This action-packed audiobook, narrated primarily by Brittany Williams, explores the populace of Flood City, the only surviving city left on Earth after devastating flooding. The Chemical Barons escaped ages ago and rule from their spaceships circling Earth, utilizing the Star Guard to maintain control of Flood City. Max just wants to play music in the city orchestra, catch his crush Djinna’s attention, and keep his sister, Yala, from joining the Star Guard. Williams’s distinct voices ensure that shifts in point of view are smooth, and her curious and youthful tone mixed with an intensifying pace keeps listeners on edge as enemies collide and deadly schemes come to light. Narrator P.J. Ochlan delivers articles from the “Flood City Gazette” with deadpan humor. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

02/08/2021

Ever since the waters rose and drowned the world, the last bastion of civilization on Earth has been Flood City, a ramshackle affair protected from the orbital menace of the Chemical Barons by the extraterrestrial, authoritarian Star Guard. Twelve-year-old musician Max has little interest in the ongoing tension until a devastating attack upon Flood City by the Chemical Barons, the city’s former rulers, changes everything. Max meets Ato, also 12, a young Baron who winds up stranded in the wake of the incident, and the two swiftly become friends as Ato rejects his ruthless commander’s extremist agenda in favor of Flood City’s charms. Now they must work together to save the city from oppression and potential destruction. Older (Thunder Run) conjures a postapocalyptic world packed with danger, excitement, and memorable concepts, such as marauding iguanagulls and enigmatic, posthuman vapors. With Flood City populated by people of color and the Barons primarily white, Older imbues a clear message about how whiteness is proximal to privilege. The story is at times frenetic, filled with individually entertaining elements that are sometimes undersupported; still, this is a fun, adventure-filled read. Ages 8–12. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary. (Feb.) Correction: A previous version of this review mischaracterized the book as a series starter; it is a standalone novel.

Awards and Praise for Dactyl Hill Squad

A New York Times Notable Book

An NPR Best Book of the Year

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

A Washington Post Best Book of the Year

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

"Older fascinatingly blends thunder-lizard thrills with lesser-known but important aspects of American history... Readers will adore Magdalys Roca... Far from a natural hero, Magdalys displays a realistic mix of terror and gumption in the face of the monsters around her, reptilian and human. Where else will her adventures carry her? There's another installment of this mind-bendingly original series coming, sure to be eagerly awaited." — New York Times Book Review

* "Epic....This high-energy title is perfect for middle graders, with its strong female protagonist, a fresh perspective on history, helpful notes and resources, and an honest portrayal of the complex topics of race and gender." — School Library Journal, starred review

* "Delightful historical fantasy... Rooted in real events and attitudes, and appended with facts about the time, this fast-paced adventure makes for a memorable tale in which numerous characters of color take the lead." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Dactyl Hill Squad has everything a reader could possibly want in a middle-grade book: action, adventure, magic, humor and dinosaurs. Magdalys is the same kind of young, engaging and flawed protagonist as Philip Pullman's Lyra — a character readers can't help but love even when (especially because) she's frustrating. An entertaining and wholly fulfilling series opener." — Shelf Awareness

"Daniel has imagined the unimaginable and in doing so sends readers on a dino thrill ride. I have been talking about this book nonstop! The kids, the dinosaurs, the Civil War, this book is true fire. It is everything I didn't even know I needed." — Jacqueline Woodson, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and New York Times bestselling author of Brown Girl Dreaming and Another Brooklyn

"An extraordinary adventure full of heart and imagination that adults will enjoy reading just as much as kids! This is the story that would've made me fall in love with reading when I was a kid." — Tomi Adeyemi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Children of Blood and Bone

"In this Tyrexcellent historical realignment — fast paced, but deceptively packed with amazing detail — Older's uprising of sheroes and heroes grips, stomps, and soars from start to finish." — Rita Williams-Garcia, three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner and New York Times bestselling author of One Crazy Summer

"Dactyl Hill Squad is an engaging, lively adventure with a heroine I wish I were, in a world I didn't want to leave." — Jesmyn Ward, two-time National Book Award-winning author of Sing, Unburied, Sing

"This incredible story brings history to life with power, honesty, and fun." — Laurie Halse Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of Chains

"A crackling fantasy adventure full of thrilling scenes." — James McPherson, author of Pulitzer Prize winner Battle Cry of Freedom

"Kids, the Civil War, and dinosaurs — action doesn't get any better than this!" — Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author of The Song of the Lioness

"As an historian of New York City, I'm thrilled with Daniel José Older's melding of the best of history and fantasy in Dactyl Hill Squad. I couldn't put it down!" — Leslie Harris, author of In the Shadow of Slavery

"This action-packed historical fantasy adventure should have wide appeal, leaving fans eager for the next installment. Dino-fueled fun with depth." — Kirkus Reviews

"Older's rousing mix of actual history and dinosaurs will be irresistible to the upper-elementary and middle-school crowds." — Booklist

Awards and Praise for Freedom Fire

A Publishers Weekly Best of Summer Reading

"An unforgettable historical, high-octane adventure." — Dav Pilkey, author-illustrator of the Dog Man series

* "Blisteringly paced, thought-provoking adventure." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Intelligent, rousing, and abundantly diverse, this is every bit as satisfying as the first installment." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Older has middle-graders' number with this dino-charged series. Stampedes are likely!" — Booklist

Praise for Thunder Run

"Older infuses what could have been a basic romp with depth,using a critical social justice lens to examine the past while alsoembedding in it representation that we can aspire to inthe future." —Kirkus Reviews

This action-packed audiobook, narrated primarily by Brittany Williams, explores the populace of Flood City, the only surviving city left on Earth after devastating flooding. The Chemical Barons escaped ages ago and rule from their spaceships circling Earth, utilizing the Star Guard to maintain control of Flood City. Max just wants to play music in the city orchestra, catch his crush Djinna’s attention, and keep his sister, Yala, from joining the Star Guard. Williams’s distinct voices ensure that shifts in point of view are smooth, and her curious and youthful tone mixed with an intensifying pace keeps listeners on edge as enemies collide and deadly schemes come to light. Narrator P.J. Ochlan delivers articles from the “Flood City Gazette” with deadpan humor. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

2021-02-26
Two siblings must defend the last surviving city on Earth.

Decades ago, humanity was divided into two groups: those who inhabit Flood City—like Max and Yala Salazar—and the Chemical Barons, who ruled over Earth but took off into space when it was devastated by the Floods. Now, the Chemical Barons want to return to Earth, and Mephim, an ArchBaron in the Chemical Dynasty, has a nefarious plan to achieve this. But, when Ato, a young Baron in training, discovers the truth behind a routine reconnaissance mission, he questions his loyalties in the battle between the Barons, the Earthlings, and the Star Guard Conglomerate, peacekeepers and providers of food rations for the people of Flood City. Back on Earth, Yala secretly wants to join the Star Guard and help fight the Chemical Barons even if she doesn’t agree with everything they do—and when the Barons attack, the struggle for survival begins. The cast is diverse, and race is a factor in this world in which predominantly Black and brown people were left behind in Flood City while mostly White people escaped. This element of the story, which parallels real-life environmental inequities, is mentioned in passing as something Baron histories uncomfortably avoid engaging with and that forcibly strikes Ato when he arrives on Earth. Jarring perspective changes keep readers moving through Flood City and its airspace but can be confusing to follow. Older’s signature infusion of fantastical elements into the dystopian environment grounds readers in the characters’ high-stakes challenges.

Action-packed. (Science fiction. 9-12)