Under the Serpent Sea

The Secrets of Droon #12

by Tony Abbott

When Eric dreams about Keeah and the sea witch Demither visiting his house, he and his friends return to Droon to discover that Demither is stirring up trouble for Keeah, and that their old enemy Lord Sparr may be behind it all.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Adventure, Juvenile, Middle Grade, Chapter Books

112 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

Tony Abbott (born 1952) is an American author of children's books. His most popular work is the book series The Secrets of Droon, which includes over 40 books. He has sold over 12 million copies of his books and they have been translated into several other languages, including Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. He has also written the bestseller Firegirl.

Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952. His father was a university professor and had an extensive library of books which became one of Abbott's first sources of literature. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Connecticut where he went through elementary school and high school.

Abbott attended the University of Connecticut, and after studying both music and psychology, decided to study English and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in English literature. He attended the workshops of Patricia Reilly Giff to further develop his writing after college.

Abbott currently lives in Trumbull, Connecticut, with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. Tony had one brother and two sisters.

Reviews

[Mosy · Rating 3 out of 5]

خب تو این جلد چند تا نکته و سرنخ از کتاب های قبلی رو بالاخره به یه جایی رسوند و ازش یه داستان جالب درآورد و جلد جالبی بود نسبت به کل سری. خصوصا جمله آخر کتاب یه تعلیق عالی برای مخاطب ایجاد میکنه که سریع تر جلد بعدی رو بخونه.

[William Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing my quest to read all 44 Droon books this month...a series I first started in 4th grade , but never finished! Now, at age 30, I am revisiting this series from my childhood.

This book was one of the most interesting yet in the series. Even for a series aimed at young children, the story has some fun and unexpected twists and turns. This book reveals some surprising history about the sea witch , Demither, and her relation to Queen Relna (and the villain Lord Sparr!)

I feel this series reads a lot like half hour episodes of a kids tv series. Each book has its own plot that resolves by the end, but there is an overall story developing across the whole series. While some entries do not further the overall story as much, I prefer entries such as this one that provide backstory about the characters , and reveal secrets about the overall storyline.

[Harold Ogle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A particularly enjoyable Droon read. Under the Serpent Sea reveals a number of character elements, with the Sea Witch Demither, Queen Relna, Lord Sparr, Eric, and Princess Keeah all getting interesting development. In a way, it's the conclusion of a minor story arc which has been building for some time, and at the same time it's just a beat in the larger story. Demither's character is changed the most, but we know that there's more to come and there's more mystery with Eric and Keeah.

Eric dreams, but not of Droon. No, instead he dreams of his childhood, when he witnessed Demither and Keeah emerging from the basement into his house. They crept upstairs, Demither gave Keeah her witch powers, and together they flew off to conceal something. Eric is puzzled, but then the kids all go to Droon, finding themselves in Jaffa City during a terrible storm. They go to Galen's tower, and the gang's all there. Demither is creating the storm, so Galen sends them with Friddle to the Serpent Sea. Galen tells them that he and Max must not encounter Demither, for fear of their magic being subverted. Friddle has crafted weighted belts and breathing helmets, so the kids can sink and breathe underwater in order to walk to Demither's underwater lair. Friddle flies them in a dragonfly-like plane powered by blue Yip-yips (think tribbles) to the center of the hurricane. On the way, Friddle warns them to look out for Galen and Max in disguise; they may not be able to resist trying to tag along, even though they're not supposed to do so. Friddle advises them to just "bop Galen on the nose" if the kids see him. They see a vast dark fleet in the distance, sailing through the hurricane. Then the kids base jump from the plane into the ocean and sink to the bottom. While they walk to Demither's underwater dome, Julie is snatched by a clownish looking eel creature. She laughs, thinking it's Galen, and hammers it on its big red nose. It flees, injured. That Galen, the kids say, shaking their heads. In the dome, Keeah confronts Demither, who is looking aggrieved and somewhat withered. Turns out she took the Red Eye of Dawn to weaken Lord Sparr, but it is cursed with an evil spirit named Om, and its foul energy is draining her. Keeah goes to duel Demither, but her porpoise mother Queen Relna appears and joins in the narrative. Demither is her sister, and she's not evil, just trying to fight it. Demither and Relna work together to stop Lord Sparr's fleet from entering the dome while they send Keeah - the only one who can do the job, by virtue of her twin magics - to seal Om and the Red Eye of Dawn behind the Doom Gate. The kids race down to the Doom Gate, behind which is a series of three chambers. In the first ice chamber, Neal is turned into a turtle (although it sounds more like a tortoise, since he walks around). In the second jungle chamber, Julie is changed into a fire breathing snake. In the third chamber, Keeah has to walk across a perilous bridge (with a drop into nothingness) to get to the trap door for sealing Om. Fierce winds come up and blow Keeah off the bridge, but Eric saves her. In doing so, Eric plummets into the nothing. Keeah instinctively uses her magic and rescues him, and they fight toward the trap door. The whole time, Om is tempting them both. To Keeah he promises untold riches and power, but to Eric he tells of an object that Keeah and Demither hid in the Upper World seven years earlier...and Om foretells that Eric will fetch it for Lord Sparr. Together Eric and Keeah open the trap door and plunge Om and the Red Eye into containment. The Ninn army fights down to the Doom gate just as the kids emerge, and they use the rocket propulsion on their belts to escape their enemies. In the throne room, they find Demither being re-transformed by Lord Sparr (off stage) into a sea monster. She entreats Keeah for aid, and together they work the spell to free Relna from her curse. Then Demither becomes Sparr's again as the eel creature arrives, the Ninns grab Demither in their nets, and they all flee. Relna, Keeah and the kids float up to Friddle, who flies them back to the rainbow stairs. As they climb the stairs, Eric notices that his fingers are sparking blue with wizard magic.

