Amazon MJ Allaire MJ Allaire Category:  Young Adult/Teen Publisher: AuthorHouse ISBN-10:  1425966802 Type: Fiction Pages: 256 Copyright: Nov 28, 2006 ISBN-13: 9781425966805 It doesn't take long after traveling through the mysterious portal for the children of Uncava to realize they are lost and separated in a strange, new world. With no allies and no map to tell them where they are, what will they do? How will they survive? More importantly, who is watching them? After narrowly escaping the jaws of an angry and arrogant beast, the children find themselves separated and facing difficult challenges in a strange, new world. As they work their way across unfamiliar valleys and treacherous mountains, they encounter more mysteries and strange creatures. Along the way, they also find answers to some of their questions, but these answers only lead to more questions. - Who is ‘Little Draco’, and why is it so important that they find him? - How will they find each other now that their group is separated in an unfamiliar world? - Why did the stones lose their magic? - What mysteries lie behind Dragon’s Blood? - Who or what is being held prisoner in the depths of the Castle Defigo? - What force or forces are drawing the children east? - Lastly and most importantly, who or what else traveled through the portal? As the children of Uncava struggle to unravel these questions, they don’t realize they are slowly working their way towards their destiny, becoming a part of something much bigger than they could have ever imagined.      Click here to read the first two chapters of The Prisoner!       ** If you're a teacher or librarian and would like to order bulk copies at a discounted rate, please contact me at mjallaireATsbcglobalDOTnet!!!  I'll be HAPPY to work something out with you!!! **   Excerpt The monkey surprised them when it suddenly moved back a few branches. As it settled into its new location, it once again held the ring out in its opened palm. As before, the rest of the creatures in the tree fell silent. They watched their leader as it held the ring, still mesmerized by the small piece of jewelry. The monkey with the ring looked at the girls below with a gleam in its beady eyes. “You want this ring back?” it asked teasingly. “Yes!” Diam answered from where she stood once again next to Tonia. The coins she had retrieved were now safe in her pocket. “Please give the ring back to us!” she said in a frustrated voice. The monkey protectively closed its hand over the ring. After a few seconds, it brought the closed hand that held the ring up to its chest in a possessive gesture. “What will you give me for it?” it asked them. The rest of the creatures in the tree remained silent yet fidgety, as though they could sense something in the air. The girls looked at each other as they tried to think of any item in their possession they could use to barter with the monkey. They had no food, except for some bruised, old chickleberries… the gold coins they had retrieved from the dirt beneath the tree were obviously worthless to the creature… and relinquishing their weapons was absolutely not an option. “We have nothing to trade, except for this,” Diam said. She pulled her bag off her back, set it on the ground and began going through it. In a few seconds she withdrew a pia bottle which was half filled with water. She held this out to the monkey. “Bah!” the monkey shouted, obviously unimpressed with her offering. “I have no use for that! “You should go and continue on your way now,” it said disgustedly. With that, the monkey turned slightly to his right. His left side now faced the girls as he looked with pretend interest at an apple that was hanging near his right arm. At the same time, the other monkeys in the tree began to screech and jump wildly on the branches. They carried on this way for several seconds before they finally settled down once again. “What?” Tonia asked, not understanding. “We need the ring. Just give it back to us and we’ll be on our way.” “Ahh, young stranger, but you have nothing which to trade for it,” the monkey gloated before continuing. “I will, however, make you an offer.” The girls listened silently, unable to entertain the idea that they might not get the ring back. “Because you have so generously given me this small item, I will reward you by allowing you to take some of the fruits of my home,” it continued. “You may take whatever apples have fallen to the ground. Once that is done, you may leave without any more trouble from me or my clan.” “We’re not leaving without the ring!” Diam shouted up at the monkey. She gestured towards the creature in a stabbing motion with her sword as she fervently wished one of the boys had given them a bow with some arrows. If they had, Diam knew without a doubt she could take this crazy creature out with one shot! As it was, however, they only had their swords, not to mention the fact that they were very outnumbered.

An Awesome Sequel to Dragon's Blood (amazon.com)
This is the second in the "Denicalis Dragon Chronicle" series. In "The Prisoner", we continue the journey of the children from Uncava, now separated and lost in a strange, new world. We find ourselves captivated as MJ creatively weaves new characters into the story, bringing us further into the realms of her imagination. We wonder about the identity of The Prisoner, locked up against his will in the bottom of the evil castle. Who is he and will he ever have the answers that the castle's evil sorcerer, Nivri, is looking for?

What happens to the amulet? Where is it taken and what happened to its magic?

What happens to the children? Will they ever find each other in this treacherous and mysterious world? More importantly, will they find whatever it is that is drawing them ever eastward?

Who is 'Little Draco' and what role will he have in the rest of the series? What happened to the dragons?

Those of us who read "Dragon's Blood" couldn't wait for the release of "The Prisoner", and now that we have it, we must wait patiently for the release of Book 3 in the series. Only then might we find the answers to our many questions...

MJ Allaire provides us with an opportunity to step away from our busy lives for just a moment, to disengage ourselves from the hustle and bustle that has quickly become the norm in our fast-paced world. No matter how busy our lives may become, we must always make the time to grab a good book and get away from it all...

Better than Expected (barnesandnoble.com)
This book is so descriptive that I feel like I am right there watching the characters make their every move. I can't put it down!

Another Great Book! (barnesandnoble.com)
This book is the 2nd book in the Denicalis Dragon Chronicle series. I loved book one, Dragon's Blood, but this book is even better! The children from book one find themselves lost in a world of dragons and an evil sorcerer, and somehow they have to find each other! This story brings out more characters and explains some of the history of the amulet that they have to find in book one. A special baby dragon is also hatched from an egg. Who is being held prisoner in the Castle Defigo? You'll just have to read it yourself to find out!