The Secret of the Dragon Gems

Rajani LaRocca · Chris Baron

Aga 2023 · Penguin Random House Audio · Kuchazwe ngu-Reena Dutt, Mark Sanderlin, Jason Culp, Vivienne Leheny, Nicky Endres, ne-Suzanne Toren

Mayelana nale audiobook

Co-written by Newbery-honor winning author Rajani LaRocca and Chris Baron, this page-turning novel is told through letters, e-mails, instant messages, and video chats between camp friends Tripti and Sam over their shared love of a book series and some mysterious rocks they brought home from summer camp.

Eleven-year-olds Tripti Kapoor, a feisty "word nerd" from Massachusetts, and Sam Cohen, a shy, imaginative, budding geologist from California, are both miserable at Camp Dilloway, a summer camp in upstate New York. On the last night of camp, they follow a shooting star to a quiet creek. There they find two silvery rocks glowing in the night. They each take one home, and their long-distance friendship begins.

It's soon clear that these are no ordinary rocks. They seem to move on their own, get strangely hot, and even take over Tripti and Sam's thoughts! Inspired by their mutual love of their favorite book series, The Dragon Gems, they dub the rocks Opal and Jasper, after the Dragon Gems in the books.

But others are interested in the stones too--including the owner of Camp Dilloway, who hides a secret of his own. Tripti and Sam must crack the Dragon Gems' code and keep them out of Dilloway's clutches, all while navigating the rocky road of middle school friendships and learning to stand up for what is right.

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Chris Baron is a middle grade author and Professor of English at San Diego City College. He grew up in New York City, but he completed his MFA in Poetry in 1998 at SDSU. Find him online at www.chris-baron.com.

Rajani LaRocca is a picture book and middle grade author. Rajani was born in India, immigrated to the U.S. when she was a baby, and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, she practices medicine and lives outside Boston with her family. Find her online at www.rajanilarocca.com.