Journey to the Volcano Palace

The Secrets of Droon #2

by Tony Abbott, Tim Jessell (Illustrator)

Eric, Julie, and Neal have a problem. The nasty Lord Sparr has stolen a magic jewel from their friend Princess Keeah. The princess really needs their help. The good news is the jewel is in Lord Sparr’s secret palace. The bad news is the secret palace is in the volcano!

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

87 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1999

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

[Shadyside Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute blast! Nothing beats a short yet jam packed adventure in the world of Droon. Never a dull moment. Might even consider it better than the first book!

[Joanna Hendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book and I loved all the make-believe characters in the book. The characters in the story or Eric Julie and Neil and they have a problem Lord‘s bar has stolen a jewel from their friend princess Kia and the princess really needs their help the good news is a jewelers in lord spars secret palace the bad news is the secret palace is in a volcano I really enjoyed reading this book and I hope you enjoy it too!!!

[Mosy · Rating 1 out of 5]

درسته که خوندنش حس نوستالژی طوری داره، ولی دلیل نمیشه که ضعف های کتاب ها رو در نظر نگیرم.
کتاب های این سری عموما خیلی کوچیکن و تعداد صفحاتشون کمه ولی از اون طرف تعداد جلد ها خیلی زیادن، از طرفی هر جلد سعی میکنه یه ماجراجویی جدیدی رو توی خودش جا بده.
از این رو میزان توصیفات و شخصیت پردازی و ... توی کتاب خیلی کم هست که خب این متناسب با این موضوعه که این سری برای سنین پایین تر نوشته شده.
به همین دلایل شما به صورت کلی توی هر جلد میزان خیلی کمی اطلاعات جدید (مربوط به روند کلی داستان) به دست میارید.
یعنی مثلا این جلد یه ماجراجویی خیلی مسخره داره. حتی زمانی که دبستان بودم هم از این جلد خوشم نمیومد. ولی نکته جدیدی که تو این جلد میفهمید (این که مادر شاهزاده نمرده) باعث میشه که بدنتون مور مور بشه که برید جلد های بعدی رو بخونید تا قضیه رو بفهمید.
این کرمی که کتاب توی وجودتون میندازه، همون چیزیه که باعث شد من بعد این همه سال دوباره شروع کنم این مجموعه رو بخونم.
به جز اون، این جلد هیچ ویژگی خاصی نداره.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 5-year old son wanted to give this book one hundred stars! I also thought it was well-written and engaging for a young audience. We are looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Scott Labrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as magic treehouse, but very action packed. Not a lot of character development.

[Steff Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

| Reader Fox Blog |


I'm weirdly having a blast re-reading books from my childhood lately, and this week it was Tony Abbott's Journey to the Volcano Palace, the second in his The Secrets of Droon series. It's been an incredibly long time since I read these books and returning to them now has been an interesting experience. I'll be honest, I didn't remember a single thing about them other than that a princess was involved and there was some evil guy who did...evil things...before I reread these books. While I can say with certainty that there are certain points I do recall, these books didn't quite stick with me as I grew up.

That's probably because they're incredibly underdeveloped. Whereas I was able to fall in love with novels like Eragon and The Hunger Games, books like this one were quick reads I eventually forgot nearly everything about. And I don't really consider this a bad thing per se. It's really good for kids to have engaging and fast reads to enjoy when they're young. But I also won't be singing many praises for these books either.
Their merit lies solely in their ability to increase readership.
I will always appreciate these books for the fact that they're easy to read, enjoyable adventure stories that will likely foster a love of reading in young children. They are especially useful, I think, in that they provide struggling readers with an opportunity to learn to love reading. Since my expertise as an adult is in teaching struggling readers, I'm genuinely thrilled to realize how useful these books can be in that regard.

I nearly bought the first book for one of my students.
That said, the development and plot still suck.
I'll give Abbot this, he doesn't have a lot of time to set up the characters, their personalities, and give them real or genuine development. The book is less than a hundred pages long. There likely wouldn't be much of a plot at all if he did that. But again, this book does feel like one of those 30-minute children's shows that focuses on all the action and nothing else.

