A Discovery of Dragons

by Lindsay Galvin

Overview

How to Train Your Dragon meets natural history, with real science, in this story of discovery through one of the lens of one of the most historical voyages in history.

It's 1835. Cabin boy Simon Covington is on the voyage of a lifetime to the Galapagos Islands with the world-famous scientist, Charles Darwin.But when Simon falls overboard during a huge storm, he washes up on an unexplored island. Stranded there, he makes a discovery that could change the world. Now it's not just his own survival at stake - the future of an undiscovered species is in his hands. But perhaps, there's one person who could help...Based on the real events of Charles Darwin's legendary voyage, this is a novel that melds science with wonder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338714463
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	07/06/2021
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Lindsay was lucky enough to be raised in a house of stories, music, and love of the sea. She left part of her heart underwater after living and working in Thailand where she spent hundreds of blissful hours scuba diving. Forced now to surface for breath, she lives in sight of the chillier Sussex sea with her husband and two sons. When she is not writing, she can be found reading, running or practicing yoga. She has a degree in English language and literature, is fascinated by psychology and the natural world, and teaches science. Lindsay hadn’t written creatively since childhood until the idea for her debut novel The Secret Deep splashed into her mind, and now she’s hooked.

Editorial Reviews

2021-05-11
Eleven-year-old Syms Covington is the ship’s fiddler and naturalist Charles Darwin’s assistant as they voyage on the HMS Beagle.

Their journey takes them to the Galápagos Islands, where Darwin finds evidence that leads to his theory of natural selection. While all the characters in the story are based on real people, Galvin spins this historical foundation into an imagined adventure. Rowing back to the Beagle after collecting specimens, Darwin is tossed overboard by a sudden storm. Syms jumps in to save him but is swept away, washing up on another one of the Galápagos Islands, half drowned, with no supplies, and surrounded by empty ocean. Six adventure-filled days later, in which, among other things, Syms is befriended by an intelligent lizard he dubs Farthing and survives a volcanic eruption, he is rescued by the crew of the Beagle. But now Syms has a secret that he tells only Darwin—who doesn’t believe him—and as events transpire, Syms must choose between loyalty to his employer or his principles. Originally released in the United Kingdom as Darwin’s Dragons (2021) with a much more original and appealing cover that better reflects the contents, this terrific novel effectively uses history as a backdrop for both entertaining readers and posing questions about science and society. Characters are cued as White.

A rip-roaring adventure exploring themes of friendship, loyalty, and bravery. (author’s note, list of characters and places, author interview, timeline, reading list) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews