About the Holiday

For readers, there may be no better holiday than Author’s Day! Today, we celebrate all authors who imagine new fictional worlds and characters for us to discover, educate us on endless topics through fascinating nonfiction, scare us, make us laugh or cry, and bring us new perspectives through poetry. Today’s holiday was instituted in 1928 by Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, president of the Bement, Illinois Women’s Club. An avid reader, she established Author’s Day to thank writer Irving Bacheller—author of 31 novels and founder of the first modern newspaper syndicate—who sent her an autographed story in response to her fan letter. The day was officially recognized in 1949 by the United States Department of Commerce. To honor the spirit and founding of the holiday, people are encouraged to write a note of appreciation to their favorite author!

Thank you to Scolastic for sending me this book for review!

Layla the Water Lily Dragon (Dragon Girls #21)

Written by Maddy Mara | Illustrated by Paige McMorrow

Layla, Selena, and Charlotte were just about to pick ingredients for bath bombs at their favorite store when Layla heard the Magic Forest calling her. Soon, she was flying toward this magical destination. Upon arrival, Layla turned into a Water Lily Dragon and was met by colorful flowers and plants laden with fruit. But “something felt wrong.” Suddenly, Layla realized that the flowers had no scent, and the fruit was tasteless. Just then, an unusual creature approached. It looked like an axolotl, but with wings. It introduced itself as a MAX-olotl named Maxi. From Maxi, Layla learned that Sucker Bugs were stealing all the smells in the forest with their long noses. Layla had to see the Tree Queen at once.

On the way, Layla was engulfed in a cloud of Sucker Bugs stabbing her with their “long, straw-like stingers.” When she roared, the bugs swarmed into the air and stole her roar’s water lily perfume, which left Layla feeling woozy. Once in the Tree Queen’s glade, Layla saw that Charlotte and Selena were already there. The Tree Queen explained that the Fury Queen’s plan to steal smells was wreaking havoc throughout the forest as animals couldn’t find food, track scents, or “smell when danger was approaching.”

The Tree Queen then gave the girls their first mission: to make a bravery potion. They needed to make only a small amount, she said because bravery in others “‘quickly spreads.'” It was up to the Dragon Girls to discover the ingredients and create the potion. The Tree Queen pointed them in the direction of Perfume Pond, and they took to the sky. Their adventure had begun! The Dragon Girls’ quest would take them from the powerful Perfume Pond to the Fury Queen’s secret lab.

Along the way they met Lily, a protector living in the pond; worked as a team to outsmart the Sucker Bugs; and unwittingly fell into the Fury Queen’s trap. When the Fury Queen imprisons Layla in her factory—where she’s using the forest’s smells to make a weapon to destroy the Tree Queen—and steals the scent of her roar to make the weapon more powerful, it’s up to Selena and Charlotte to get inside, defeat the vicious guard plants, and free their friend.

With time running out and obstacles stacking up, can the Dragon Girls escape the factory, make it back to the Tree Queen’s glade, and restore the forest’s scents before the Fury Queen changes the Magic Forest forever?

Maddy Mara’s latest Dragon Girls book, the third and final adventure in the Flower Dragons series, offers nonstop action with thoughtful messages about the fragility of the environment. Reminders about the power of friendship, community, and bravery are also woven into this quickly-paced tale. The unbreakable bond among the three girls is a highlight of the story as they overcome setbacks and danger to save the Magic Forest. As in all of the Maddy Mara’s stories, the characters’ dialogue, individual strengths, and mutual support ring true, keeping readers absorbed in the story from beginning to end.

Paige McMarrow’s black-and-white illustrations bring to life dramatic key scenes in each chapter, giving readers a peek at the Magic Forest, the Perfume Pond, various characters, and the Dragon Girls, themselves, while leaving plenty of room for each child’s imagination to lend a personal experience to their reading.

Ages 7 – 10

Scholastic, 2026 | ISBN 979-8225018368

About the Authors

Maddy Mara is the pen name of Australian creative duo Hilary Rogers and Meredith Badger. Hilary is a writer and former publisher; Meredith is a writer and teaches English as a second language. Together they have written or created many bestselling series for kids, including Dragon Girls, Dragon Games, and Forever Fairies. Dragon Girls has over 1.5 million copies in print and is available in multiple countries and languages. They live on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people in Melbourne, Australia. Their website is maddymara.com.

National Author’s Day Activity

Catch the Reading Bug Bookmark and Bookplate

If you love to read, show it with these printable Reading Bug book accessories!

I’ve Got the Reading Bug Bookmark | I’ve Got the Reading Bug Bookplate | I’ve Got the Reading Bug! Books to Buy

You can purchase Layla the Water Lily Dragon (Dragon Girls #21) from these booksellers

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