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Dragons in the Barn Book Tour

Cover Blurb

Lola is the smartest eight-year-old she herself has ever met. With her sharp mind, she approaches every situation logically and analyses the facts before making any decisions. Sometimes, she gets upset because some of the other kids make fun of her for being smart. Obviously, they’re just jealous. But it still hurts. Because Lola is so smart, she often finds it difficult to bond with children her own age as she finds it difficult to engage in creative play. When Nana asks Lola and her siblings to tidy up the barn, they soon find themselves cornered by three ferocious dragons. While Lola ́s siblings quickly slip into this imaginary world and attempt to outsmart the dragons, Lola struggles to immerse herself in the game. Will she find a way to overcome her reluctance and join this amazing make-believe world? After all, there are dragons to tame! This book bursts with fun ideas for imaginative play while encouraging a responsible approach to screen time. A great read to encourage children to strive for a growth mindset!

Other Titles By the Author

Ennes Higgins

Author Bio

I grew up in rural Germany and spent my adult life living in the UK, the Netherlands, the US, France and Saudi Arabia. I have a degree in International Management and in my previous life I worked as HR and Talent Manager in large international corporations. After I left the corporate world, I spent more than 5 years in the Saudi Arabia, where I worked as a violin teacher. During this time, I reconnected with my creative soul – I started painting, writing, and playing lots of music. I now live in Berlin, Germany with my four kids and two dogs and absolutely love it here – it is the perfect combination of a big city with an international crowd embedded in a rural setting with a huge recreational value.

The Book Tour

Day 1 - Favourite Quotes

‘Looks like you guys just tamed some dragons.’ Lola smiled. (Bronwyn McKay)

“You never know, she thought, I might just find a solution the grown-up scientists had missed.” (Sophie Jupillat Posey)

“Nana was a really good listener, so Lola had decided to tell her about the game they were playing in the barn and how Lola was struggling to join in. Nana had asked her just the right questions.” (Sarah Richardson)

‘Looks like you guys just tamed some dragons.’ Lola smiled. (Kirsty McKay)

Lola looked at her siblings’ antics and didn’t know what to say. The game was starting to be fun, but Lola couldn’t really see how she could get herself involved and contribute to the story. (Tania Marshall)

You never know, she thought. I might just find a solution the grown-up scientists had missed. (Tim Marshall)

Lola particularly hated other people’s messes. (Yvonne Marrs)

Day 2 - Character Summaries

Lola is the main protagonist in this children’s story. She is a very intelligent and clever 8-year-old girl, who has a sharp mind and carefully analyses the facts before making any rash decisions. However, despite her intelligence she struggles to bond with children her own age and engage in creative play. She will be a very relatable character to many children of this age, as her struggles to fit in and engage in creative play will be something that many children will resonate with. As the book progresses you can see that Lola begins to discover her own imaginative side and learns to embrace her creativity, this I am sure will inspire and give young readers like Lola, the confidence to discover themselves and find their own means of creativity. (Bronwyn McKay)

This is hard; all the characters were charming and unique and helped each other. I guess my favourite character is Lola. She is characterized early on as being smart and curious. She has a strong bond with her siblings, even though as most siblings do, they annoy her in their own way. It was interesting seeing her being the skeptic character. Children tend to be more accepting of imaginary scenarios, but she is not; and that makes her stand out. Her siblings have no problem adapting to the circumstances and immersing themselves in the dragon’s scenario. It’s interesting seeing her progress from a cynical character who almost mocks her siblings for their silliness, to wanting to join in but not being sure how. We really see her resourcefulness and creativity shine after she asks herself (and Nana) the right questions. Her technique with the dragons and kindness towards them sets her as a good role model for her siblings. The scenario had potential to be scary and violent, but Lola shows that it doesn’t have to be. (Sophie Jupillat Posey)

Everyone seemed to have a different favourite character. My own favourite was Nana, because she was always the voice of reason and as a parent I can very much relate. My oldest loved Lola, because they are both 8 years old and have very similar personalities (they love to read and are very smart). My middle daughter loved the dragons, who turned out to be friendly and cuddly with the right motivation. We all appreciated that each character was given some depth and personality. (Sarah Richardson)

My favourite character of this story is the main character, Lola. This character made me think of some former students as well as a couple of my children and the struggles they have had trying to fit in when they are extremely bright but have a hard time relating with other children. That similarity made it easy for me to relate to Lola. Lola is an eight-year-old girl who loves to learn as much as she can about everything. She is an analytical thinker and tends to be very fact oriented. To use her imagination and create something to make believe seems like an impossible task for Lola. This makes it difficult for her to play and have fun with her siblings and peers. As I read the story, I was able to feel the lack of self-confidence Lola was feeling as she wracked her brain to figure out how she could contribute to the story her siblings were making up. The admirable thing about Lola is that she was willing to push herself out of her comfort zone in order to join her siblings in their imaginary quandary with the dragons in the barn. I was cheering her on when she experienced success! (Tania Marshall)

