Carmen is a student at Red Assassin School. She's an expert at bladed weapons and poisons; and she's desperate to finish at the top of the class, ahead of her twin brother. The students have been trained to hunt using giant black swans, but Carmen has discovered a dragon. All she has to do is get on his back.

One problem: he's killed everyone who gets near him.

Then the Emperor declares war on assassins. And there might be a traitor among them.

Carmen wants to graduate. But the emperor wants her dead. Her classmates might, too. Graduation night is about to become the fight of her life.

In this heartstopping adventure by Arthur Slade, readers will root for Carmen - an Assassin with a heart of gold, determined to follow her dream against all odds. (From Scholastic Canada)

Arthur Slade is a children's book writer from Saskatchewan. He has written more than 25 books, including The Hunchback Assignments, which won the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award and Dust, which won the Governor General's Literary Award for children's literature — text.