The Secret of the Dragon Gems (A Long-distance Friendship Mixed Media Novel)

May 29, 2023
On the last night of summer camp, 11-year-olds Tripti Kapoor and Sam Cohen discover a pair of rocks near the creek, which they name Opal and Jasper in homage to their favorite book series, The Dragon Gems. They keep them as souvenirs to remember each other by before returning to their respective homes in Massachusetts and California. During their regular correspondence via letters, emails, text messages, and video chat they realize that the rocks are acting oddly: moving when no one is looking, becoming “too hot to hold,” and somehow writing coded messages. Interspersed throughout the story are excerpts from the Dragon Gem books, online video transcripts, and journal entries written by the camp’s director, Sanford P. Dilloway III, who’s been keeping tabs on the friends for an unknown reason. In this adroitly crafted epistolary tale, LaRocca (Red, White, and Whole) and Baron (The Gray) explore themes of friendship and connection by way of a drawn-out geological mystery. The pair’s back-and-forth exchanges outline their investigation while also allowing them to share slice-of-life details about Sam’s Jewish background and Tripti’s Indian heritage, particularly through depictions of holiday traditions and food, making this a well-balanced and pleasant adventure. Ages 8–12. Agent: (for LaRocca) Brent Taylor, Triada US; (for Baron) Rena Rossner, Deborah Harris Literary.

June 1, 2023
A suspenseful epistolary novel about two new friends who find some extraordinary rocks. On the last day of their miserable stay at Camp Dilloway, two young campers escape Campfire Night and connect after they find two unusual glowing rocks. Tripti Kapoor, an 11-year-old Indian American girl from Massachusetts, and Sam Cohen, a sixth grade Jewish boy from California, take the rocks home, and their long-distance friendship begins. They call the rocks Opal and Jasper, names taken from their favorite book series, Dragon Gems. Soon, Tripti and Sam notice unusual things about their rocks--they move around, become warm, and even leave coded messages. Communication between the two kids occurs through handwritten letters, emails, video chats, and instant messages. Mixed in are excerpts from the Dragon Gems books, MeTube video transcripts, and journal entries by Sanford P. Dilloway III, an eccentric scientist and the camp's owner. The multiple channels of communication feel current and effectively propel the action, and the scientific information about comets and geology is engaging. As the rocks become more sentient, things become more urgent and dangerous. Themes of estrangement and forgiveness quietly run alongside the excitement of the mystery surrounding Opal and Jasper. Tripti and Sam's friendship authentically traverses the tough and tender waters of middle school, and their friendship proves to be powerful. A strong, suspenseful read about navigating friendship that includes a touch of the extraterrestrial. (Fiction. 8-12)

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July 1, 2023
Grades 3-6 Tripti Kapoor has recently returned home to Massachusetts from a terrible summer camp experience, having made only one new friend while away from home. Tripti met geology-obsessed Sam on the last night, after they both followed shooting-star fragments to a quiet nearby creek and each retrieved one glowing rock to keep. Post-camp, Tripti writes a letter to Sam at his California address to fulfill a class assignment, and as their correspondence continues, it becomes clear that those souvenir rocks are no ordinary stones. They work together from afar to unravel the deepening mystery before another interested party, the delightfully menacing camp director with unclear intentions and a murky past, can interfere. The absorbing adventure is cleverly told through a series of varying media forms, from simple letters, journal entries, and book excerpts to formatted chat services and video transcripts. There are codes to be broken and puzzles aplenty, and the slowly revealed sci-fi elements add real suspense to the proceedings. A modern-day mystery brimming with deep familial bonds, cross-country connections, and lots of magic.

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