The Hero and the Crown
A king's daughter with no magic teaches herself to kill dragons out of an old recipe and sheer stubbornness.
Aerin is the king’s daughter by an unpopular second wife, without the magic her bloodline is supposed to carry, so she teaches herself to kill dragons from an old recipe for fireproof ointment and a horse nobody else wants. McKinley won the Newbery Medal for it in 1985. What has kept it alive is how unheroic the heroism is: mostly it is stubbornness, burns, and a great deal of unglamorous practice.
Recommended by 1 Person
Katherine Arden
This was another younger childhood favourite. I was into it when I was in my early teens, and it was very formative for me. It was my first dragon book, and it was also my first book where the heroine had a sword.
Interview · June 2026
As an Amazon Associate, bookstoread.org earns from qualifying purchases. Links to Amazon on this page may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Spotted an error on this page? Tell us and we will fix it.