The Hidden Dragon
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A sea-faring girl and her friends take on pirates and grown-ups, and bond with dragons, as they work to make the world a better place, in this spellbinding fantasy by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr.
Otter (short for Ottilie) is a girl who is most comfortable on her family’s ship, the Tempest, where she and her fathers collect the dragon hides that protect the queen’s guards. But all is not well in the kingdom, and it’s not clear if the queen is to blame. The streets are full of homeless kids, and now one of them, a street-smart boy called London, has stowed away on the Tempest. He befriends Otter, and soon they realize that the fate of the kingdom needs to be in the hands of the kids. For in every tight spot—during pirate attacks and navigating the magical land of the Netherwhere, where they get ship-wrecked—it is the quick-witted kids who save the day. As they work to fight injustice and protect the defenseless, they earn the respect of the realm’s most magical creatures—dragons and gargoyles—who all bond together as a force for good. Melissa Marr spins another fabulous fantasy, centered on family and friends, and introduces readers to the most splendid magical creatures.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this meandering nautical fantasy, a loose companion to Marr's The Hidden Knife, a seafaring tween with the ability to sense dragons embarks on a journey to save her friends and family. Twelve-year-old Ottilie "Otter" Jo Maul is most at home aboard her adoptive fathers' ship, the HMS Tempest, which sails the Crimson Sea collecting shed dragon hides at the Glass Queen's behest. When streetwise orphan London sneaks aboard the ship in search of a better life, he and Otter forge a bond that serves them well after a dragon-related mishap at sea leaves them shipwrecked in a magical realm, Netherwhere. There, Otter discovers hidden truths behind her adoption and her affinity for dragon-finding. Meanwhile, street thief Sofia infiltrates the Glass Queen's court, hoping to shine a light on the plight of the empire's children, many of whom are unhoused or have gone missing. Through abruptly shifting parallel narratives that take time to intertwine, Marr gently works in themes of hope, compassion, and social responsibility, set against the backdrop of a fanciful, magic-filled world reminiscent of the Victorian era. Tidily resolved conflict gives way to an uplifting, character-focused tale about family and grand adventure. Ages 10–up.
