Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley

Jake lives at the Institute, a national park/reserve for dragons. Like everyone who lives or visits the Institute, however, the closest he's ever come to a dragon is the lizards in the Institute's zoo. But on his first solo visit out into the reserve (away from all the tourists), Jake sees his first dragon. She's dying. A poacher killed her while she was in the midst of giving birth, but one of her babies is still alive.

Too bad for Jake that it's illegal to help a dragon live. If anyone finds out he's raising a baby dragon, he'll be thrown in jail for life. Lois, the baby dragon, has the odds stacked against her, too. Even if Jake can raise her to adulthood, the dead poacher's grieving parents are lobbying to have all dragons in the country exterminated.

I adore Robin McKinley, but if an audiobook's narrator sucks, it doesn't matter how amazing a book it is. A bad narrator can destroy a good book. Noah Galvin's youthful voice was perfect for the book, and his narration was spot on.

Robin McKinley is a master at breathing new life into old tropes. This boy and his dragon story is well worth the listen. Suggest to fantasy lovers, and fans of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series or Christopher Paolini.