, but his success is short lived. His evil step-brother has more in store for all three of them.

This is a short fairytale novella from the well-known author of the Artemis Fowl series. It honestly sounds like a bedtime story that he made up for his kids and then set down in writing.  It is charming tale of brawns vs brains, and kindness conquering over brutality. It is appropriate for both boys and girls and is full of both action and wit. The reader has a delightful accent and this would be a great choice of something to listen to on a family road-trip. The print version is highly illustrated by rockstar illustrator, J. P Lynch. I am thinking of buying a copy for my grandkids! (115 p. 2023)