Marvelous Middle Grade Monday #MMGM Book Review: The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson

Piper is a scrapper; she collects metal and anything the meteor storms bring so she can sell them to make money for food and shelter. She’s been all alone since her father died working in a factory. When Piper goes out one night, to rescue a friend who shouldn’t be out in the meteor storm, she stumbles upon a caravan and a girl who seems injured and barely alive. Under Piper’s care the girl comes back to life and doesn’t seem to remember who she is or where she’s from. But she has the Mark of the Dragonfly, which means she is under the king’s protection. Only very important people have the tattoo.  When a strange man comes to Piper’s house asking for Anna things become more complicated. Anna is terrified of the man and keeps calling him the wolf. With some tricky maneuvering Anna and Piper make an escape and hop aboard the 401 train. Piper figures if she can get Anna back to the king she may get a reward that will give her enough to live on for the rest of her life. The security guard, G, nearly throws them off the train, but is stopped by the sight of Anna’s tattoo. They’re allowed to stay on the train. But their struggles aren’t over and the dangers are real. From people trying to kidnap them to the strange man hot on their heels, things have more twists and turns than Piper ever could’ve thought possible. Will Piper and Anna be able to out run the man? Will Anna ever remember who she is? And how will Piper deal with everything when she finds out the truth about Anna?

I have had The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson on my list of books to read for a long time! I am so glad I finally got to it because it was a fantasy story that I absolutely loved. The world Piper lives in is filled with interesting beings and magic. The adventure made the story exciting and I never knew exactly what to expect. I really liked Piper because she had a good heart and gave people a chance. I could easily see why Piper wanted to take care of Anna and their bond was very sweet. I liked seeing how G and Piper developed a respect for each other and a deep friendship. It was a unique blend of items and ideas from long ago, ones from present times, and things from the future as well. I would recommend this book to people in fourth grade and up who enjoy fantasy, dystopian, adventure, and a little sci-fi as well. This is the first book in the trilogy, and now I know I’ll be looking for the second and third book! I can’t wait to see what new adventures await them.

Has anyone else read The Mark of the Dragonfly? Or have you read another book by Jaleigh Johnson? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!

~L

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