Eric still has no personality. Julie is...smart, I guess? Neal is the single character who actually has a personality, but it's just so that he can be the comic relief. Weirdly enough, these characters keep reminding me of undeveloped versions of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. And Keeah's just a strong princess, but ultimately she has less personality in this one than she did in the first novel.

The plot is very much a continuation off the first book, or episode, and really just involves figuring out how to get the magical stone that was stolen back from the evil villain.

And that's it.

There's really not a whole lot of substance to this book at all. In many ways, it feels as though the purpose of book two was to introduce readers to a few more things about the world--namely the pillow creatures, Sparr's secret,  and this weird mermaid hidden away in his palace--and the plot was just thrown in because, well, books need a plot.

And since the remaining problem from book one is resolved, it's also time to introduce a new problem to solve in book three.

The magic in this story just exists and does weird things, which frankly is a massive cop-out on the author's part to prevent him from having to do any actual writing work. And then, in a similar vein to the first novel, Eric and his friends return to his world--and the for some reason still messy basement--with the promise that the magic will tell them when to return once again. For some reason, the stairs that will bring them home appear right where Keeah needs to go, so everything gets tied up quite nicely.

So, not great. But I still appreciate it.

| Reader Fox Links |

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was right to be leery of starting a series with over 40 books! For now not only am I addicted to these books but my children are also. I am reading ahead of them and reading them a few chapters each night before bed. They love the story so far, and I am thoroughly enjoying it also. To be honest I have yet to read anything by Tony Abbott that disappointed. And going back and reading some of his earlier works has been a blast both for me and for the kids.

Droon is an interesting world to visit. For when we go there always seems to be a task for Neal, Julie and Eric to complete. And this time is no different. This time they join Princess Keeah, the wizard Galen Longbeard, and we meet new creatures the lumpies and go on an adventure. In the first adventure in Droon the Eye of Dawn a crystal that can control nature was lost to the evil Sparr. In this story our team of adventures head to his secret hideout inside a volcano to try and retrieve it. We also find out that not all things are as they appear, and some who work for Sparr might even be forced to do so. Can the team get into the volcano, can they find the Eye of Dawn, can they get back out again. Come read the story and find out.

Droon is becoming a fun place to visit time and time again. And this story has a bit of everything, a magic doorway, strange creatures, adventure, friendship, the desert, a secret lair and a hook at the end to bring you back again! As mentioned I am enjoying reading the stories, and my kids are also, and hopefully in a few years the younger kids will be able to reread these books to me. But for now Droon is a great part of family reading time.

The only real drawback is it was only after starting the series that I discovered that only the first 10 books are available electronically at the moment. I can only hope the rest become available quickly, especially at the pace we are reading them. This was the 17th book by Tony Abbott I have read, and a number of those I have read twice. His stories always entertain, and now my kids are at an age where I am starting to share his great book with them. Tony has over 100 books published so check out The Secrets of Droon of some of his other stories they will not disappoint.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Tony Abbott. As well as an author profile and interview with Tony Abbott.

[Corey Schmidt]

I read the book “Journey to the Volcano Palace”. It was written by Tony Abbott. It’s about three kids. Their names are Neal, Julie, and Eric, and they visit a magical land that is hidden under the steps in their basement, called Droon. The book starts off with all three kids having weird dreams about things that take place in Droon. They decide to go and see what’s going on. They arrive in a desert and princess Keeah is waiting for them. She tells them how the Eye of Dawn was stolen by the evil wizard Sparr. They journey out to find his hidden palace, but no one knows exactly where it is. They find his hidden palace and get attacked by two fire monsters and narrowly escape. Once in his palace they learn of Sparrs secret and that Keeah’s mother, who is believed to be dead, is still alive. Sparr then finds them and they all get split up in his volcano. Eric ends up by himself and finds the eye. He steals it, and it goes out of control blasting everything. He ends up blasting a hole in the wall, and they escape through it. They then fly out of Kano on a magic carpet and live happily ever after.

The main characters are Julie, Eric, and Neal. Eric wears glasses, has brown hair, and is also the leader of the group. Neal is the funny jokester part of the trio, and Julie is a gentle girl who can lose her temper easily. They are about 10 years old and they are three kids that love to have fun, get into trouble, and go on adventures.

The main portion of the book takes place in Droon and Kano. Droon is a magical world that the kids can get to by closing the door that leads under the steps into their basement, and Kano is Lord Sparr’s secret hide out that no one can find. The time of the book is modern time.

I thought “Journey to Volcano Palace” was a very good book. It was full of action and adventure. I think any youngster would love to read this book and because it’s not a hard read they can. At the end of the day I would give this book three out of five stars.

[Brittany Durrant · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought "Journey to the Volcano Palace(The Secrets of Droon, #2)" wasn't that good of a book because everything happened too fast, and I didn't really like the way it was written. "Journey to the Volcano Palace" is about Eric, Julie, and Neal, who are all best friends. In Eri'cs basement there's a secret passage to a land called Droon. He only visited it once, but he had a dream about it, so when Julie and Neal came over they decided to go back to Droon. They arrive and their friend Princess Keeah tells them that lord Sparr stole a magic jewel from her, and it's located in the a secret place, which is in a volcano.

The main character is Eric, because it's told in his point of view, but Julie and Neal were in this book a lot. Eric, Julie, and Neal all decide to help their friend Princess Keeah get her magic jewel back.

"Journey to the Volcano Palace (The Secrets of Droon, #2)" is located in Droon, which is located in Eric's basement . The time is during the day in summer.

The theme of this book was team work. Eric, Julie, and Neal all showed that by working together with each other and Princess Keeah to get the jewel back from Lord Sparr.

I would recommend this book to both boys and girls in third grade because it's easy to read, and it's short.

[Kori Looker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked "Journey to the Volcano Palace" by Tony Abbott because the events in the story are creative. Eric, Julie, and Neal all dream about the same dream. They dream they're in Droon inside evil Lord Sparr's secret palace. The secret palace is inside a volcano! The three kids must recover Princess Keeah's magic jewel stolen by Lord Sparr.

Eric, Julie, and Neal are all kids that have the same dream. Their dreams come to life within their imagination. They meet Princess Keeah, who thinks she can see into the future. The kids also meet evil Lord Sparr, who tries to ruin everyone's day.

The time takes place in the kids' dreams. Time does not pass by outside their dreams, so when they return home it is the same time as when they left. The story take place in Droon (in their dreams). This story is told in third person.

The theme is imagination. Eric, Julie, and Neal are able to access to another world known in their dreams by using their imagination. For them, anything is possible if they use their imagination.

I would recommend this book to young readers because it's an easy read. I enjoyed the creativity throughout this book.

[Brandon Colligan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This magical story is about two kids who find themselves in the enchanted world of Droon. The land is a fantasy world with talking pillows and magical trees. The only problem with Droon is that an evil ruler sets out to destroy it. They find themselves on an adventure to get into the underworld to stop the evil ruler only to find hidden secrets.. This is a great read for anyone who loves a fictional story line.

[MelMon Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book series is just right for the age range of 8 to 10. I feel that my kids would love it but for me there could be so much more to this. I like reading them though. I think I need to do that in order to get. better feel for it.

[Jalen · Rating 5 out of 5]

G. R. E. A. T. That is what that was. I liked that there was a door that only appears when you put water on it.

[Pamela Hatch · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUMMARY: Eric, Neal, and Julie all experience strange dreams about the secret world of Droon and make their way back to the secret stairway. Their help is needed to recover the stolen jewel -- The Red Eye of Dawn which is capable of great magical powers. The good news is that they know where the jewel is being kept...the bad news is that it is in the heart of a volcano which also serves as Lord Sparr's secret palace.

This is book #2 in The Secrets of Droon series. This volume has a little more action than the first book which spent more time on introducing the characters and land of Droon. I like the part of the dreams the kids had actually played a part in the story and the retrieval of the stolen jewel.

The book is only 85 pages with large font and many illustrations. The series is great for both boys and girls and is a great suggestion for reluctant readers.

COMMENTS: The story is fast paced mostly because it is a short book (I read it in 15 minutes). Now the hardest part will be to find book #3 so that I can continue the story. -- I got a little lost in chapter one with Neal's interaction with his new dog and I'm not sure how that tied into the story. We are introduced to two new characters: Khan, King of the Lumpies (purple pillows) who guide the kids through the dessert in search of Lord Sparr's hidden palace and Demither, mermaid/witch being held captive by Lord Sparr.

