From School Library Journal
Grade 4 UpThe Door in the Dragon's Throat reads like a shortened version of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but the hero succeeds because, in his own words, "we serve a mighty God who is greater than any curse." Dr. Cooper and his children, Jay and Lila, have come to Nepur, in the Middle East, to enter the Dragon's Throat and unlock the door which legend says hides a treasure. Every imaginable disaster befalls theman explosion, a kidnapping, falling boulders, a viper attack, earthquakesbut in spite of numerous setbacks, the expedition succeeds. The writing is full of cliches and inconsistencies: a desert setting, a greedy king and his sly aide, a cavern in the earth where the forces of good and evil are fighting for control, an archaeologist who brandishes a gun as readily as he prays to God. The dialogue is stilted, and the vocabulary is too difficult for young readers who might overlook the poor characterization and heavily imposed theme of Christian belief. Far better fantasy adventures are Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising (Atheneum, 1973), Nancy Bond's Country of Broken Stone (Atheneum, 1980) and Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword (Greenwillow, 1982). Constance Allen, Tabor Academy, Marion, Mass.Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Card catalog description
An American archeologist and his two children seek God's protection and guidance as they journey to the Near East in search of a buried biblical treasure which local residents believe is cursed.

ANNOTATION

An American archeologist and his two children seek God's protection and guidance as they journey to the Near East in search of a buried biblical treasure which local residents believe is cursed.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Jay and Lila Cooper have been on adventures with their archaeologist father before, but nothing like this! Will they be able to overcome whatever force lurks behind the Door in the Dragon's Throat?

FROM THE CRITICS

School Library Journal