The Dragon Squisher — Scott McCormick

Meet Nigel: digger of latrines, shoveler of poop, and the single greatest threat to all the humans, elves, dwarves, and halflings of Esteria.

Desperate to escape from military school and return to his carefree life as the village no-goodnik, Nigel sees the king's declaration of war on the gorks as the perfect opportunity to flee, since he's pretty sure his latrine-digging skills aren't going to do much good on the front line. But his escape efforts have a habit of backfiring, and by the time he and his arch-frenemy are banished from the kingdom and sent on an impossible quest for a (probably bogus) magical artifact, the humans of Amerigorn find themselves longing for the good old days when they were merely being annihilated by Lord Smoron.

Funnier than Lord of the Rings! Shorter than Harry Potter! The Dragon Squisher is a fantasy novel for teens that spoofs the tropes of the genre and will appeal to teens and young adults who love the humor of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. If this is the kind of book you've been searching for -- and who hasn't? -- look no further than Book One of the Nigel Chronicles: The Dragon Squisher.