Exciting new middle grade urban Home isn't where you're placed. It's what you protect.
Fourteen-year-old Magnus has always felt like he was "borrowed", an extra piece in a world that doesn’t quite have a place for him. Standing six-foot-two and weighing over two hundred pounds, he is too big to ignore yet somehow remains invisible to everyone except his only friend.
But the world Magnus knows is beginning to crack. It starts with small a shadow that doesn't line up, a whisper where no one is standing, and a strange little man by the school bike racks who claims to be a gnome. While others walk by obliviously, Magnus can see through the "glamour" to the ancient, magical layer of reality hidden beneath the mundane.
When Magnus and Mallory are thrust into a world of Magic creatures, and hunted by a secret organization known as The Order, Magnus hunts the truth behind his own origins. Is he just a misplaced foster kid; surrounded by the disposable, the damaged, and the disrespected.
As an ancient struggle resurfaces, Magnus must to try to stay hidden and safe, or embrace the path he was born with to protect the only family he has ever known.
In a world that fears what it cannot control, Magnus must decide if he will be its destruction—or its last hope.
Jeremy Scholz is a writer, educator, and lifelong storyteller. From his early days sketching comic books in middle school to writing poetry and lyrics in high school, Jeremy has always been driven by the need to create. Whether through art, music, photography, or fiction, storytelling remains his truest passion.
Before entering the world of publishing, Jeremy spent 25 years as a science teacher, where he inspired curiosity and creativity in his students. He was named County Teacher of the Year during his fifth year in the classroom, and he continues to bring that same energy and imagination to his writing.
Later in life, Jeremy was diagnosed with ADHD and dysgraphia, an experience that unlocked decades of untamed creativity and explained the challenges he had faced in school and writing. With the help of treatment, the characters and worlds that had long lived in his mind finally found their way onto the page.
His writing blends depth, heart, and raw authenticity, often drawing from his diverse life experiences, from working blue-collar jobs to studying organizational behavior to navigating the world through the lens of neurodivergence.
Jeremy is currently writing fiction that explores resilience, identity, and transformation, often set in immersive, emotionally rich worlds. He lives in Arizona and continues to teach and write, passionate about connecting with readers of all ages.
Sometimes finding home isn't about where you belong. It's about who you refuse to leave behind.
Magnus and the Last Dragon by Jeremy D. Scholz was such a fun fantasy adventure, but underneath all the dragons, fairies, giants, battles, and hidden magical worlds is a surprisingly heartfelt story about belonging, friendship, courage, and chosen family.
Magnus is a foster child who has spent much of his life feeling like he doesn't quite belong anywhere. Mallory carries her own fears and insecurities, and together they find themselves pulled into a world of magical creatures hiding in plain sight.
What begins with seeing strange beings that shouldn't be there eventually grows into something much bigger. There are dragons, fairies, giants, centaurs, magical sanctuaries, ancient strongholds, battles, and an organization called the Order that captures supernatural creatures and uses their power.
But for me, the heart of the story wasn't the battles.
It was home.
One of the ideas that stayed with me was:
“Home isn’t where you’re placed. It’s what you protect.”
That really captures what this book is about.
Magnus has experienced the uncertainty of being placed into homes, but the story gradually challenges the idea that home is simply somewhere you're sent. Through Magnus, Mallory, and the magical beings they come to care about, home becomes something they build through loyalty, trust, protection, and love.
I especially loved the chosen family element.
The relationships with Ripple, B3, Carillisa, Gaia, and the others show that family doesn't always come from blood. Sometimes family is the person who stays. Sometimes it's the person who comes back for you. And sometimes it's the person who looks at you when you're convinced you're alone and says, essentially, you're one of us now.
That idea is beautifully captured in the promise:
“You’re our family; we will always come for you.”
That might be one of the biggest takeaways from the book for me: you don't have to earn your right to belong by being perfect, powerful, or fearless. Sometimes belonging begins when someone chooses you—and you choose them back.
I also appreciated that the villains weren't simply evil for the sake of being evil. Their motivations and histories give the conflict more substance, and the Order's treatment of magical creatures creates an interesting contrast with Magnus and Mallory's growing willingness to protect beings who are different from themselves.
There are some wonderful messages here about compassion and responsibility. The creatures aren't simply magical obstacles or sources of power. They have their own lives and value, and the story asks what we're willing to do when protecting someone vulnerable requires us to take a risk.
The world-building was another highlight for me. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the magical settings and creatures, and the introduction of the centaur herd was one of the moments where I could really picture myself inside the world.
There were a few loose ends and things I would have liked to see developed further, but they didn't take away from my overall enjoyment. I also would have loved a little more playful banter and relationship development between Magnus and Mallory. Their connection is important to the story, but I sometimes wanted more of those lighter moments between them.
Still, this was a fun, imaginative, heartfelt adventure with a message that reaches beyond the fantasy.
What I took away from this book:
🏠 Home can be something you build, not somewhere you're placed. ❤️ Family can be chosen. 🛡️ Protecting someone vulnerable is an act of courage. 🫶 Belonging can come from the people who choose to stay. 🐉 Being different doesn't make someone less worthy of compassion. 🌱 Courage isn't the absence of fear—it's deciding someone matters enough to act anyway.
If you enjoy urban fantasy, magical creatures, chosen family, coming-of-age adventures, and stories about finding where you belong, this is a fun one to pick up.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A creative fantasy adventure with a big heart—and a reminder that sometimes the family we choose becomes the home we've been looking for all along.
Tropes / Themes: 🐉 Magical creatures ✨ Hidden magical world 🏠 Found/Chosen family 🫶 Belonging & acceptance 👫 Friendship 💫 Coming of age 🧙♀️ Fairies & giants 🐎 Centaurs 🐲 Dragons ⚔️ Fantasy adventure 🛡️ Protecting the vulnerable 🏫 School setting 🌎 Urban fantasy ❤️ First love 👁️ Outcast protagonist 🎭 Good vs. evil 🌱 Courage & personal growth
Jeremy D. Scholz’s Magnus and the Last Dragon is a contemporary young adult fantasy centered on Magnus, a foster child who has spent much of his life feeling misplaced. His friendship with Mallory, another teenager carrying private fears and family wounds, gives the story its emotional foundation. When the pair begin seeing magical beings hidden within the ordinary world, they’re drawn into a conflict involving dragons, fairies, giants, and the Order, an organization that captures supernatural creatures and harvests their power. The novel combines a coming-of-age story with an expanding fantasy adventure, moving from school hallways and city streets to ancient sanctuaries, mountain strongholds, and large-scale battles.
Magnus and Mallory are most compelling when their supernatural experiences reflect their personal struggles. Magnus’s foster care history has taught him to expect every home to be temporary, while Mallory wrestles with anger, vulnerability, and the fear that she’ll never be enough. Their loyalty provides stability when the world around them becomes increasingly dangerous. The book’s guiding idea appears in its opening declaration: “Home isn’t where you’re placed. It’s what you protect.” That theme develops through the relationships the characters build with Ripple, B3, Carillisa, Gaia, and the other magical beings they encounter. Home gradually becomes an act of commitment.
The novel’s fantasy elements grow steadily in scale, beginning with strange figures that only Magnus can see and developing into an organized campaign against magical life. Sorren and the Order bring a calculated form of danger to the story because they treat living creatures as resources to be collected and consumed. Against that cruelty, the novel emphasizes compassion, responsibility, and the value of protecting those who are vulnerable. Some of its strongest scenes place the characters under emotional pressure rather than relying only on physical conflict, particularly when Mallory considers sacrificing herself to save Gaia. Even during the climactic confrontations, the central question remains personal: what are Magnus and Mallory willing to risk for the family they’ve chosen?
