The Last Dragon on Mars (The Dragonships #1)

by Scott Reintgen (Author)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
Series: The Dragonships

A boy living on Mars unexpectedly becomes a dragon rider in this first book in the sci-fi and fantasy mash-up The Dragonships series, sure to delight fans of Skandar and Eragon.

Keep your eyes down and your feet moving, or this planet will rust you.

That's what Lunar Jones tells the other kids at the relocation clinic. All of them were born on Mars, a planet that never wanted people in the first place. With resources scarce and hope even scarcer, it's easy to get distracted looking up. After all, their ancestors descended from the stars.

Martian history always starts with Earth. The first astronauts discovered that space was already occupied. Not by little green men or flying saucers. It was full of dragons. One for every moon, every planet, every star. When humanity discovered that Earth's dragon had sacrificed herself to make their home planet habitable, they set their sights on Mars. If one dead dragon could breathe life into a world, why not create another one? Mankind won the war that followed, but with one catch. As the dragon died, he whispered a curse over Mars. The first settlers found their crops wouldn't grow. Animals hunted them. Storms raged endlessly. It took three generations to figure out the truth: Mars was doomed.

Lunar knows all the old stories about dragons and space, but no one up there's planning to help him or his crew. Instead, he focuses on scrapping valuable gear that the storms uncover in the war zone. Until one day, a salvaging run goes wrong. Desperate to find shelter, Lunar goes underground in a restricted zone. What he finds there, buried in the Martian dust, might just be the only hope left for a dying planet.

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Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

In this rip-roaring series launch from Reintgen (the Celia Cleary series), dragons are the living embodiment of celestial bodies; Earth is only habitable because its dragon, Gaia, sacrificed herself. A century before the tale's start, people headed for Mars, assuming its dragon, Ares, would be similarly selfless. Ares refused, however, sparking a war that ended when the dragons of Mars's moons killed Ares. With his dying breath, Ares turned Mars's plants, animals, and weather against humans. Now Martian society is nearing collapse, and orphaned 13-year-old Lunar Jones must risk his life salvaging scrap to support himself. While hiding from murderous rivals, Lunar finds a secret bunker that's home to juvenile dragon Dread and a squadron of kids training to be his flight crew. Dread has the potential to help save Mars--and wants resourceful Lunar to be the crew's new captain. Reintgen's latest balances fraught interpersonal drama with expertly choreographed action and gleefully imaginative worldbuilding. The keenly rendered, racially diverse cast boasts jocularity, heart, and derring-do, enthralling readers while illustrating the revolutionary power of forgiveness and teamwork. Ages 10-up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary. (Oct.)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

ALA/Booklist

A rollicking reminder to remember your roots and stay open to the unexpected.

Kirkus

Fast-paced dragon flights and mid-space fights—plus underdog heroes who are easy to root for.

Review quotes

"Nail-biting action scenes, relatable characters, and a fantastic new take on dragons—readers are in for a thrilling ride!" —A.F. Steadman, author of the Skandar series

Scott Reintgen
Scott Reintgen is a former public school teacher from North Carolina. When he's not writing, he uses his imagination to entertain his wife, Katie, and their three children. Scott is the New York Times bestselling author of the Waxways series, the Nyxia trilogy, the Dragonships series, and the Celia Cleary series for younger readers. You can find him on Instagram @Reintgen, on X (previously known as Twitter) @Scott_Thought, or on his website at ItsPronouncedRankin.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781665946513
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Aladdin Paperbacks
Publication date
October 01, 2024
Series
The Dragonships
BISAC categories
JUV002270 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dragons, Unicorns & Mythical
JUV053020 - Juvenile Fiction | Science Fiction | Space Exploration
Library of Congress categories
Orphans
Dragons
Survival
Science fiction
JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic
Mars (Planet)
JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Dragons, Unicorn

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