Lord, I love these books so much. Searching for Dragons follows the adventures of Cimorene, but is told from the point of view of Mendanbar, the King of the Enchanted Forest. Mendanbar is as unconventional as Cimorene, and just as subject to being nagged about the proper way to do things. The change of perspective is nice, and also enables the reader to see exactly how charming Cimorene is from the outside. 
 One of the things I appreciate about Wrede is the fact that, while her characters bemoan the silliness of princesses, they cast aspersions on the silliness of princes just as often. Additionally, Wrede makes sure to throw in some allusions to the social circumstances that make princesses act silly. Silly princesses are a common trope, but books that give comparable time to silly princes and discuss the impact of societal expectations on the way women act are rare. Honestly, especially considering the fact that these are children's books, Wrede does an excellent job with delving into social constructs of gender. 
 My favourite witch, Morwen, also makes an appearance in this book (along with her horde of cats). Seriously, one day I hope to become Morwen. She is fantastic. Ballimore and Dobbilan the giants are completely charming, bickering domestically about the necessity of grinding to bones of Englishmen into bread. The cast of characters in this book is larger than in Dealing with Dragons, but each new character is completely captivating in his or her own right. No one seems superfluous or out of place. 
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 Rating: 5 Dragons. 
 Favourite Quote (Erm, really Favourite Scene for this one. Sorry.): "Just inside the door, the giant stopped and sniffed the air. Then he sneezed once, scowled ferociously, and said in a voice that shook the torches in their brackets: 
 'Fee, fie, foe, fum, 
 I smell the blood of an Englishman. 
 Be he alive or be he dead, 
 I'll grind his bones to make my bread.' 
 Ballimore shook her head. "Nonsense, dear. It's just Princess Cimorene and the King of the Enchanted Forest.' 
 'And neither of us is English,' Cimorene added. 
 The giant squinted down at her. 'Are you sure about that?' 
 'Positive,' Mendanbar said. 
 'Well--' the giant sniffed again, experimentally, then lowered his club with a sigh. 'That's all right, then. I wasn't in the mood for more work tonight, anyway. Sorry about the mistake. It must be this cold in my head.'" 
 Recommend: Yes, of course. I don't think it even needs to be said at this point.