In this fascinating look at a modern-day world where dragons truly exist, theNewbery Medal-winning author of "The Hero and the Crown" takes readers into acontroversial nature preserve.

In this fascinating look at a modern-day world where dragons truly exist, theNewbery Medal-winning author of "The Hero and the Crown" takes readers into acontroversial nature preserve.

Jake lives at the Makepeace Institute of Integrated Dragon Studies in Smokehill National Park. There are five million acres of the Smokehill wilderness, and the endangered dragons rarely show themselves. Jake's never seen one except at a distance. But then, on his first overnight solo in the park, he meets a dragon - and she is dying. More than that, she has just given birth, and one of the babies is still alive. . . .