Book Review of New Dragon City
The Children’s Book Review
New Dragon City
Written by Mari Mancusi
Ages 8-12 | 352 Pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (2022) | ISBN-13: 9780316376686
What to Expect: Dragons, Family, Cults, Apocalypse, Animal Rights
When the apocalypse happened, it wasn’t climate change or meteors or even aliens that wiped out human civilization—it was dragons. Noah, his family, and the other survivor families that live with him in New York City only survive by hiding underground, and they return there every summer as soon as the dragons come out of hibernation.
This summer is different, though, because this summer, Noah’s mom has run away to join a cult of dragon lovers. Determined to get her back, Noah and his gun-toting survivalist father are risking certain death by staying above ground after the dragons return to the city. However, Noah is torn – because, after meeting a baby dragon, he’s starting to see his mom’s point. Are the dragons really the monsters the humans have assumed them to be?
Combining fantasy and dystopia, New Dragon City raises fundamental questions about how we define good and evil, what the place of human beings is in a universe of other sentient creatures, and what it really means to listen to another individual. Despite the futuristic setting, many of these questions feel spot-on for the twenty-first century, and readers will love the many references to our own popular culture (“Frozen”, “Fake News”) as relics of the past.
Noah is a likable character, with enough self-doubt to make him believable as he goes through the age-old process of finding his own identity, and his perspective is balanced by the parallel narrative voiced by Asha the dragon. The plot is fast-paced and engrossing, and the dragons themselves are magical.
New Dragon City is an enjoyable story, perfect for fans of Eragon, Wings of Fire, and How to Train Your Dragon.
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About the Author
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.
Dr. Jen Harrison reviewed New Dragon City. Discover more books like New Dragon City by reading our reviews and articles tagged with dragons, family, cults, apocalypse, and animal rights.
