Impossible Creatures meets The Mysterious Benedict Society in this epic, fast-paced upper-middle grade fantasy full of dragon-like creatures, heroic hijinks, battle-forged friendships, and sharp humor.
One early October night, an unlikely pair meet under extraordinary circumstances...
Twelve-year-old Eva is a wealthy chemistry student who unwittingly comes into possession of a dead man's treasure, a rare aerimander egg. And Dusty is a bold and desperate orphan who's tasked to steal it for the Thieves' Union. Most people believe aerimanders are extinct, so the egg may be more valuable than gold. Once fully grown, these dragon-like creatures breathe deadly flame that can level entire cities and destroy world orders.
Initially at odds, Eva and Dusty must come together to navigate sinister crime organizations, an elite boarding school, and a rogue scientist to keep the creature out of the wrong hands – that of power-hungry Eoin Parnassus, Director of Kingdom Secrets. As this duo races against time, their fates and that of the whole kingdom are at stake. Because none of them know the answer to the question they're all asking: What happens when the egg hatches?
The Aerimander is an action-packed fantasy adventure about a powerful magical creature, those who would seek to exploit it, and those who are willing to protect it at all cost. This book is the first of a planned duology -- the second installment takes flight in Fall 2026! Lily Dodd is a California-born, Brooklyn-based writer. In 2022, she graduated from Yale University, where she was a recipient of the Theron Rockwell Field Prize. Her previously published work includes Search and Rescue, a novella produced for Audible. When not writing, she works in education, including with the literary nonprofit Writers and Artists Across the Country, which sends children's and YA authors and illustrators to under-resourced schools. The Aerimander is her debut novel.