[Kira Nerys · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series holds up surprisingly well when you're decades too old for it. What a great introduction to fantasy. I used to love The Secrets of Droon, but I never got to the end of it, so it's amusing to re-visit. This volume vibrates with energy and adventure as the four friends dive to the bottom of the ocean to face Demither--with Sparr's red Ninns hot on their tail!

I've been re-reading things my 5-year-old cousin might enjoy, and at this age, I prefer this to the A to Z Mysteries (The Absent Author) and Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain (The Book of Three) series. Perhaps I actually will try to get to the end of these 36 (44?) volumes--I've read through the early 20s before, and anyway, it'll up my reading challenge! Perhaps I'll simply recommend it to every parent of little kids I come across.

[Kryssy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was so fun! So many things revealed, questions answered, forshadowing!!

I can’t help but continue to think of something that was never explained and happened similarly in Narnia: if the kids can be in Droon for a whole day and have no time pass, then why does it seem only a day passed in Droon while the kids were gone when it takes at least until the next day for them to return to Droon? Hmm… does time speed up and slow down?

- Erik’s dream… a memory of keeah visiting?
- Demither is using the red eye of dawn to create a storm
- Keeah will be put though a test of her powers and allegiance
- Friddle gives the kids utility belts and a ride in a dragonfly plane
- Travel in the water to find demither’s lair. Sea creatures try to capture them
- Meet demither. Eric can tell she was the other person from his “dream”
- Om possesses the eye to drain power off its possessor
- Demither shows what happened when the Queen was cursed
- Cursed to save her from sparr
- Demither and the queen are sisters!!!
- Taking the eye to a chamber to hide. Is this keeah’s test?
- Neal gets turned into a sea turtle. Haha. Why always him?
- Om tries to get keeah to set him free then tries to get eric
- Battle Ninns
- Sparr is near and putting his spell on demither again
- The turned relna back to normal!
- Eric remembers orm saying he will find whatever keeah and demither hid
- Ninns take demither
- Sparks from HIS fingers??

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a little better than the rest so far, the theme of not judging by what you think you see comes off well, I see why my son continued to read this series, I guess he has pretty good taste when it comes to books. in my opinion this was a Good Read.

[Maximilian Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I said this book was O.K. because it wasn't a great book. It wasn't a great book because the other books were more exiting.

[Naaman]

1/21

[Jack Silvernagel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems like Droon has a lot of... secrets...

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

More secrets get uncovered in this installment of the secrets of Droon, like how Witch Demither and Queen Relna are connected.. Fantastic world building and characters.

