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    Timothy and the Dragon's Gate
    Timothy and the Dragon's Gate
    Timothy and the Dragon's Gate
    Audiobook9 hours

    Timothy and the Dragon's Gate

    Written by Adrienne Kress

    Narrated by Christopher Lane

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Timothy Freshwater’s father can’t control him, his mother is always out of town, and now the boy too smart for his own good has been expelled from the last school in the city. After he meets Mr. Shen, a mysterious Chinese mailroom clerk at his father’s office, Timothy winds up in more trouble than he has ever gotten himself into.

    It turns out the diminutive Mr. Shen is a dragon. Forced to take human shape for a thousand years, Mr. Shen cannot resume his true form until he scales an ancient Dragon’s Gate during a festival for the 125th year of the dragon. Now Timothy finds himself Mr. Shen’s latest keeper: stalked by a ninja, and chased by a menacing trio of black taxicabs. And when Mr. Shen falls into the wrong hands, Timothy must rescue the dragon from a fleet of Chinese pirate junks. All hope seems lost until a strange-looking black brig with red sails called the Ironic Gentleman appears on the horizon. Relying on his own ingenuity and an annoying new ally, a girl called Alex, Timothy must take on the fleet and its evil commander, the Man in the Beige Linen Suit. Told in Adrienne Kress’s distinctive, sparkling prose, Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate is a humorous and astounding story about a boy who ultimately uncovers his own ability to love and opens his heart to the world around him.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJan 13, 2009
    ISBN9781423347699
    Timothy and the Dragon's Gate
    Author

    Adrienne Kress

    Adrienne Kress is a graduate of the University of Toronto and has studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. Her work has been performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, among other venues in Canada and the UK. Following in her family tradition, Adrienne has also been a drama teacher, focusing on eight-to-twelve year olds.

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    Reviews for Timothy and the Dragon's Gate