Magnus and the Last Dragon is a story about young people transforming isolation into belonging. Its accessible prose, brisk chapters, imaginative creatures, and clear moral stakes make it well suited to middle-grade and younger young adult readers, while its treatment of foster care, insecurity, grief, and chosen family gives the adventure emotional substance. The rescue of Ripple distills the novel’s values into Mallory’s promise, “You’re our family; we will always come for you.” By the end, the novel has a satisfying resolution that remains faithful to its central theme.
I am so happy to have won Magnus And The Last Dragon by Jeremy D. Scholz as an ARC from publisher MOXIE Books. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
There is so much mythology, lore and all the magical creatures all throughout this story. Magnus and Mallory both were having a hard time in their young lives, but they were friends and were there for each other. On one seemingly ordinary day at school, strange things just started happening…and so the adventures began. Ups and downs and some twists, all filled with emotion, humor, love, insatiable wanting of powers through violence and intimidation, with strong bonds and found family all fighting for the things they believe in and love.
I would recommend this story for anyone who likes and enjoys fantasy, mythology, lore and adventure. Even though this is a middle grade book, it’s a great story with lessons and messages that are for younger as well as older readers. I loved all the characters and I didn’t know how much I was really going to like this book, it actually is one of my favorites.
It is a deeply heartwarming, high stakes fantasy adventure that touches on themes far beyond standard quest stories. At its core, the novel follows fourteen year old Magnus, a foster kid who has spent his entire life feeling misplaced and trying hard not to take up too much room. What makes Jeremy D. Scholz’s storytelling so compelling is how seamlessly he weaves themes of belonging, quiet vulnerability, and foundational self acceptance into an action filled fantasy world. Magnus’s dynamic with his friend Mallory and the displaceable creatures he meets along his journey gives the story incredible emotional depth. You really feel his growth as he learns that home isn't just a place where you're put, but something you actively stand up and fight to protect. The balance between magical world building and character driven heart makes this an absolute gem for middle grade and young adult fantasy readers alike. If you enjoy stories with genuine character growth, memorable creatures, and high emotional resonance, this book is well worth the read!
Wow! What a fun ride this was! This is what you get when a poet at heart writes a fantasy adventure novel. The storyline was creative and unique. There were some holes and unfinished business that was never tied up but it didnt take away from the enjoyment overall. I love the chosen family trope. I wouldve loved to see some playful and clever banter between Magnus and Mallory however the poetic prose turned sentences were more focused on the journey and not their relationship solely. I enjoyed the villains and it felt like there was enough information to truly show what their motivations were and how they came to be. The scenes were set so eloquently and I felt as if I was there especially when the story introduced the centaur herd. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot and it was well written.
Magnus and the Last Dragon is an engaging fantasy adventure that combines magic, friendship, danger, and emotional character development. I particularly enjoyed Magnus’s journey as he discovers more about his identity, his family, and where he truly belongs. The relationships between Magnus, Mallory, B3, Ripple, and the other characters added a lot of heart to the story. The conflict with the Order also kept the story exciting, especially toward the later chapters. I think some parts could have benefited from slower pacing and more development of the secondary characters, but overall, I found the story enjoyable and meaningful. The message about finding family, accepting yourself, and standing by the people you love was one of the strongest parts of the book. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy fantasy stories with adventure and emotional themes.
I actually enjoyed this book. It took me a little while to get fully into the story, but once Magnus started discovering that there was a lot more going on around him, I was interested.
I liked Magnus and Mallory's friendship the most. Their relationship felt like an important part of the story, especially with everything they were dealing with. I also liked the different magical creatures and the idea of a hidden magical world existing alongside the normal one.
There were some emotional parts too, especially towards the end, and I liked the theme of finding a place where you actually belong. The ending was satisfying and brought things together nicely.
Overall, it's a fun fantasy read with magic, dragons, action and friendship. I’d recommend it if you enjoy an easy-to-follow fantasy adventure with a lot of different characters and creatures.
