The Last Ember

Gr 4-6–Dodd’s series opener offers a suspenseful, fantastical plot filled with interconnecting stories of loss and hope while building the myth of the mysterious Aerimander dragon. Eva, a 12-year-old girl with brown skin, is a wealthy and privileged chemistry student at the Young Ladies’ Royal Academy for Science and Mathematics, where her best friend, Myrnie, is an ecology student. Nearby, in the city of Porttown, Dusty, 13 with pale skin, is working at St. Ichabod’s Dairy Production and Home for Delinquent Boys. His best friend, Calder Ore, survived the ongoing war and is part of a secret organization. The four characters’ lives begin to intersect when Eva unknowingly chooses the last Aerimander egg at Bronsworth’s department store for her birthday gift. The quest to either save the dragon or use it for personal gain enhances the complex character development. Readers will find Eva and Dusty incredibly relatable yet distinct. While Eva comes from wealth, Dusty never knew his parents and endures sorrow and pain with grace. Themes of trust and broken promises, war, poverty, and greed are developed on every page, while characters ponder the meanings of identity and friendship. Though the flashbacks and frequent plot jumps can create some confusion, the strong dialogue that reveals character motivations and the uncertainties behind a human’s heart thicken the plot and add to the suspense.