4 h 40 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 4 h 40 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Hidden clues, danger by the sea, and two girls who refuse to leave a mystery alone.
In The Dragon's Secret, Augusta Huiell Seaman brings two determined girls into a coastal mystery. Hidden clues invite them to look closer, and danger gives their search an edge. The pleasure lies in following the puzzle with them: watching for small details, weighing what they might mean, and sharing their refusal to give up.
This mystery for young readers takes an easier pace than a modern thriller. Seaman gives curiosity and persistence room to work, with friendship and old-fashioned adventure at its heart. The language is a little formal, and the manners belong to an earlier time. Settle into that quieter rhythm, and let the clues hold your attention.
What you’ll discover
- Two determined girls Follow heroines whose refusal to give up keeps the mystery moving.
- Secrets by the sea Step into a coastal setting where hidden clues and danger draw the girls onward.
- The pleasure of clues Watch small details closely and consider how their meaning might change.
- Friendship and persistence Share an adventure that brings friendship together with the patience a puzzle demands.
- A quieter kind of suspense Enjoy an easier rhythm that leaves room to linger over the mystery.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy clue-hunting mysteries, seaside settings, loyal dogs and friendships that grow from a shared secret. It suits readers who like to guess along.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A strange light and a buried dragon
- The girls learn to read small clues
- The trail leads to a girl in the village
- Eileen warms up and the mystery grows darker
- A hurricane night brings everyone to the log
- Loneliness and friendship drive the story
- Honesty, money and the wish to help
- How the mystery is built and told
Who’s who
- Leslie CraneA shy, observant sixteen-year-old nursing her aunt by the sea, who longs for a friend and for money to help her lame little brother.
- Phyllis KelvinA bold, cheerful girl and gifted pianist who believes in ghosts, loves a secret and dreams of studying music in Europe.
- Ted KelvinPhyllis's nearly nineteen-year-old brother, a fisherman and violinist, who teases the girls and vows to uncover their secret.
- Eileen RamsayA stylish English girl driving a fine car, rude at first, then charming, who seems to be after something at Curlew's Nest.
- Aunt Marcia CraneLeslie's nervous aunt, sent to the shore to recover, who wants calm and must never learn of the strange events next door.
- RagsLeslie's black-and-white English sheepdog, who chases hermit crabs, steals fish and finds the dragon casket in the sand.
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- Hardcover
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The Dragon's Secret
by Augusta Huiell Seaman · 1921
A sheepdog digs up a dragon-carved bronze box on a stormy beach, and two girls must solve its mystery.
Medium level2–5 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
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In short
What would you do if your dog dug a small bronze box out of the sand on a stormy beach, a box carved with a dragon that nobody can open? That is how The Dragon's Secret begins.
The Dragon's Secret at a glance
- Reading time
- About 2 h 35 min2 h 5 min fast, 3 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 37,100 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1921by Augusta Huiell Seaman
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A strange light and a buried dragon
The story opens on a nearly empty beach in October. Leslie Crane has come with her aunt, Miss Marcia Crane, a nervous invalid whose doctor ordered quiet by the sea. They live in a small bungalow called Rest Haven. The only other house close by is a shut-up cottage with a name Leslie adores, Curlew's Nest.
Leslie is happy among the waves, but she is lonely, and she must hide every worry from her aunt. Then a northeast gale arrives. From her window Leslie sees her dog Rags growl and bristle. A moment later she is almost sure she sees a thin streak of light through a crack in the shutters of the empty cottage.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1921
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 3 h 0 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Seaman, Augusta Huiell. The Dragon's Secret. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-dragons-secret.
Seaman, A. H. (2026). The dragon's secret. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-dragons-secret (Original work published 1921)
Seaman, Augusta Huiell. The Dragon's Secret. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-dragons-secret.
@book{seaman2026dragons,
author = {Seaman, Augusta Huiell},
title = {The Dragon's Secret},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-dragons-secret},
note = {First published 1921}
}
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What is The Dragon's Secret about?
It follows two girls, Leslie Crane and Phyllis Kelvin, who find a carved bronze dragon box buried on a beach in October. They follow clues around a closed bungalow to learn who hid it and why.
Who is Rags in The Dragon's Secret?
Rags is Leslie's black-and-white English sheepdog. He loves chasing hermit crabs, and while digging after one he pulls the buried dragon casket out of the sand. He also guards Leslie and warns her when something is wrong.
Where does the story take place?
The story takes place at a seaside beach in October, when summer visitors have gone. The main places are two bungalows, Rest Haven and Curlew's Nest, the nearby Kelvin bungalow Fisherman's Luck, and a small village down the road.
The author
Augusta Huiell Seaman
1879–1950 · American children's mystery writer
Augusta Huiell Seaman was an American author born in New York City in 1879. She wrote novels for children, including historical stories and mysteries. The Dragon’s Secret was published in 1921. She later lived in Island Beach, New Jersey, where she died in 1950.
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