Patrick J.'s Pick: The Dark Planet, by Patrick Carman (YA)
Synopsis:
It has been a year since Edgar and his friends, Samuel and Isabel, saved everyone from the dramatic changes on Atherton. Now, just as everyone thought things were settling down, Edgar decides to journey to the Dark Planet (a.k.a. extremely polluted Earth) to discover more about his creator (his father, as Edgar refers to him), Dr. Max Harding. There, he discovers new friends and a strict commander and soldiers. And just as Edgar and his new friends try to escape, everything takes a turn for the worst--a war between two of Dr. Harding's most feared creatures.
Patrick J. says: The Dark Planet is an excellent mix of fantasy and science fiction. Though the whole idea of a dragon living underground and giant lizards with horns like a rhino fighting 6-legged lions with teeth like saber-tooth tigers is all fantasy, the idea of an environmentally-destroyed world and new, deadly, scientifically-made creatures finishing off the survivors of the people who made them could happen if we aren't careful. I would recommend this book to anyone 10+, since there are a few scary parts.