George Goodwin, Dragon Slayer

The world’s most legendary dragon slayer, St. George, gets a bold, modern reimagining in this explosive beginning to the Order of the Dragon Slayer series—launching a ragtag band of Scouts into a hidden world of ancient beasts, buried secrets, and destinies forged in dragon fire.

“Warning: This adventure is full of danger. It’s got dragons and death, coal mines and cold-blooded killers, treasure and true love—the stuff legends are made of. But even more dangerous are the kids in this tale. They’re tough. They’re brave. And they’re exactly the kind of heroes our world needs.” —from the foreword by Chief World Scouting Ambassador Bear Grylls

Everyone in Big Mountain, West Virginia, knows entering the coal mines is strictly forbidden. But twelve-year-old George Goodwin knows something more—deep underground lies a treasure that could save his town and clear his father’s name.

When his Scouting troop heads out for a weekend camping trip, George secretly recruits his best friends, Skunks and Artie, on a quest to find proof. But their plans unravel when they collide with George’s camera-wielding nemesis, Clementine, and her pageant-queen sister, Flo—and the motley crew is pulled into the adventure of a lifetime.

They’ll need every ounce of courage—and every trick in the Scouting handbook—to survive! Collapsing tunnels. Ruthless thieves. Dynamite traps. And a fire-breathing monster with a hunger to devour mankind . . . starting with them!

Full of unexpected thrills, rebellious hope, and laugh-out-loud humor, New York Times bestselling authors Candace Lee and Eric Newman deliver a blazing new adventure starring an unlikely hero who’s about to become the next great legend.

Eric Newman writes big stories for brave hearts. His work spans Emmy-winning TV series, bestselling novels, and feature films, with credits across Disney, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, and Penguin Random House. He served as a writer and executive producer on Bear Grylls’s global adventure series Refugee, Renegade, Redeemer, helped bring The Quest to Disney+, co-wrote the New York Times and USA Today bestseller Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café, and produced more than thirty episodes of the VeggieTales franchise. Along with his fellow Story Slayer, Candace Lee, Eric co-created the Order of the Dragon Slayer series with a bold vision to inspire young men and women to be prepared—mentally, physically, and spiritually—to slay life’s dragons. Eric lives in Oklahoma with his wife, Heather, and their two dragon slayers, Zander and Zelda.

Candace Lee is on a mission to spark wonder—and slay a few dragons along the way—through books, film, TV, and music. Over the past decade, she’s worked as a writer and producer, bringing to life everything from Emmy-winning series for Disney+ to epic concert films with Andrea Bocelli. She’s penned songs for VeggieTales, helped bring Max Lucado’s beloved stories to the big screen, and teamed up with Bear Grylls to deliver daring adventures to a worldwide audience. As a novelist, Candace co-authored the New York Times and USA Today bestseller Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café. Now she’s writing stories for young readers with bold imaginations and courageous hearts. An NYU Tisch alum, Candace calls Tulsa, Oklahoma, home, where she lives with her husband Andrew Carlson, chaplain to first responders and the Oklahoma legislature, and their two young sons, who bring a wealth of story-worthy adventures.