[Sumrak Family]

McKenna read to Olive.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

One night, Eric dreams about a terrible storm. He’s young and very frightened so he hides in the basement. Rain hits the windows. Thunder rolls. Trees whip in the wind. Then, bang! The closet door bursts open. Two people step out: a woman and a young girl. He watches Demither and Princess Keeah walk through his house to the attic where Demither transfers her power to the princess. Then, they fly away! Eric wonders if this is a dream or a memory. Keeah has said that she remembers being in Eric’s basement. When Eric tells Neal and Julie, they head to the basement. The staircase is open and waiting for them to go to Droon. Wind and icy rain buffets them, almost knocking them off the stairs. Inside Galen’s tower there is a snow storm of papers as Galen searches for the prophecy that explains the horrific weather buffeting Droon. Quill, Galen magical pen, writes that the storm originates in the Serpent Sea where Demither is using the Red Eye of Dawn that she stole from Sparr. The pen says that a terrible test of Keeah’s powers awaits her. If she allows her angry red arts instead of her good wizard arts to control her decisions, the dark power could overwhelm her and turn her against Droon. Quill warns the others not to tell Keeah. Friddle, Droon’s master inventor, flies them to the Serpent Sea and provides them with special sea-belts and helmets so they can travel underwater to Demither’s lair. When Keeah tells Demither to stop the storm, Demither tells her that she cannot. The evil spirit that lives in the Eye won’t let her, and it’s draining her power while the Eye gets stronger and stronger. Keeah learns that Demither put the spell on Queen Relna that makes her change form. Demither did it to protect Relna, her sister, from Sparr. Now, the sea witch needs Keeah to take the Red Eye and imprison it in a pit beyond the Doom Gate.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've decided to read The Secrets of Droon series entirely for Christmas since i've been feeling a bit nostalgic. I want to be able to live a bit of the magic of being a kid and what beeter to help than this incredible series. I know that this series is for young kids but i feel it will still be great after all these years.
One of the best books of the series. This one is packed with action, adventure, twists, mysteries and discoveries. We find out a lot about some characters of the series and of Droon. The characters are also more developed. But we are also left with some new mysteries including that cliffhanger at the end. You can really see how the series is getting increasingly interesting, wonderful and expansive.

[Roberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this one, the evil wizard Sparr isn't really in it, but the kids and their friends have to fight a witch named Demither. Demither has a lot of spells and she needs them to bring Sparr's Red Eye of Dawn to the pit. Om is inside of the Eye and they have to be careful that Kia's wizard powers aren't taken away. They manage to get it all into the pit. Also, Galen is disguised as different sea monsters and Max came up and said, "If you see Galen disguised, bop him on the nose. He really hates that."

[Priya · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Eric dreams about the time when the witch demither and keeyah come to the upper world. Keeyah also gets her power.

They learn that it is aunt demither and finally queen relna turns back to normal

I am settling into this series and able to handle a book in less then 30 mins time …. :)

[Ms. Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is about 2 grils and 2 boys seskubieror the secrets of droon in one apraxia Erik seed one workmen fish in the apart was
lot water one person was fain one day the grils and the boys read a book and they seed liki pas. I like the

[Kirsten Simkiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still think that they're an impressively inventive children's book series. Rereading them is so much fun. (It's just unfortunate I'm rereading them out of order.) I had forgotten some of the twists in this book.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

when there's a huge storm they know that someone is controlling the red eye of dawn and they go into the water to stop demither from making the storm. and they have to go under the serpent sea.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

they go under the sea to see kia's aunt who isn't always that nice

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you see Galen just bop him on the nose!

[Gabriela · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under the Serpent Sea was kind of funny and I liked it a lot. I gave it four stars. --Caitlin, 6 years old

[S. Toompas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because I loved the adventure in the book and also the test. The test is a test of wizards!

[Libri Sempra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. The kids loved the sort-of-twist. Finally more information about characters and plots. The kids I was reading to were at the edges of their seats.

[Boston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very fun, not like the other books.

[Goge (BARRONS) le Moning Maniac, · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.786996754321

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

More insight into the backstory of the main characters. New mysteries revealed. This series reads just like a really interesting tv series. Love it.