Alexander London
Book 1 of the Battle Dragons series
This is a modern world. Our protagonist Abel is a 7th grade student who lives on the 90th floor of his building. Most buildings are 200+ stories, and the city has tens of millions living there. It is a pretty high tech place (holographic billboards, cell phones, etc. But all transportation and heavy labor is accomplished via dragon. Need a school bus? Strap some seats on to a long wing dragon. Abel is a middling student (failed his dragon academy entrance exam), but his friend Roa is a prodigy, taking college classes at night in dragon veterinarianism. Abel and Roa quickly get pulled into the city underbelly as Abel finds he has bonded with Karak - a Sunrise Reaper battle dragon. And he is expected to battle on behalf of one of the 3 local gangs. London has created an effective mixture of tech and fantasy. He is illuminating coming of age issues for middle school kids at the same time as the social inequity that comes from the struggle for power at all costs. And Abel as the clear eyed, idealist who can push for a better world is the perfect protagonist.
4 stars (out of 4)
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