Dactyl Hill Squad

"An unforgettable historical, high-octane adventure," about a diverse group of kids flying on dinosaurs to rescue friends from Civil War slave traders (Dav Pilkey, author-illustrator of the Dog Man series).

It's 1863 and dinosaurs roam the streets of New York as the Civil War rages between raptor-mounted armies down South. Magdalys Roca and her friends from the Colored Orphan Asylum are on a field trip when the Draft Riots break out, and a number of their fellow orphans are kidnapped by an evil magistrate, Richard Riker. Magdalys flees with her friends to Brooklyn, settling in the Dactyl Hill neighborhood, where black and brown New Yorkers have found a safe haven. Together with the Vigilance Committee, they train to fly on dactylback and plot to take down Riker. Can Magdalys and the squad rescue their friends before it's too late?


A New York Times Notable Book


An NPR, School Library Journal, New York Public Library, Washington Post and Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year


"Mind-bendingly original." —The New York Times Book Review

"Delightful historical fantasy." —Publishers Weekly

"Sends readers on a dino thrill ride." —Jacqueline Woodson, New York Times–bestselling author of Brown Girl Dreaming

"Full of heart and imagination." —Tomi Adeyemi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Children of Blood and Bone

"Grips, stomps, and soars from start to finish." —Rita Williams-Garcia, three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner and New York Times bestselling author of One Crazy Summer

" An engaging, lively adventure."


—Jesmyn Ward, two-time National Book Award-winning author of Sing, Unburied, Sing

"Brings history to life with power, honesty, and fun." —Laurie Halse Anderson,New York Times–bestselling author of Chains