    4/5

    44 ratings14 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Such fun adventure book love the introduction to eastern dragons!! I wish there was a book 3
    • 5/5
      Timothy Freshwater is a smart, cynical eleven year old who is almost too smart for his own good. After being expelled from the last school in town that would accept him, Timothy’s father brings him to work where Timothy meets the big boss, CEO Evans Bore and the company mail clerk, Mr. Shen. When timothy’s father leaves on a business trip, Timothy is left with a reclusive neighbour, Sir Bazalgette, a well-respected and famous architect. These three people, Evans Bore, Mr. Shen and Sir Bazalgette, then lead Timothy on the wildest, most unexpected adventure of his young life.I read this book in three days and enjoyed every minute. It has all the ingredients of a rollicking good fantasy adventure story filled with bigger than life people, heroic heroes, colourful villains and non-stop action. The story flows from one madcap adventure into another as Timothy and his friends get out of one scrape only to land in another.I’m happy to report that Timothy is not your typical ‘good boy’ character. I think that would be too boring. As mentioned before, he has a cynical side to him and his favourite word to any adult that tries to be condescending is ‘whatever’. There is plenty to like about his character, though, and that makes this story special.Though Timothy and The Dragon’s Gate is a YA novel, adults can enjoy it as well. As a matter of fact, this book is littered with all sorts of clever and unexpected bits of humour that would appeal to many adults. From page 225:Captain Magnanimous smiled and they all followed him down into the hold of the Valiant, where, in this case, the cells were completely filled with cutthroat pirates. “And little old ladies?” whispered Timothy to Alex. “Don’t get me started on them,” replied Alex, glaring at a group of five little old ladies in a separate cage who, in turn, glared right back at her.This is a great ‘can’t put it down’ book for kids. And for those adults who loved the Harry Potter books – you'll love this one too!
    • 3/5
      I thought I would enjoy the "boy on an adventure" aspect, but I am not a fan of "magical" books, so it was hard to keep my attention on the story of a boy babysitting a dragon and bringing it back to China. I do recommend it to library patrons - especially boys who have been dinosaur fans.
    • 4/5
      Essentially a continuation of Kress's first book, Alex and the Extraordinary Gentleman. Written in the same style, with a new set of wild and crazy characters, Timothy has his own adventure and ultimately meets up with our heroine from book 1, Alex. A fun ride!
    • 5/5
      For my fourth Canadian author I chose Adrienne Kress, who, amusingly enough, turns out to be an old school friends-fiance's-cousin. Apparently, contrary to popular belief, the world is so small I may just fall off the edge one of these days. Oddly I had trouble getting a hold of her first book, Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, but it didn't appear they were related so I grabbed the first copy of Timothy and the Dragon's Gate I could find and got down to reading. And what an entertaining few days it has been! Adrienne has this wonderfully funny, tongue and cheek way of writing, that not only completely suits her intended audience but was thoroughly entertaining for me as well, and clearly I am not 11. Though maybe not that clearly as you can't actually see me.Timothy is a troublemaker. He's been expelled from every school in the city, so his dad takes him to work with him (at a total loss what to do with him other than that); where one thing leads to another and pretty soon he's embroiled in the biggest bit of trouble he's ever managed. Mr Shen is a dragon, trapped in a man's body, who's a slave to whomever has possession of his key. The plan is to get Mr Shen to China, to the Dragon's Gate where they can release him from his bondage after all these years but with Pirates, Ninjas, Shaolin Monks, some crazy black cabs, a Teacher and his Parents in the way, it could be somewhat tricky. Turns out this book was linked up to Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, but it was easily read independently so no worries if you too have trouble getting your hands on it first. As I mentioned, Adrienne's brand of humor is really enjoyable, a mix of the staccato laughs an 11 year old would love mixed with a certain amount of the world weariness only an adult writer would be able to provide. Although most 11 year olds might not realize it yet, the practicalities of getting a job as a Ninja after finishing Ninja school can be challenging, and the little blurb Adrienne casually throws in about that particular problem had me laughing out loud. What I also really loved was how this didn't stop Adrienne's particular Ninja, she still went on to a professional living. I'm a big fan of leaving practicalities until such a point in life they can't be avoided, if you want to be a Ninja when you grow up, then by all means you should do it (I might still do it, as long as I don't discover I'm a really rich faeire princess first).A super read that makes me wish I had someone little to read it out loud with (not my own of course, just a cute borrowed one off the street. The non-lippy version I can give away when they get too demanding or exhausting.)
    • 5/5
