The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

"In the good old days, magic was indispensable—it could both save a kingdom and clear a clogged drain. But now magic is fading: drain cleaner is cheaper than a spell, and magic carpets are used for pizza delivery. Fifteen-year-old foundling Jennifer Strange runs Kazam, an employment agency for magicians—but it’s hard to stay in business when magic is drying up. And then the visions start, predicting the death of the world’s last dragon at the hands of an unnamed Dragonslayer. If the visions are true, everything will change for Kazam—and for Jennifer. Because something is coming. Something known as . . . Big Magic."

So, the reviews on the back of this seemed pretty promising, saying things like "true literary comic genius" and "for any Harry Potter fan." Things like that. But I was pretty underwhelmed, honestly. The writing could have been better, leaving me to slate it for a more middle-school audience. And, sure, it was funny in the first part of the book. But all things considered, it wasn't quite the type of book I was expecting--there was quite a bit of politics and the like, in it. I mean, all sorts of things like corporations, bureaucracy,  flawed governments/leaders, etc., were present in fluffy incarnations of themselves. Not really an action book. The plot, while having some dropped or random story-lines here and there, managed to pull it together to give a mostly interesting conclusion. So, I give it 3.5 stars out of 5, and would pass it on to middle school audiences. They would probably like it quite a bit. It's at Kettleson or Blatchley. (And expect another review pretty soon; I'm leaving halfway through next week and want to get it up before I leave).