New Dragon City

by Mari Mancusi (Author)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

Set off on a high-stakes, action-packed adventure in this story about friendship, survival, and fighting for ones you love, perfect for fans of Wings of Fire and How to Train Your Dragon.

No one predicted the dragon apocalypse. The dragons came suddenly and decimated the world as we knew it, including New York City. Now, three years later, Noah, his hardcore survivalist father, and a ragtag group of survivors are barely scraping by in this new reality. Kids scavenge not only for materials in abandoned homes but also for leftover books at the library. Adults spend their time establishing a make-shift society and defending their shelter... with any means available. At least for the few months the dragons are hibernating, until it's no longer safe aboveground.

Noah has seen the damage these creatures can do firsthand. When it comes to dragons: It's kill or be killed. But a chance encounter between Noah and a young dragon causes him to question everything he thought he knew. With rumors spreading that there's a group of survivors living in harmony with dragons instead of hiding underground, Noah teams up with his fire-breathing ally to find out if peace between humans and dragons is really possible. But the division runs deeper than scales versus skin because trying to follow his heart might just cost Noah his family too. If Noah and his father can't see eye to eye, can he really get humans and dragons to?

Select format:
Paperback
$8.99

Kirkus

A heartwarming, hopeful dragon-filled journey through family life and the importance of finding common ground.

Publishers Weekly

Five years after the dragon apocalypse wiped out most of humankind, and two years after his survivalist father's bunker ran out of food, 12-year-old Noah is eking out a tenuous existence as part of a band of survivors in New York City. When the dragons awake from their winter hibernation a month early, while Noah's out scavenging for nonperishables, the group relocates from their part-time hotel residence to their subway-tunnel shelter. Noah, however, secretly remains aboveground to search with his dad for Noah's mother, who has purportedly joined a cult of dragon sympathizers. When a chance Times Square encounter with a young dragon named Asha leaves Noah inexplicably connected to her via a mental bond, the revelation suggests it may be possible for humans and dragons to coexist peacefully, but Noah's father refuses to back down from his anti-dragon crusade. In a contemporary-feeling metropolitan adventure replete with dragon deniers and fake news, Mancusi (the Dragon Ops series) lightly sketches the society's day-to-day realities; if the resulting world is unevenly built, it also imbues Noah's experiences with a sense of awe, making for an entertaining, flashy novel centering family and interspecies friendship. Noah reads as white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Mandy Hubbard, Emerald City Literary Agency. (Oct.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

 
Mari Mancusi
Mari Mancusi always wanted a dragon as a pet. Unfortunately, the fire insurance premiums proved a bit too large and her house a bit too small, so she chose to write about them instead. As a former Emmy Award-winning TV news producer, she now works as a full-time author, having published over two dozen books for kids, teens, and adults. When not writing, Mari enjoys traveling, cosplay, watching cheesy (and scary) horror movies, and playing video games. A graduate of Boston University, she lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, Jacob, daughter, Avalon, and their two dogs. Visit her at marimancusi.com or follow her @marimancusi.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316376792
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
February 20, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV013060 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Parents
Library of Congress categories
Dragons
Fantasy fiction
Toleration
Novels

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!