      Timothy Freshwater is a smart, cynical eleven year old who is almost too smart for his own good. After being expelled from the last school in town that would accept him, Timothy’s father brings him to work where Timothy meets the big boss, CEO Evans Bore and the company mail clerk, Mr. Shen. When timothy’s father leaves on a business trip, Timothy is left with a reclusive neighbour, Sir Bazalgette, a well-respected and famous architect. These three people, Evans Bore, Mr. Shen and Sir Bazalgette, then lead Timothy on the wildest, most unexpected adventure of his young life.I read this book in three days and enjoyed every minute. It has all the ingredients of a rollicking good fantasy adventure story filled with bigger than life people, heroic heroes, colourful villains and non-stop action. The story flows from one madcap adventure into another as Timothy and his friends get out of one scrape only to land in another.I’m happy to report that Timothy is not your typical ‘good boy’ character. I think that would be too boring. As mentioned before, he has a cynical side to him and his favourite word to any adult that tries to be condescending is ‘whatever’. There is plenty to like about his character, though, and that makes this story special.Though Timothy and The Dragon’s Gate is a YA novel, adults can enjoy it as well. As a matter of fact, this book is littered with all sorts of clever and unexpected bits of humour that would appeal to many adults. From page 225:Captain Magnanimous smiled and they all followed him down into the hold of the Valiant, where, in this case, the cells were completely filled with cutthroat pirates. “And little old ladies?” whispered Timothy to Alex. “Don’t get me started on them,” replied Alex, glaring at a group of five little old ladies in a separate cage who, in turn, glared right back at her.This is a great ‘can’t put it down’ book for kids. And for those adults who loved the Harry Potter books – you'll love this one too!
    • 4/5
      This simplistic young-adult novel was really quite fun. It mostly seemed like an adventure novel, with the main character, Timothy, as the too-smart-for-his-own-good kid who gets expelled from all the schools in his city in the first chapter. Hilarity ensues. Really, there were a lot of times that I just wanted to smack the kid. I'm not sure if the author intended for there to be serious irony every time the main character expressed his annoyance with another character, but I did start to feel like he was a spoiled brat by the end of it.I had not read the first book in the series, although I understand them to be complete stories in and of themselves. (This one certainly ends, as opposed to leaving us at a cliff hanger, which is a plus.) Overall, a rather enjoyable "young adult" novel, but nothing terribly important or urgent.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book quite a bit more than I thought I would. I think I even liked it better than the first, "Alex and the Ironic Gentleman" This book is fast moving, smart, and funny. Timothy is a little annoying at times, but then again, I guess he is supposed to be. Fun little story that is a quick read for adults, and would be fun to read to a tween.
    • 4/5
      About three-quarters of the way through this book, I felt like the author had introduced too many characters. By the time I hit the last quarter of the book, I had the feeling that the author was hastily tying up all the ends. Overall, though, I found the plot entertaining and the writing style felt (for lack of a better word) friendly.
    • 4/5
      I have to admit that Timothy was not the most likable character at first, but he did grow on me over time (as he grew up in his own special stubborn fashion). The author's style... now that I did like a lot. Plus... Pirates! Dragons! Magic Portals with a Deadline of Doom! Time to ILL Alex and the Iron Gentlemen, as Alex seems far more fascinating than Timothy.
    • 3/5
      I can't make up my mind about whether or not I like this book. On one hand, it was funny, had interesting characters, and crazy events, and there were a couple of good plot twists. On the other hand, I really didn't like the main character until near the end of the book, the "plot" was kind of hodge-podge, and it took me a few chapters to 'get' the humor of the book. During the first few chapters, I kept thinking, wow, this is so dumb, I can't believe it - and then I realized that that was the -point-, after which it became much more enjoyable.This book reminded me of the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, but more of an adventure and not quite as dark. I would NOT compare it to Harry Potter, they have a totally different feel to them. The Harry Potter books take themselves seriously, while Timothy and the Dragon's Gate does not.If you are thinking of reading this book, make sure you read Alex and the Ironic Gentleman first. The book relies on you knowing half the characters in the last half of the book, as well as spoiling the plot of the first one thoroughly. This isn't bad, unless you don't read them in the right order.Favorite characters: the Canadian Ninja, The Dragon!, and the Famous Architect Next Door.
    • 5/5
      LT early reviewerI've not read this yet, but my one of my kids has, so now I get a chance. In the meantime, here's my 12-year old's review:"Overall, I liked this book because it had a lot of action, there was a lot of description, and the plot was amazing. This book is one of my favorites and definitely one of a kind. Once I started it I couldn't put it down! I think that you should read this book if you like adventure and science fiction. It is now my favorite book! Compared to the Harry Potter books, this one has the same amount of action, if not more, but a different setting and character personalities. I love the Harry Potter series, but this one I love just as much!"
    • 4/5
      I had a really difficult time getting into this book. I didn't find the characters particularly likeable. I passed the book on to one of my students who is an avid reader and he loved it. If he were the one rating this book, I’m sure he would give it 5 stars. I would give it 3 stars, so I’ll average our scores and give it a 4.
    • 4/5
      I received this book for LibraryThing's Early Reviewers. I read the "first" book, Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, in preparation. I was impressed when the publisher sent an actually hardback copy of the book. However, this story didn't grab me as fast as 'Alex' did. For me, it took a while to get into. I think perhaps tween and maybe teen readers would get into this a little faster. I enjoyed the Lemony Snicket books as an adult reader , and I could see kids that are into those books getting into 'Timothy' and 'Alex'. However, somtimes I get the feeling we, the readers, are just able to skim the surface. For instance, all we learn about Timothy in the beginning of the book is that he has been kicked out of every school in the city and he says "whatever" all time. I think, personally, I wanted more of a backstory earlier on. I was asking right away, "Why should I care about Timothy?"