Kids’ Book Club Pick: City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm, by Jaimal Yogis and Vivian Truong
The Children’s Book Review
Watch this space through the month of July for fun ways to enjoy this book. We’ll be adding new tips each Friday. Be sure to enter the giveaway, too!

City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm
Written by Jaimal Yogis
Illustrated by Vivian Truong
Ages 8+ | 240 Pages
Publisher: Graphix | ISBN-13: 978-1338660432
Buy the Book
Week One: Getting Started
Hi, Friend—
Thanks so much for joining us to read City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm by Jaimal Yogis and Vivian Truong!
The best way to get started is by ordering a copy of the book, picking one up at your local bookstore, or checking out a copy from the library.
If you decide you want to invite some friends to read along with you, check out Lizzie Mussoline, M. Ed.’s excellent tips for getting started with a book club of your own.
Once you have your copy of the book, read along at your own pace. If you have any questions for the author or illustrator, you can leave them in the comments of this page or record a voice message here, and we might just be able to get them answered for you.
Week Two: Book Club Fun
You Get to be a Word Wizard
Hopefully you’ve had time to order yourself a copy of the book and even read a few pages. Here’s our fun tip for finding extra joy in your reading experience. You get to be a Word Wizard!
What’s a Word Wizard?
First of all, no capes, tall hats, or wands are required—although we love this vibe if you feel the urge to dress up.
Being a Word Wizard is as simple as this: As you’re reading, if you come across a word that you love or don’t know, write it down in a journal (or any piece of paper will do). You can look up its meaning and write that down. Or you can write what you like about the word and how it makes you feel. Consider your pen, markers, or pencil your magic wizard wand and you’re off. You could even make a drawing that represents your selected word.
If you plan to hold a book club meeting with your friends (A.K.A. fellow Word Wizards) this week, come prepared to share one word with them.


If you’re looking for an inexpensive journal, try Target and look in their bargain bins. The journals featured in these images came as a pack of six for around $11 at Target. We’re also huge fans of the Write Now journals from Compendium.
Week Three: Book Club Fun
You Get to be Creative
By now, you’ve had the chance to do some reading and you’re ready to immerse yourself in the world of this book. You can do this by planning an activity like an arts or crafts project that has something to do with The City of Dragons.
Need Some Book Activity Inspiration?
Try one of these:
- Recreate illustrations for the book in your unique artistic style. You could use crayons, pencils, markers, or even make a collage.
- Write a song about the story or one of your favorite characters. You could even make up a dance to go with it. You could keep it for yourself or perform it for your friends and family.
- Talking about performance, you and your friends could reenact a favorite scene.
- Design and build a diorama inspired by the words and pictures of the story.
- If you loved being a Word Wizard last week, take one of your new favorite words and paint it on a rock to place in your garden or neighborhood.
- Make a paper mache dragon egg.
- Bake some cookies and decorate them like water dragons or dragon eggs.
If you have some more ideas, share them in the comments on this page. For more creative inspiration, check out our article, The Book-Themed Activities You Need to Do with Your Kids Now.
Now go and get wild with your creativity! We foresee some blue sparkly dragon eggs in your future.
Week Four: Book Club Fun
It’s Snack Time!
Choose a snack – can you link it to the book? You get to make a snack that ties into the story.
Have you been hosting or joining a book club meeting? If so, coordinate with the other members to all bring a different snack. To help make this even easier, make it a “potluck” book club for snacks.
Need Some Snack Ideas?
These are some ideas we’ve pulled from the story and artwork:
- If you didn’t bake cookies shaped like dragon eggs last week, now’s your chance.
- Jam on toast and muffins.
- Sushi.
- Burger and fries.
- Pizza.
- Dumplings. Definitely dumplings!
- Ice cream sundaes. Oh, yeah!
- Popcorn (and a movie!).
Jaimal Yogis and Vivian Truong Answer Questions
Jaimal Yogis and Vivian Truong have answered your amazing questions on The Growing Readers Podcast! Listen here or search for the podcast on your favorite listening platform.
Giveaway
Secret Code: City of DragonsHow to Enter
- Fill out the required fields in the form above. It may take a moment to load.
- You can also gain daily bonus entries.
- The giveaway begins July 1, 2022, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends July 31, 2022, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
- The giveaway is only open to legal residents of Canada and the United States and is void where prohibited by law.
- Full Terms & Conditions above.
Thanks for coming along this month for our first-ever kids’ book club pick: City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm, by Jaimal Yogis and Vivian Truong!
8 Comments
For the author, do you plan on writing more books with this same character?
The answer is a wonderful YES! There is a second book coming soon.
I’ve been leaving my author questions in the widget—was that a mistake?
That’s perfect! Thank you!
It says I have to login to see the story. I don’t have social media.
Hi— It’s a public page so you won’t need to log in. Good luck!
“Log in to view this story”
What is your favorite mystical color to use when you draw magic?