While there are some definite distinctions to be drawn between us, I found the main character in Lola to be relatable. The way that she finds it difficult to relate and play with others her age is something I have sometimes felt in the past. Her will to overcome her challenges is commendable. (Tim Marshall)

Lola, I suspect will be everyone’s favourite. She was very clever when they all discovered the dragons in the barn. Such a smart idea to return to her books and talk to their Nana, as after doing research and thinking, she had the perfect way to rescue her siblings and tame the dragons! She appears to be the typical middle child - although she is a twin - and fancies herself to be a lot more grown up than she should be. Certainly far more grown up than her brothers, and she doesn’t usually get involved in their play. This is not the case when dragons are found in the barn, and all four siblings share the experience ! (Yvonne Marrs)

Would it be a surprise to say that Lola just pipped the other characters to being my favourite? What drew me to choosing her is her curious nature, desire to learn and the fact that she didn't stereotype all dragons as being fierce and dangerous, but through her actions gave them each a personality, considered their feelings and responded to them with kindness. Lola's character reminds us all to look at what is on the inside and not make assumptions without getting to know the facts or individual first. (Kirsty McKay)

Day 3 - Favourite Excerpts

Even Sara couldn’t resist the temptation of feeding the dragons, her phone, and her classmates all but forgotten. She picked up one of the muffins, took a bite herself and fed the remainder to the blue dragon, who started to purr like a kitten. (Bronwyn McKay)

Nana was a really good listener, so Lola had decided to tell her about the game they were playing in the barn and how Lola was struggling to join in. Nana had asked her just the right questions. (Sophie Jupillat Posey)

The big, red dragon slowly turned its head, sniffed the chocolate chip muffin Lola was holding up to its nose and gently took it out of her hand. ‘It’s working,’ whispered Toby. ‘The dragon is calming down!’ Lola patted the red dragon’s nose and then offered it another muffin. ‘Who wants to feed the other two dragons?’ Lola asked. (Sarah Richardson)

I know what to do!’ Toby straightened his helmet. ‘I will scare it away with my sword!’ And before anyone could respond, he stormed out of the cave with his helmet pulled low over his eyes, and his sword raised. ‘ATTAAACK!’ he yelled. Toby stopped right in front of the big, red dragon, who looked at him with evil eyes. ‘Toby, be careful!’ Liam urged. ‘I’m a super fighter!’ Toby yelled. ‘Don’t worry about me!’ (Tania Marshall)

Lola let out a long sigh. There was no point fighting the inevitable. She was in the game now; she might as well play. ‘According to my research, dragons need to eat every 37 minutes!’ she said, holding up her index finger for more emphasis. ‘Erm.’ Liam looked at her with a big frown. ‘Okaaaay-' Lola had planned on saying something else but snapped her mouth shut. ‘What do dragons eat?’ asked Toby with wide eyes. ‘Probably little children. I bet it’s looking for you,’ answered Sara and gave Toby a stern look. ‘Oh no.’ Toby hugged his big sister tight. ‘What are we going to do?’ (Tim Marshall)

‘And they are all wearing noise-cancelling headphones!’ Sara’s face crinkled in surprise. ‘They are very smart dragons.’ Seems I’m not the only one who thinks noise-cancelling headphones are an awesome idea! (Yvonne Marrs)

Toby walked towards the dragons and held up the muffin. The huge, blue dragon looked at him for one terrifying moment and then gently took the muffin out of Toby's hand. "Now, you can pet the dragon," Lola encouraged. Toby took a deep breath and held out his hand until the dragon lowered its head. (Kirsty McKay)

Day 4 - Video Interview

Day 5 - Reviews

Overall Rating: 5 Stars. Lola’s Adventures: Dragons in the Barn, is a wonderful children’s book that will inspire young readers to embrace their creativity and approach life with a growth mindset. Lola and her siblings are asked to tidy up the barn, and soon they find themselves cornered by three ferocious dragons. While her siblings can slip into an imaginary world and attempt to outsmart the dragons, Lola struggles to immerse herself in the game. However, soon she finds herself the hero as she discovers her imaginative side and rescues her siblings from these ‘scary’ beasts. The illustrations in this book are beautifully done, with vibrant colours and engaging visuals that will capture the reader’s attention. The characters are very endearing and relatable, especially Lola as she discovers her imaginative and creative side, throughout the story. She is a character that is very powerful for the authors targeted readers as she is one of which they can resonate with. This makes the story even more powerful. Overall, Lola’s Adventures: Dragons in the Barn by Author Ennes Higgins is a delightful read for young readers. It bursts with loads of fun ideas for imaginative and creative play as well as promoting a responsible approach to screen time, reminding children of the importance of balancing their online and offline lives. (Bronwyn McKay)

