Collecting books 1-3 of the New York Times best-selling series! When Disney Imagineers installed hologram guides for the Magic Kingdom using five teenage models, they had no idea the technology might backfire. But backfire it did: some nights when the kids go to sleep, they wake up in one of the Disney parks as a hologram. Soon the five young teens find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. As this fantastical thriller evolves, Finn and his friends must use their new skills to protect other Disney Parks, traveling to the Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and more! This gripping high-tech tale will thrill every kid who has ever dreamed of sneaking into Disney parks after hours or wondered what happens at night when the parks are closed.
Ridley Pearson is the author of more than fifty novels, including the New York Times bestseller Killer Weekend; the Lou Boldt crime series; and many books for young readers, including the award-winning children's novels Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, which he cowrote with Dave Barry. Pearson lives with his wife and two daughters, dividing their time between Missouri and Idaho.
I'm not going to review these all individually, so this will do. First some background. I got this whole six book set from an event that FirstBook sponsored for our school. I figured my students might enjoy the stories, but obviously I wanted to read them before bringing them into class. Besides that, I love all things Disney and I really enjoyed Ridley Pearson's collab with Dave Barry on the Peter and the Starcatchers Series. Clearly I'm an adult, even if I do love Disney. And clearly these books are written for exactly who they are marketed to. 12-year-old middle school tweens. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I think my student's will really enjoy the books actually, except for the fact that most of them have never set foot in Disney and probably can't relate to any of the main characters. I teach in a very urban school and the characters in this book are lacking in diversity, as much as Pearson tried. The biggest hardship that seems to befall the main group of five "kingdom keepers" is that the African-American boy lives with his grandmother and they don't have a lot of money. Actually, now that I write that out, I realize how stereotypical it is. Why, out of five, is the African-American the low income, parent-less child? Ok but that's not the point, so moving on. The stories are a little young for an actual adult, so if you're looking to read these for yourself, I suggest you skip it. However, if you're looking for something for a 10 - 13 aged child to read, this would probably be ok. Maybe even 14/15 would enjoy it, I'm not sure. Personally, I find the background info and parts about Disney history and the parks the most interesting. Really though, as a child's book, they're not terrible.
This is a must read... This book is full of wonder, and it gets you really excited and all you want to know is what happens next. This series is different than normal series, this one draws you in deeper than most books and once your in, there's no going back. And trust me, it's not a dream...
I would rate this book a five out of five because I love Disney and the book took me to a whole new world literally. This book or I guess the characters were faced many obstacles as they worked at Disney, many wierd magical things they normally witnessed. I really did not find a way to how this book could relate to my hero’s journey, but if I really had to think about it maybe all of the stress each and every character faced daily. As a reader and a DISNEY FAN, this book totally changed all of the rides for me at the magic kingdom. I would really recommend this book to anyone, but I would mostly recommend it to those who have gone to Disney so they know and understand everything.
In the words of my 11 year old, “There were some cliffhangers that never got answered. There wasn’t as much action as I thought.” Overall we liked the story and the familiarity to the parks, but we wanted to know more about Amanda and her powers and there were unanswered questions for parts of the book.
I love this series of the Kingdom Keepers it's like no other series I've EVER read before it's fast passed, thrilling, suspecfull, and never stops with the twist and turns keeps you wanting more
I loved this book because it kept you guessing up to the very end of whom was bad and who was good. The ending was perfect. I hope to read more books by this author if you love Disney and mysteries this is a must read.
In Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow , by Ridley Pearson, is about Finn, Philby, Willa, Charlene, and Maybeck who aren’t just ordinary kids, they are holograms. It all started in the first book when these ordinary kids who all live in Orlando were asked by Disney to become DHI’s. A DHI is a Disney Host Interactive, where park guests can have a tour around the park guided by teen-aged holograms. When the kids go to sleep now they appear in one of the Ddisney pParks as their hologram. Whayne, the designer of the DHI, has other plans for them besides theme park attractions. He wants to use them as a way to protect the parks.
In the story, the Disney parks are threatened by the over takers who are all the Disney villains. The overtakers plan to take the magic from the parks and put the spotlight on them. The DHI kids call themselves the Kingdom Keepers. They can’t stop the leaders of the overtakers, Maleficent and Chernabog, without their mentor/old friend Whayne. It is up to the Kingdom Keepers to find Whayne and stop the overtakers.
I think this book is good for any person in grade school and up who is a Disney nerd. You should really read this book because every page is a moment where danger is right on the brink. The plot line really engaged me to read read read to find out what happens to Finn and his friends. Overall I rate Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow by Ridley Pearson a 5 star book.