Review: Dactyl Hill Squad

Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel José Older
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this is Older's first MG book? Whatever the count of MG books he's got, this one's one of his best by far. It's a concept that's unbelievably imaginative, a historical fantasy centering black and brown kids in 1863 New York, fighting a society that even though there aren't supposed to be slaves in New York, it's still racist af and there's one Magistrate Riker (for whom Rikers Island was not, in fact, named, per Older's author's note) who's looking to capture as many black people as possible and sell them as far south as possible. (And I'm not just talking the Deep South either.) But there's one secret weapon the people of Dactyl Hill can use to really stick it to their white oppressors: dinosaurs. It's perhaps the most unique and unforgettable steampunk twist since Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan trilogy, and for that, I'm here to get this book in the hands of as many kids as possible who cross my path.

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