Welcome to the four-book series about a band of scrappy orphans in the city of Londinium!
Along with their flock of dragons, they must fight to save their fellow citizens in an epic fight against the Gear...
and young Patty Rinkin must choose to be their leader!
Books Two, Three, and Four will be available over the next three years!
This book is appropriate for ages 12 and older. Savvy younger readers may also enjoy it.
And adults will like it, too!
Orphans never have easy lives, but they're especially brutal in the ashfall.
Londinium, led by the Gear, is an industrial society where the poor and downtrodden
are expected to take physical labor to keep the city in working order.
It grinds children to nothing in its factories, forcing them to work hard for money
just to pay their board and food. Survival is a daily struggle, especially for grindery girls -
orphans who grind coal into useable bricks.
Patty Rinkin is a rare grindery girl, for she has a last name.
She prefers to be one of the crowd, but finds herself the leader after a horrific fire
disables the lead girl, who's also her best friend.
And one afternoon, Patty finds a dragon's egg among the dust and filth of the factory.
But it seems the arrival of dragons is going to just make everything so much hardedr.
Patty doesn't realize she's been given a gift - a gift that could change the very system in which she is trapped.
Will she become part of the Gear's plans to keep its citizens in mortal danger?
Or will she learn the dragons can give everyone the opportunity to fight back against the Gear
and all the suffering it causes?
About the Author
Jonathon Mast started telling stories on the bus to the other kids on the way to school. As he got older, he wrote those stories down. He doesn't just like stories, but stories about stories. Jon's stories have appeared in various anthologies and in magazines and on websites, including stories in A Celebration of Storytelling and Something Wicked This Way Rides from Dark Owl Publishing. His first novel,
The Keeper of Tales, is also available from Dark Owl Publishing and is appropriate for teenagers.
Visit Jon's website here to learn more about his work and read his blog.
Information about Dragons
Dragons are a main part of the War of Leaves and Scales series,
and their history can be found in myths and legends around the world.
Here's some interesting information about dragons!
Dragon facts for kids from Kiddle encyclopedia
Dragon from Britannica Kids
The History of Dragons from Draconika
Welcome to Draconika Dragons - a website about dragons, fantasy, and role-playing.
Natural History of Dragons from the American Museum of Natural History
in New York
Information about Coal
Coal is another important aspect of this book series,
so here's some information on what it is and how it's used.
Coal facts for kids from Kiddie encyclopedia
Coal from Britannica Kids
Coal Facts from KonnectHQ Nature and Science
Coal from the National Geographic Resource Library
Images:
Book cover by Dark Owl Publishing
Soot-covered girl by Mark Mook from Pixabay
Author photo from Jonathon Mast
Dragon and girl by pendleburyannette from Pixabay
Coal image by Ben Scherjon from Pixabay