Dactyl Hill Squad (Dactyl Hill Squad #1): Volume 1 - Paperback

by Daniel José Older (Author)

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

It's 1863 and dinosaurs roam the streets of New York as the Civil War rages between raptor-mounted armies down South. Magdalys Roca and her friends from the Colored Orphan Asylum are on a field trip when the Draft Riots break out, and a number of their fellow orphans are kidnapped by an evil magistrate, Richard Riker.Magdalys and her friends flee to Brooklyn and settle in the Dactyl Hill neighborhood, where black and brown New Yorkers have set up an independent community -- a safe haven from the threats of Manhattan. Together with the Vigilance Committee, they train to fly on dactylback, discover new friends and amazing dinosaurs, and plot to take down Riker. Can Magdalys and the squad rescue the rest of their friends before it's too late?

Front Jacket

It's 1863 and dinosaurs roam the streets of New York as the Civil War rages between raptor-mounted armies down South. Magdalys Roca and her friends from the Colored Orphan Asylum are on a field trip when the Draft Riots break out, and a number of their fe

Back Jacket

Praise for Dactyl Hill Squad

"This book is true fire. It is everything I didn't even know I needed." -- Jacqueline Woodson, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

"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

"Older's uprising of sheroes and heroes grips, stomps, and soars from start to finish." -- Rita Williams-Garcia, 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

Author Biography

Daniel José Older has always loved monsters, whether historical, prehistorical, or imaginary. His debut series for young adults, the Shadowshaper Cypher, has earned starred reviews, the International Latino Book Award, and New York Times Notable Book and NPR Best Book of the Year picks, among other accolades. His debut middle-grade series, Dactyl Hill Squad, was named to the New York Times Notable Book list and to the NPR and Washington Post Best Book of the Year lists, among others. He has worked as a bike messenger, a waiter, and a teacher, and was a New York City paramedic for ten years. Daniel splits his time between Brooklyn and New Orleans.