Reading this book gave me a heavy sense of deja vu which means I have either read the book before and don't remember or it was very similar to something else I had read. Either way, not one of my favorites. ( )

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. ( )

Steampunk fantasy for middle schoolers. Awesome and amazing. Jaleigh Johnson has written a wonderful adventure about a young female orphan named Piper, whose world consists of scavenging (a scrapper) and fixing broken machines, a special gift. Piper rescues a strange, young girl from a strange caravan during a meteor storm. Anna has a dragonfly tattoo denoting protection of the southern King intent on hegemony. Piper and Anna flee someone supposedly trying to "help" Anna, jumping on an archaic supply train (the 417.) Piper and Anna form a deep sisterlike bond, which revelations about who and what they are cannot break. With the help of a magical boy (Gee), a chamelin who can shape shift, they battle marauders and Anna's benefactor. Great characters, despite their human flaws, true fellowship and camaraderie. As the old ad slogan said: "Try it, you'll like it." ( )

Beautiful book. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a movie about it.

Enjoyable reading that will take you to a different kind of world. Some themes are similar to our nowadays struggles in finding our place in this world. Sometimes being gifted is not everything. We need to break through the chains of our minds and find our keep as well, be confident of our capabilities and skills.

Piper, Anna and Gee will take you to discover this and more. This book can teach a lot, prejudice, power struggle, doubts, anger, fear, hope, friendship, family, love and much more. Interesting and outstanding characters.

I will keep this book. The cover is so beautiful and well made.

Great job Jaleigh Johson.

Thank you. ( )

Very good