Synopses & Reviews
Brynand#8217;s world is out of kilter. Pollution is causing weird weather and diseases that her mom, a scientist, was working to fix. But Mom disappeared on a research expedition in Alaska, and now Dad has gone off to find her. At least Bryn gets some comfort from kenning with her birdand#8212;though that ability makes her weird as well. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Things get seismic strange when Bryn discovers a huge egg in a box of her motherand#8217;s stuffand#8212;and itand#8217;s hatching. What emerges is a big baby lizard, and Bryn can sense its feelings, as she can with birds. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Bryn guesses the lizard is a cryptidand#8212;an ancient species thought to be extinct. That makes it valuable to black market poachers, and maybe valuable to her momand#8217;s work as well. Bryn is determined to keep the creature safe. But itand#8217;s not easy to secretly raise a cryptid baby, especially when it starts to flame. For what Bryn really has is a baby dragon, a dracling. The poachers will be after her for sure. But what does it mean that Bryn can ken with it? Is she meant to protect it? How far will Bryn go to save what might be the last of its kind?
Review
"An intelligent and wryly humorous fantasy." - Horn Book
Synopsis
In a slightly futuristic world, fourteen-year-old Bryn watches an ancient egg hatch and her life changes forever. Bryn can “ken” with birds—sort of feel their thoughts—so at first she doesn’t understand why she relates to what appears to be a lizard. Then she realizes that the critter in her care is really a baby dragon, perhaps the last of his kind. When the dracling becomes an Internet phenomenon, she must flee to save him from the poachers who would destroy him. But will Bryn be able to protect him, or will she lose the dracling just as she comes to love him?
A fast-paced, stand-alone addition to Susan Fletcher’s beloved Dragon Chronicles series, Ancient, Strange, and Lovely puts a modern twist on a timeless genre.
About the Author
Susan Fletcher is the acclaimed author of the Dragon Chronicles, composed of Dragon's Milk, Flight of the Dragon Kyn, Sign of the Dove, and Ancient, Strange, and Lovely as well as the award-winning Alphabet of Dreams, Shadow Spinner, Walk Across the Sea, and Falcon in the Glass. Ms. Fletcher lives in Wilsonville, Oregon. Visit her at SusanFletcher.com.