Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher is a novel by Bruce Coville and is part of the "Magic Shop Books" series which also includes The Monster's Ring (XXX) and Jennifer Murdley's Toad by Coville.
Summary
“She was just a little dragon… until she grew, and grew and grew… “ The adventure begins… If Howard Morton and Freddie the Frog Killer were trying to hold you down so that Mary Lou Hutton could kiss you, you might run as fast as Jeremy Thatcher did the day he stumbled into Mr. Elives’ Magic Shop. And if you stumbled into that strange shop, you, too might be asked to make a choice. What would you buy? The Chinese rings? The Skull of Truth? Or the dragon’s egg? And if you did buy the dragon’s egg, what would you do when you found out you were supposed to hatch it?
Story
The book's story revolves around a young schoolboy, Jeremy Thatcher who one day finds himself in a strange part of town and visiting the strange Magic Shop where he purchases a beautiful marbled egg. The egg comes with instructions because Jeremy has been selected to be in the "Company of Hatchers." He successfully hatches Tiamat, a small red-scaly dragon who grows at an unbelievable pace, consuming vast quantities of milk and chicken livers. Tiamat is invisible to everyone except the family pets and a classmate. Raising a dragon isn't easy but Jeremy's research at the library and his experience as a veterinarian's son stand him in good stead. Communicating through visual telepathy, Jeremy and Tiamat become the best of friends and Tiamat's inevitable return to her own world is difficult for them both.