This gripping middle-grade urban fantasy redefines the meaning of home. Fourteen-year-old Magnus is an outcast who sees through the magical glamour hiding ancient creatures from the world. When a secret organization targets Magnus and his friend Mallory, they are thrust into a hidden, dangerous reality. The story expertly balances high-stakes action with a deep, emotional search for belonging. Magnus is a powerful, memorable protagonist. A thrilling, must-read adventure about choosing to protect your found family
Magnus and his friend Mallory feel the evil in the form of a secret organization, around them. The two 14 year olds, both orphans, learn that there are magical creatures everywhere and that all magical creatures are in danger. They end up running from the evil. Along the way they collect a giant, a centaur, and a fairy. Together they form a family by choice and work together to fight the evil. This is a great story for young teens. It is fast moving, well written, and contains elements of insecurities that many of this age group can relate to.
Magnus and Mallory are two fourteen-year-old orphans who share a chilling realization: a sinister, secret organization is closing in on them.
On the run, Magnus and Mallory cross paths with an unlikely trio: a giant, a centaur, and a fairy. Together, this mismatched group forms a powerful found family, uniting their unique strengths to fight back against the darkness.
This is a fantastic story for young teens. Fast-paced and experly written, it brilliantly captures the relatable insecurities of navigating adolescence, making it a compelling, heartfelt adventure from start to finish.
I really loved this story because it combined a mixture of adventure, fantasy, and feelings in a way that kept me interested from beginning to end. Magnus was like a real character, and I liked watching him grow alot more confident as he uncovered the truth about himself. The magical world was imaginative, and the mystery made me want to keep turning the pages. I think it's a great read for anyone who enjoys fantasy, found-family stories, and exciting adventures. I hope a sequel or another book like this comes along.
This was a very sweet story of first love mixed in with the amazing fantasy fiction. The characters came to life with this writers description and world building. There was a strong conflict and overall story line that did not leave me wishing it was more detailed. I was not ready for this book to end, as I was very invested in the characters outcomes. I definitely recommend and can't wait to read more from this author.
This middle grade tale of 2 fourteen year olds discovering a magical world exists and the secret organization that is threatening the creatures of that world is intriguing and exciting. The story redefines what home and family really mean to Magnus and Mallory, as they collect a variety of new friends during their journey.
If you're looking for next adventure about found family this is a shoe-in.
One word comes to mind after reading Magnus and The Last Dragon and that is WOW!!!! The characters are so well written and I love the ones that Magnus and Mallory pick up along the way. At the beginning Magnus and Mallory only have each other but in the end they have built a family. It has everything in it, mystery, humor, twist and turns. It was hard to put this book down and I was sad to get to the end and yet satisfied. This book is definitely worth the read.
What a wonderful story, the cast of character while flawed each in their own way. Learn to trust each others and make each other whole. While B3 was by far my favorite, Mallory, Carillisa and Ripple were so sweet in their interactions. I would recommend Magnus and the Last Dragon to all Jr High readers, but i think adults would enjoy it too.
I had a difficult time getting into this book. It was a very slow start. I normally give up after chapter 4, but Mallory's character is what had me pushing through. I needed to know if her and Magnus finally expressed their feelings. About chapter 8 it finally started picking up. I'm glad I pushed through. It was a good story. Probably not a book I would pick up again.
I had such a fun time reading this book, I want a friend group like Magnus. I was cheering them on the whole way. I love that each character had their own hurt. Always there for each other, pulled at my heartstrings.
This was a new author for me and I am so glad I picked up this book. I couldnt put it down. The world building was so vivid and the interactions so natural. I am looking forward to read more of this author.
love how the story handles its central themes with genuine compassion, family isn’t simply a matter of blood, and being different doesn’t mean you’re broken. The climactic sacrifices give the story real emotional weight, while the ending delivers a satisfying sense of home.
What a wild ride, form the moment I started, I couldn't put it down. I felt for these kids, nonstop adventure and danger behind every tree. I want Ripple as a friend, lol. Highly recommend.
The story flows nicely and is very relatable to outsiders like me. I think this is a really good book for a young audience. Takes me back to my middle school days.