Creative discussion or curriculum supports: #1) where does the rainbow staircase place the children in both the stories when they are sent to Droon?; #2) How does a writer use words creatively -- see page 27 -- Splish! Splosh! Splursh!

[Rick Silva · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first introduction to this series, and it's the second book, so most of the introductory stuff has been taken care of. Erik Hinkle has a magical stairway leading to the world of Droon in his basement. When he and his friends all have dreams about the magical world, they know that the staircase will be open for them to travel to a new adventure.

They soon find themselves helping their friend Princess Keeah sneak into the realm of the evil Lord Sparr to retrieve a magical stone.

The format here is a bit like Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Treehouse series, except that the destination for the magical travels is an original fantasy world. This leaves a lot of worldbuilding potential, some of which works well, and other of which results in a species of sentient cushion-people.

The action is fairly good, but I felt like the character development was lacking. Erik and his friends Julie and Neal felt pretty much interchangeable, without much in the way of personalities, and wizard-mentor-figure Galen Longbeard is about as generic as you can get. Keeah, and, somewhat surprisingly, the villain Lord Sparr, are a bit more interesting, although Sparr still resorts to yelling things like "Seize them!" more than anyone written after about 1980 should. The best character is the witch Demither, who has been compelled to serve Sparr, and who will hopefully get a lot more screentime in future volumes in the series, as she appears only briefly here but still totally steals the show.

[Anthony Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in Droon series. Eric, Neal, and Julie delve deep into Sparr’s volcano lair to take back the stolen jewel. This imaginative and adventurous tale won’t disappoint as two big secrets are revealed. I’m really interested to see what happens in the next book.

This book is fast paced with quickly and easily resolved conflicts, which may be dissatisfying to adults and advanced young readers but adequate for first grade level or below. It’s still a good tale and worth reading. If I had younger kids, this book would be on the home bookshelf.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Target audience is young readers, Abbott hit the mark perfectly, The story, maybe a little borrowed from C.S. Lewis, but honestly more books like that are better than fewer books and the characters are his own and have their own stories to tell. My son has the whole collection still on his shelf, he picked them out and read them back when he was in school, not sure if in elementary or middle school he is 27 now, so I guess he liked them, and I am enjoying reading them for the first time. My final conclusion? This is a Good Read.

[Gregisdead121 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pulled back to the magical world beneath the staircase the three heros are tasked with helping princess keeha. After the theft of a powerful jewel it becomes imperative that it's returned given the advantage it poses for the imperialist emperor . It's an adequate book for any children 10 and up and provides an orientation into the fantasy genre that can be foundational in engagement with further series.

[Breyanna Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book was about these kids named Eric, Julie and Neal. They go down to Eric's basement and find this door. They go in the door under the stairs and end up in a place called Droon and meet a princess named Keeah, a wizard named Galen Longbeard and his assistant max who meet purple pillow men and monsters called pikas and a sorcerer named Sparr. This book is full of imagination!!

[Brian Stout · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite part was the middle and the whole book. It was a good book. The book was scary. Suspenseful. The huge animals are called pilkas. Island about an oasis and a mirage. It was a really good book I really liked it. It was so good I liked it my favorite part again was the middle and the end and everything.

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a little slower than the last one, so the kid got more distracted, but it was still good and he is excited for the next one. I'm interested in the witch Demither character, and I hope we get to know more about her story later in the series.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter is loving this series as I read it aloud to her. Eric and friends end up in Lord Sparr's palace as they attempt to get a treasure from him. They also meet Demither. Fast paced and adventurous.

[Rachel D. · Rating 2 out of 5]

If JD didn't like these, I would not read them. The plus is that we read them together, and I hope the series will get him interested in better books later.

[Jennifer Risley · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this to my daughter, she loves the series so far. It's perfect for a 1st grader going to second grade.

[Sherica · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 7yo liked it. Was better than #1- barely.

[Peter Ackerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mia, age 8, loved this book. It was great for her to read to herself or outloud to her mom or dad.

[Saksham Dariya]

Good

[Paula Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids adventures continue as they return to Droon to help the princess again.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book. I also liked the pictures in the book. I would give this book 3.7 stars. I would like to read then next book in the series.

[Stefany Mogas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good kids book with tons of imagination material.