Oppel, Kenneth. Airborn

Oppel, Kenneth. Airborn. HaperCollins, 2004 [0-06-053180-0]
Oppel has created an incredible alternate reality where dirigibles rule the sky of transportation. Matt is a cabin boy on a very elegant one. The book opens with them finding a lone hot air balloonist mumbling about incredible flying creatures that were not birds. He dies on the ship. On a later cruise the granddaughter of this balloonist appears on the ship as a rich passenger and Matt and she get involved in searching for the incredible "cloud cats." To add more excitement, sky pirates raid the ship. This 355 page book is an incredible read and I can't wait to read the follow-up book. This book is a complete story on its own.