The main character, Magdalys Roca, lives at the Colored Children's Orphanage in New York City during the Civil War. During a trip to the theater, Magdalys begins to suspect that she can communicate with the dinosaurs that New Yorkers use as messengers and transportation. This secret skill becomes more and more important as slavers attempt to kidnap the orphans and angry New Yorkers take out their frustrations about the Civil War on citizens of color.
It took awhile to build the background. Magdalys' missing siblings, her relationships with the other orphans, the network of adults and teens who work to reclaim kidnapped children, and the ways that dinosaurs helped and worked for humans - these are all pieces that must be fit together while the story moves along.
But once those pieces fall into place, this is a rollicking good tale with action, tween angst and obstinacy, twists and lots and lots of bad guys!
I mean - dinosaurs? and kids? and flying? and good vs evil? It's all in here, along with some awesome historical perspective on race and racism.
I read the ARC. Older references real Civil War battles and racial strife. I hope the book adds some references to explain the historical events in the book.
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