Even though she's only 12 years old, Lily McKinley already feels the weight of the world's

brokenness. She's seen it in her mother's exhaustion, her grandmother's illness, and the cruelty

of Adam, the bully at her school. But most tragically, she experienced it two months ago

when her father died in a terrible accident.

In The Dragon and the Stone, the first volume in a brand new fantasy series for kids by

Katie Butler, we follow Lily's imagination-fueled journey to the Somnium realm, where her

father's secret history embroils her in an epic quest. With the help of a dragon

guide named Cedric, Lily battles evil shrouds, harpies, and other creatures to find her way

through grief, to rescue the world from evil, and to discover the power of redemption. Combining classic

fantasy elements with deeply Christian themes, the dragon and

the stone takes middle grade readers on a quest through castles, forests, and caverns to help

a young girl find hope and usher in restoration. Today we're pleased to share an exclusive

preview of this brand new novel right here on the Crossway podcast.

Let's get started.

The Dragon and the Stone by Catherine Butler.

Chapter 1. The Dragon in the Kitchen

Lily McKinley trudged into the house, plotted to the kitchen, and froze.

On the counter in front of her, with its barbed tail curled like a question mark,

a dragon gobbled her mother's crockpot chili.

Before this moment, it had been an ordinary Tuesday.

Lily forgot about a science test, again,

and muddled through questions about the water cycle in an anxious sweat.

...