Zetta Elliott’s Dragon in a Bag (Random House) was released in 2018. That book began a series that will soon have four books. Zetta just keeps releasing all that magic upon young readers!

Dragons in a Bag Cover and interior art by Geneva B.
The book that began it all. We were introduced to Jaxon, Ma, Vikram, Kavita and the baby dragons.

AN ALA-ALSC NOTABLE CHILDREN’S BOOK
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEA

The Dragon Thief. Cover and interior art by Geneva B.
This is Kavita’s story afterall, she’s the one who stole the dragon! Can she hide it, though?

“Kavita only wanted what was best for the baby dragon. But now every time she feeds it, the dragon grows and grows! How can she possibly keep it secret? Even worse, stealing it has upset the balance between the worlds. The gates to the other realm have shut tight! Jaxon needs all the help he can get to find Kavita, outsmart a trickster named Blue, and return the baby dragon to its true home.”

The Witch’s Apprentice. Cover by Geneva B; Interior art by Cherise Harris
Jaxon is learning how to work his own magic!

“Ever since the baby dragons were returned to the magical realm, things have been off. The New York summer has been unusually cold. A strange sleeping sickness is spreading across the city. And Jaxon’s friends Kenny and Kavita have begun to change, becoming more like the fairy and dragon they once cared for.
 
On top of all that, Jax is hiding a secret—Vik entrusted him with a phoenix egg! Jax wants to help his friends and learn how to hatch the phoenix, but so far his lessons as a witch’s apprentice haven’t seemed very useful. Where can he find the strength—and the magic—he needs?”

 But, this is a cover reveal! The covers in this series do reveal a lot!

In that first cover, Jax is rather passively sitting on that wall with one of the dragons. His surroundings are rather nebulous, don’t you think? Yet, Jaxon seems comfortably based here on earth.

Kavita is clearly the star of book 2. She’s standing, looking over her shoulder and poised for action. Look at that dragon: Kavita seems to think that the cage will be able to hold it. Spoiler alert:  It won’t!

Book 3 is much more colorful and the motion of the swirls along with Jaxon’s animated posture indicate more adventure for him, more creatures to encounter along the way. The colors are more intense as well.

And book 4? The cover artist, Bea Jackson, has been working freelance for over 15 years. You might know her work from B. B. Alston’s Amari  books.  Bea won the L Ron Hubbard’s Illustrator of the Future Award in 2007. 

What can you tell about Jaxon’s next story from this cover?

The Enchanted Bridge Cover by Bea Jackson and Interior art by Cherise Harris
Jaxon realizes all the magical creatures are all in need of his help.

“With their new special abilities, Jaxon and his friends are not the ordinary kids they used to be. No longer destined to become a witch, Jax finds himself caught up in a secret plan involving the Guardian of Palmara’s mysterious twin brother, Ol-Korrok. As the ambassador to the realm of magic, Jax must convince Sis that magical creatures should be free to return to the human world.”
 
But to reach Palmara, the realm of magic, Jax and his friends must cross Ol-Korrok’s enchanted bridge. Zetta said, “All four kids are learning to control their magical abilities and Jax realizes Ma was right after all…Ol-Korrok can’t be trusted.”
 
It takes strength to build a bridge. But sometimes even the strongest bridges must be burned. Our young hero learsn about collaboration and loyalty in this most recent adventure.

Preorder here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/2DB/dragons-in-a-bag

If you’ve not read the series yet (seriously??), you’ve got time to go get copies from your local library and catch up on the first three books before The Enchanted Bridge releases on 17 Jan 2023.