LILY QUENCH AND THE DRAGON OF ASHBY

This spry caper launches the Lily Quench series, first published in Australia and New Zealand. Its plucky heroine is the sole survivor of the Quench family, whose members possess dragon-slaying powers that have long protected the royal family of Ashby. But the kingdom has been overtaken by the Black Count, who killed Lily's father and who has replaced the botanical gardens (the beloved workplace of her mother, who subsequently died of a broken heart) with a dark and filthy factory where the townsfolk labor from dawn to dusk. When a dragon descends on Ashby, the Black Count's minions give Lily orders to slay it. To Lily's astonishment, the benign beast befriends her and even brings her to the "Pool in the Cave of Secrets." There an oracle informs her of the whereabouts of Prince Alwyn, heir to the throne of Ashby, who vanished after the Black Count's invasion. Lily also discovers that she, as the last of the Quenches, must be the one to place the crown on the prince's head to restore him to power and vanquish the evil regime. Though its cast includes several stock villains, this tale moves at a quick clip and incorporates moments of solid suspense and a few wry quips. The line drawings, reminiscent of Quentin Blake, play up the pert sensibility. Accordingly, fans of light fantasy will probably want to move on to Lily Quench and the Black Mountains (-240021-1) and Lily Quench and the Treasure of Mote Ely (-240022-X) , also due this month. Ages 8-up. (Feb.)