A Darkness of Dragons (S. A Patrick, 2018)

In a world of dragons, song-spells, pipers and battles... Patch Brightwater is in disgrace. Thrown in jail for playing a forbidden spell, he is no one's idea of a hero. But then he discovers a deadly truth - the evil Piper of Hamelyn is on the loose. With the help of Wren, a girl cursed to live as a rat, and Barver, a fire-breathing dracogriff, Patch must stop the Piper sparking the biggest battle of them all. Three accidental heroes versus one legendary villain...an epic adventure is born. A perfectly pitched fantasy adventure for readers aged 9+ and for fans of The Hobbit and How to Train Your Dragon. It was a Waterstones Children's Book of the Month in 2018.