The Kingdom Keepers

Kingdom Keepers Disney After Dark (Book #1)

Ever wondered what happens at Walt Disney World after the park is closed for the night?
The Kingdom Keepers series by Ridley Pearson follows the adventures of five Florida teens who find this out in the most unusual of ways. After signing up to become DHI (Disney Host Interactive) for the park, these five find out that now when they go to sleep, they visit the park after dark.
Sounds cool, huh? All the rides to yourself and no one around!
But as Finn, Philby, Maybeck, Willa, and Charlene find out, there's trouble lurking in the dark. It's up to them to solve the fable left behind by Walt Disney in order to help. Animatronics from the rides have come to life; freak events and accidents have occurred outside the park, and as an older Imaginer named Wayne tells them, this is the fault of the Overtakers.
Disney World is about believing in the magic, but when you believe in it- that makes it real. So over the years, the belief in the evil of the park (Disney villains and the baddies of the rides) has given them power. And now, like all great evils, the Overtakers are out to control the park and then expand their empire from there.
Finn, as the leader of the five, finds himself caught in a whirlwind of mysteries. Who are these two girls, Amanda and Jez, and can they be trusted? What does the fable of the Stonecutters Quill have to tell them about the mysteries of the park? And how can they stop the Overtakers before they get even more powerful?
As someone who's been to the parks many times, I couldn't put this book down! Pearson really did his research on the parks and their history. It all felt very realistic despite being an amazing fantasy tale. Labeled a Juvenile Fiction or Young Adult book, I feel like this book is truly for anyone who loves Disney magic and a good, well-written mystery.


Kingdom Keepers Disney at Dawn (Book # 2)

The Overtakers?

Yep. The Overtakers are the animations and fantasies that Walt Disney created through the films and theme parks. The Overtakers want to take over the Disney theme parks and turn them into their own evil kingdoms.

There is not much written about Walt Disney World that follows a fantasy format and there is very little that is written that is based in fiction. The Kingdom Keepers series is aimed squarely at the tween and teen audiences, adding another niche that it fills.

In the second volume of the series, the Kingdom Keepers must rescue two of their own while deciphering the clues left behind by the enigmatic Imagineer named Wayne (who is a no-so-subtle nod to Walt Disney) and one of their new found friends, Jez. The sisters, Amanda and Jez are fairlies and add some interesting twists to the story. Jez has been captured by the Overtakers and is being held hostage in the Animal Kingdom, leaving additional clues four our band of holographic heroes. The crux of the story is trying to discover who is running the Overtakers and what their plans are for the animals from the theme park.


Kingdom Keepers Disney in Shadow (Book # 3)

In this third installment of the Kingdom Keepers Series, we are reunited with the Kingdom Keepers, a group of teenagers who are fighting the Overtakers, a group of malicious Disney characters, bent on taking over not only the Disney theme parks, but the whole world.
As we join the Kingdom Keepers, we discover that Wayne, the imagineer responsible for creating many of the Disney landmark attractions and creator of the Kingdom Keepers, is missing.   And not only does the team need to find Wayne, but there is something major happening over at EPCOT, and the team needs to figure out what the Overtakers are up to, and how to defeat them!
The most fascinating aspect of the Kingdom Keepers series, and Disney in Shadow is no exception, is that Ridley Pearson is given unlimited access to the Disney parks.  And that give this series facts and information that normal Disney fans cannot experience.  And he weaves those facts into each book so that the reader gets to experience Disney in a new and exciting way.


Kingdom Keepers Power Play  (Book # 4)

When you're reading Kingdom Keepers 4: Power Play, I advise you to keep reading, right through the very end, playing close attention to the novel's final pages. Not that you'll want to put the novel down. For, the 4th installment in Ridley Pearson's enormously popular series is far and away the best yet. But it is that final page, just a simple line spoken by a well known character, that changes everything. Like Ive been saying for the last three reviews, its a great read for all ages. As I said earlier the last line really does change everything which makes me believe that there will be another book. Maybe on the Disney cruise line??? Well i guess we will find out soon!



Kingdom Keepers Shell Game (Book # 5)

As the five Kingdom Keepers enter high school, everything is about to change. The Maintenance Base that controls all four parks in Disney World is under attack by the Overtakers, a group determined to change Disneyforever. Relationships between the Keepers are no longer as simple as they once were. In fact, nothing is as simple as it once was.

 

An after-hours visit to Typhoon Lagoon is a game changer. The Keepers lose one of their most valuable supporters. But there's work to do . . .

The Disney Dream leaves Port Canaveral on an historic cruise to Los Angeles with a special treat in store for guests: the Disney Host Interactive guides are on board. Finn, Maybeck, Charlene, Willa, and Philby join guests as the DHI experience moves to one of the most advanced cruise ships in the world.

But all is not right below decks. Strange things are happening. Only the Kingdom Keepers know the truth behind their invitation to be in attendance: nearly every Disney villain is aboard the ship, including Maleficent. The Overtakers have infiltrated the cast and crew. And no oneknows what they have planned.

The Dream sets sail filled with enthusiastic guests and crew. But not for long. Maleficent takes over a video screen and warns the guests of trouble to come. With the ship arriving to the beaches of Castaway Cay--its first of many exotic ports of call--the Kingdom Keepers are under attack; back home the Base is threatened and about to fall. The Overtakers have expanded in ways never foreseen, and it's clear they intend to use this element of surprise to accomplish what has eluded them so far: victory.

But not if Finn Whitman and friends have anything to say about it.