An eight year old girl meets a friendly dragon while on a beach vacation in England, and he tells her stories about his past as one of the companions of King Arthur.

I first read this book and its sequels, The Dragon's Quest and Dragon in Danger, as a child and am now passing them on to my own children. I can't believe they are out of print - any publishers out there?!

Wonderful,lyrical story spurs the imagination and creates vivid visual images. We read it aloud as a family over a holiday weekend, to the delight of one and all! We loved the dragon's variable personality as well as the fantastic tales and adventures he shares with 8 year old Sue.

Rachel is a young girl residing at Bampfield, a boarding school that regards its students as masculine and embraces independence. Here Rachel hates the Bampfield regime, but finds pleasure in garden not far from the school grounds. Its Oriental theme and beauty captivate her. This is her refuge away from her academia life.

At Bampfield, Rachel is surrounded by friends: the almost-impossible Margaret the needy Bisto. Margaret is the 'rebel' who introduces her to the garden and tells her about a new book, 'The Well of Loneliness,' which is creating quite a stir because of its 'racy' theme.

I won't give away much more, but naive Rachel comes of age in this novel. She learns about the true nature of people, especially when a controversy arises within the book. I enjoyed the language of 'The Chinese Garden' although the real meat of the story comes at the far end. I was waiting patiently throughout the book -- it was definitely worth the wait.

Manning's nearly forgotten novel is among those set in girls' boarding schools. Rachel is a bright student who befriends one of the school's rebels, Margaret. They are surrounded by teachers who dress as men and act with stoney authority. Margaret brings a copy of "The Well of Loneliness" into the school, and eventually gets caught with another girl, thereby implicating Rachel in her activities. Rachel is faced with the hypocrisy of the school's staff and with her own growing sensuality, and ultimately must betray her friend or suffer her fate. What I found most remarkable about the story was Manning's use of complex metaphors paralleling the story of Adam & Eve's ingestion of knowledge. It may be a dated story, but there's still much in which to delight.