Overall Rating: 5 Stars. Lola is indeed a smart girl, almost too smart for her own good. She proclaims it and proves it as she is the only studious one in her family as they’re supposed to be relaxing in Nana’s kitchen for the week-end. The kids quickly prove to be too immersed in the digital world and so Nana sends them into the barn to clean up. All the kids aren’t happy but especially Lola. Her siblings, Sarah, Toby and Liam quickly find a way to amuse themselves and invent a dragon scenario. The dynamics between the characters feel authentic, and each character feels unique and well-defined. Each of their dialogue stands out. The story moves efficiently and smoothly while holding the reader’s attention the whole time; while keeping in the perspective of a character who’s bored herself and would rather be doing anything else. That’s quite a feat! However, Lola progresses and learns to help her siblings and respark her imagination. The ending feels ambiguous: what were the questions Nana had her ask? But maybe it’s for the best, as this forces us, the reader, to also use our imaginative spark, even though this technique is not something common I’ve seen in children’s books. (Sophie Jupillat Posey)

Overall Rating: 5 Stars. We all loved this story. The only one who lost interest somewhat was my 3-year-old, which may simply be because she has a smaller attention span and the book is longer than the others we’ve read. The illustration and imagination were wonderful and drew the rest of us all in. The characters are well fleshed out in the book, with even more details of their backgrounds on the provided website. The plot was interesting and was never too slow or too fast. I appreciated the encouragement for children to make their own fun rather than always relying on electronics. All of my kids are also very excited to try Nana’s chocolate chip muffin recipe. (Sarah Richardson)

Overall Rating: 5 Stars. There’s a lot to like about Lola’s Adventures: Dragons in the Barn by Ennis Higgins. This book is easy to read with no blaring grammatical errors or misspelled words slowing down the flow. The characters in Lola’s Adventures: Dragons in the Barn are all believable and relatable. The author wove details about each person into the story in a way that enabled you to feel you know something about each of them. While more care was taken to reveal facets about the main character, Lola, there was enough about each of the other characters to have a basic idea of their personalities. This was an original story – no feelings of déjà vu from reading stories that were similar in the past. Each section of the story flowed smoothly into the next with no gaps or loss of continuity. There were no incongruencies or issues with the plot. The author managed to build the intensity of the story to a climax where the situation seems insurmountable but then the problem is finally solved in a way you don’t quite expect. This makes the book interesting and enjoyable to read to children. The dialogue in this book is natural, easily believable. There was just the right amount of dialogue to add to the interest of the story while keeping everything moving along. The pace of the book was perfect. In the beginning, you are learning about the characters through their choice of activities so things are moving at an average pace. Then, you relate to the frustration of the children as they express their dismay with Grandma’s change of plans for the day. Everything steadily builds as the children start to act out their imaginary scenario and continues to build momentum to the climax. The beautiful, detailed illustrations by Dimi Di Lupa match the storyline perfectly and make this book a delight to look at as well as to read. (Tania Marshall)

Overall Rating: 5 Stars. This is a classic-style story that feels very relevant to the modern day, featuring children who are invited to leave their screens behind for an afternoon and decide to use their imaginations instead. The book explores what it’s like for Lola, who prefers facts and practical learning, to try and engage with her siblings. It’s an enjoyable tale about overcoming differences and finding solutions to problems – whether social or dragon-related. (Tim Marshall)

Overall Rating: 5 Stars. Ennes Higgins has hit the nail on the head - children need to be encouraged to engage in creative play and the world of make-believe. Even better if this can be done with siblings of different ages - and as a result of not using electronic devices! I’d recommend this book to everyone with a child in the 5-10 years age category. Even some that are older can enjoy this story. Such great illustrations also, especially of the dragons! (Yvonne Marrs)

Overall Rating: 5 Stars. Dragons in the Barn is a beautifully illustrated and delightful story that will appeal to young readers. As well as igniting children's imaginations and creativity, the Author has introduced many positive messages, not just to aid children's learning and development, but for adults to take notice of too. We are all guilty of paying more attention to our mobile phones and electronic devices than we do to what, and who is around us, and so we often miss opportunities. I really enjoyed reading this story, and the fact that it is full of Dragons just made me love it even more. (Kirsty McKay)