The Dragon Balls have been scattered again and Goku has a year before he can begin to search for them again. He decides to use this time to train and what better way is there to train than being trained by Master Roshi? Goku is not the only one who wants to be trained by the Turtle Master. A young Krillin has the same goal in mind.
These chapters outline the training that Goku and Krillin go through to become stronger. They are consistently being tested on their stamina and cunning. For one telling test that occurs early on, Master Roshi writes Turtle on a rock and tosses it off a cliff. The race is on to find the rock, as it will determine who will get to eat lunch. Krillin knows he is much slower than Goku, so he tries to cheat and finds a rock that is similar to the one Roshi threw and writes Turtle on it. When he shows it to Master Roshi he is disappointed when Roshi knows it is a fake.
Krillin uses the same rock later to win the prize. Goku finds the rock and Krillin does not believe him. When Goku shows the rock to Krillin, he snatches it right out of Goku's hand and runs back to Roshi to capture the prize. Goku is faster than Krillin, so when Goku catches up to him, Krillin makes that switch and gives Goku his fake rock. Master Roshi knows it is a fake and Krillin shows him the real rock and wins the contest. After lunch is over, and while Goku is still starving, Karma kicks in. The food turns out to be tainted and everyone who has eaten it becomes sick and is sick for 3 days.
Overall
Dragon Ball; Training with the Master is a chapter book written for the younger age group, 7 to 10. I have to say that I am impressed with the format and the use of larger type and pacing of the book. It is small, only 76 pages which makes this an easy read. This is a great idea for getting those young readers more interested in reading. Taking a fun, fast action story and formating it to engage a younger reader is great. Growing up I had Dick and Jane or Cat in the Hat. I like Cat in the Hat, but Dick and Jane would make anyone run away from reading. I think this could be a great tool to get a student interested in reading in this world of pictures and minimal text.
Looking at this through the eyes of an 8 year old boy who hates to read, I can see that it just might help him sit long enough to get through the story. The fact that it is short and has 10 chapters makes this a book where the reader will gain a feeling of accomplishment whether they read through the entire book or just a chapter or two at a time. A key to reading is not only to make it fun but also make it rewarding. For the beginning reader or struggling reader, the sense of accomplishment is very important.
I would recommend this and other Viz chapter books for the struggling reader and also to be on any teacher's or parent's shelf as a great tool in their reading arsenal.
ComicsOnline gives Dragon Ball: Training with the Master 3.5 out of 5 girls with dual personalities.
