Dragonhaven

Gr 5–9—Fifteen-year-old Jake lives on a dragon preserve, the Makepeace Institute of Integrated Dragon Studies, in Smokehill National Park in Wyoming. About 200 dragons live there. When Jake's dad allows him to go on his first solo overnight trip, no one could ever imagine the peril he would encounter. A dying mother dragon, a baby dragon hatchling, and a dead poacher forever change life at the preserve. No human has ever spent time around a baby dragon because of a law forbidding the aiding of a dragon's survival. Keeping the baby a secret is easier said than done, especially when tourists are trying to break into the preserve and the federal government is investigating the poacher's death. Will the preserve and the baby dragon survive? How did the poacher get in? Does Smokehill have a security problem? Although this book has a relatively slow pace, Noah Galvin injects liveliness to this unique tale with his expressive narrative style and voices. For fans of fantasy, adventure, and mystery.—Jessica Moody, Olympus Jr. High, Holladay, UT