Avis and the Call of the Kraken by Heather McQuillan. Pub. Cuba Press, 2024.

This very good fantasy novel about dragons and the mythical undersea beast the kraken is a sequel to Avis and the promise of dragons.

In the previous book Avis became the nursemaid for two dragons owned by the far out Malinda Childe. The two dragons named Humber and Princess have grown and want to stretch their wings and Malinda decides they need somewhere safe to stay where they will not be found by humans.

Avis and Malinda stay in contact with the dragons by means of a dragon teardrop which they wear around their necks like a cell phone. When that communication is hacked by something else they start to worry what it is.

Out at sea is a drilling platform and when Avis is flying undetected over the sea she sees a disturbance under the sea which she also detects is the force hacking her communication with the dragons.

While flying over the sea Avis finds an island that is suitable for Humbert and Princess to live but the mysterious force is going to have an effect on this. It is a Kraken called Mother and she is disturbed at the mess the drilling rig is making on her environment.

Also introduced are two new characters Mr Papalu and a young aspiring journalist called Lulu. They discover the secret of the dragons but will it remain a secret and what will happen when the dragons eat chocolate bars especially the chilli chocolate bar.

a fun story with a serious aspect to it. Well written and cleverly paced with a very good role model in Avis.