I am super  excited for this meeting of the DMS Files Character Book Club! In attendance today are Sam of The Sign of the Green Dragon, by C. Lee McKenzie, interviewed by Joshua from Joshua and the Arrow Realm. 

In The Sign of the Green Dragon we have … Three plucky sleuths. A crumbling skeleton. A buried treasure.

After six months in a new school, Sam’s finally fitting in. He’s the one kid with enough talent to hit the winning home run and bring the baseball trophy back to Haggarty Elementary. But Sam’s guardian is shipping him off to boarding school before that can happen.

When his teammates, Joey and Roger, hear his bad news, they plot to hide him until the big game. Their secret cave is a perfect place until an earthquake shatters a wall and reveals a wooden chest with a red-eyed dragon carved into its top. Inside, a crumbling skeleton clutches a map with a cryptic note, promising treasure if the finder reveals the truth about an old murder and returns the remains of the victim to China.

Is the note a hoax? Maybe. But what does Sam have to lose? With Joey and Roger, he sets off to track down the clues and hopefully discover treasure. When finally some puzzle pieces start to make sense, they become lost in a labyrinth of underground tunnels, trapped by dangerous thieves and sealed inside an airless tomb.

My Review:
The Sign of the Green Dragon is an intriguing high-stakes plot brimming with dark secrets, unsolved murders, and mystical dragons in a race against a ticking clock. A compelling combination of criminal underworld and ancient lore, readers will enjoy hunting for treasure at their own peril with this resourceful group of young detectives. Magic, mystery, and mayhem reign in this tale of friendship and adventure that will leave you guessing until the end – and hope for more adventures to come!

As one reader says, this book, “has more twists than a dragon’s tail.” I can’t wait to find out what Sam thinks about his recent adventure! So, without further ado, let the meeting commence…

Character Book Club with Sam and Joshua!

Joshua: Were you totally scared to run away from home? (I’ve run away myself so know the feeling!)

Sam: I know about what happened to you, Joshua. Sorry, man. But, yeah. I guess I was a little scared. Still it was kind of exciting.

Joshua: Your friends seem like good friends. They stick by you through all the bad stuff. What was the worst part of your adventure that made you glad they were here?

Sam: Well, you know that tomb thing really was bad. Joey was a big help getting us out of there with his so-so Chinese. And Roger, well, he helped out a lot in Sadie’s museum. He figured out where to look for the dragon files.

Joshua: You had some super cool spooky experiences! What was it like to experience those weird things? If you didn’t believe in dragons and magic and stuff before, I bet you do now!

Sam: I’m nodding, Joshua. At first, I was creeped out, but then I met them and those dragons are something. I mean they fly! And fast. Maybe not fast like the lightning road, but close.

Joshua:  Was there a point in your adventure that you didn’t think you’d antibiotics ever make it out okay? (I’ve had tons of these too so can totally relate!)

Sam: Right. Like that time you got caught by that tree! I was worried. Real worried. Oh, but about me and the guys. I didn’t think we were getting out of that warehouse. That’s for sure. And then that tomb. . .in the dark. . .no air. That had me tense.

Joshua: What is it like to not have a mother or father and be raised by an uncle? Do you think you and your uncle could be friends now after all you’ve been through? I’m an only child too without parents. (Hey, we have a lot in common and should hang out sometime!)

Sam: I’m still not used to Mom and Dad being gone, but Carmela helps and Uncle Jasper’s kind of different these days. Carmela’s changed things. Hey! I got a room of my own in the house now! Seriously. Come over and see. Maybe do a sleepover. Uncle Jasper’s even letting me ride some of his horses. Neat, right?

Joshua: You met a lot of nasty – and nice – people in your adventure. Who was the scariest and who was the nicest, and why?

Sam: That creep, Hanson, was a lot nasty, but Sadie Green downright scared me to death. No way do I want to meet up with her again. But Li Kwan was a really nice guy. I miss him. And Jen, too. But I might get to see him next summer.

Joshua: If you knew ahead of time of all the crazy things you’d come across on your quest to solve the mystery of the green dragon (dark secrets, magic, and murder, yikes!), would you still have run away in the first place?

Sam: Tapping finger and thinking here, Joshua. . . Yes. Definitely. I mean I wouldn’t have ever met Jen. I wouldn’t have seen that “house” he lives in or gotten to  meet up with Mei Ling’s . . . I guess you’d say, her ghost?

Joshua: Knowing what you know now, would you have done anything differently with your friends along the way? Is there anything special you would have grabbed before you left to take with you?

Sam: Well, I packed my dad’s Swiss army knife and that helped me out a lot. Some more food would have been good. We all got kind of hungry until Jen started feeding us.

Joshua: I totally don’t think that this is your only treasure hunt adventure! Are you up for another adventure or ready for a break to just hang with your friends and play baseball?  ?

Sam: Well, you see, I’ve got this map that Mr. Lung left and it’s kind of mysterious, and it kind of says that I could help out this person. Still, I’m getting really primed to bring in more winning runs. It’s a huge toss up. And then there’s Joey and Roger to think about. Guess I have to see how things go.

Hey, Sam, thanks for coming on Character Book Club with me!

                 C. Lee McKenzie

Meet Sam’s author C. Lee McKenzie!