You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Gr 4-8 -- It is a harsh life for Piper, an orphan who makes her living salvaging meteor storm debris and repairing small machines in Scrap Town #16. When she rescues an unconscious girl - Anna - from the wreckage of a travelers’ caravan and discovers that she is under the protection of the king of the Dragonfly Territories, Piper knows that returning Anna to her family is her only chance of a new life. But Anna has lost her memory. And she’s very odd. And a strange, intense man is hot on her heels - he will stop at nothing to capture Anna.
Part Firefly and part Airborn (Kenneth Oppel), this alternate-Earth novel is full of mechanical wonders, magical people, and unambiguous good guys and bad guys. Appealing characters and lots of action make it a good choice for young adventure readers with a taste for steampunk.
Reviewed for Booklist online —Paula Willey
Part Firefly and part Airborn (Kenneth Oppel), this alternate-Earth novel is full of mechanical wonders, magical people, and unambiguous good guys and bad guys. Appealing characters and lots of action make it a good choice for young adventure readers with a taste for steampunk.
Reviewed for Booklist online —Paula Willey
Thirteen year old Piper lives a meager life as a gifted machinist and scrapper in a poor town next to the Meteor Fields. When a meteor shower hits, random objects from another world fall from the sky along with a poisonous green dust. After the storm has settled, scrappers forage for the items to sell. During one storm, Piper's best friend Micah ventures out to the Meteor Field to beat others to scavenge objects that would be worth good money. Piper runs after him to try to bring him back to shelter but Micah is injured. During the storm, Piper also sees a caravan moving along the Fields. A meteor hits the caravan leaving a survivor, a girl a couple years younger than Piper who is unconscious. Piper brings both Micah and the girl back to the village. Micah is fine, but when the girl awakes, she speaks weird things and has a dragonfly tattoo-a tattoo that marks a person who in under special protection from the king of the Dragonfly Territories. Piper soon learns that a man is looking for the girl, a man the girl fears. Piper is determined to take Anna to safety and they board the 401 train return escape to the Dragonfly Territories. Piper embarks upon an exciting adventure that helps her find her place in the world. An enjoyable read.
Middle school/junior high
Middle school/junior high
For being a middle school / YA fantasy it sure was entertaining. Didn’t make me feel dumb for reading it, quite exciting and hardly able to put it down, excited for the next 2 books.
However, I will say, at the last “piper didn’t realize just how exhausted she was, how much energy using magic really took out of her” I screamed in my head. This was VERY repetitive and drove me nuts. Honestly, wish Micah had been in it at the end maybe? But who knows since it’s a series. Overall good book! A 4 rating is good.
However, I will say, at the last “piper didn’t realize just how exhausted she was, how much energy using magic really took out of her” I screamed in my head. This was VERY repetitive and drove me nuts. Honestly, wish Micah had been in it at the end maybe? But who knows since it’s a series. Overall good book! A 4 rating is good.
This was such a unique and exciting story i thoroughly enjoyed it
I put this book off for a long time, only reading it when a library patron insisted that I check it out myself. And even then, I left it at the bottom of my to-read stack for awhile, until I knew I wasn't going to get away with it any longer. Then I read.
This book is brilliantly atypical. With a almost-sister duo reminiscent of Anna and Elsa in Frozen (except Piper is more of a stubborn, realistically adventurous girl, and Anna is quirky and loyal) and some great supporting characters like Gee, Jeyne, and Trimble, I was drawn in. The story is fast-paced and full of intrigue and adventure. My only real issue was that I was able to guess where the story was going to go while I was still less than halfway through, but that shouldn't turn anyone away because I'm usually able to do so anyway.
There's a tad bit of violence (like cut-my-hand, coughing-up-blood violence) but that's it content-wise. Children would be fine to read this from middle-grades up.
This book is brilliantly atypical. With a almost-sister duo reminiscent of Anna and Elsa in Frozen (except Piper is more of a stubborn, realistically adventurous girl, and Anna is quirky and loyal) and some great supporting characters like Gee, Jeyne, and Trimble, I was drawn in. The story is fast-paced and full of intrigue and adventure. My only real issue was that I was able to guess where the story was going to go while I was still less than halfway through, but that shouldn't turn anyone away because I'm usually able to do so anyway.
There's a tad bit of violence (like cut-my-hand, coughing-up-blood violence) but that's it content-wise. Children would be fine to read this from middle-grades up.
While this story took place in an alternative world, it was unlike many other science fiction books--unique world building and interesting characters. Enough foreshadowing and interest led me to keep reading even though life is busy right now. It was a bit difficult to get into at first, but I trusted the reviews I had read and pushed through, until the story picked up its own momentum. There are many elements left dangling, leaving room for a sequel.
My son and I can't wait for the sequel (there's going to be one, right?). This story was full of action and the center of it is a well-developed female protagonist worth rooting for all.
This book was a joy to read. The worldbuilding was unique with just the right touch of magic. I loved, loved LOVED the characters, especially Anna. I hope Johnson writes a sequel.
This was a great book with some awesome twists in places you would never expect. They are the sort of surprises that you suspect about a paragraph before they happen, then leave your mouth wide open. There are some though that completely blow you away. It is an amazing story with the perfect amount of friendship, love, adventure, and mystery. A definite must-read for any middle-school age student. It would still be fun though for someone a little older or younger.