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The Secrets of Droon #1-4
Secrets of Droon Box Set
For the first time ever-- a DROON box set! New readers can unlock the mysteries of a magical world in this exciting introduction to the young fantasy series hailed as the perfect pre-HARRY P. read.
Watch the magic unfold in books #1-#4 of THE SECRETS OF DROON. Eric and his two friends, Neal and Julie, discover a secret doorway in Eric's basement that leads to the rainbow stairs. The stairs reach down into the wondrous world of Droon - a land where all kinds of amazing things occur. A cast of magical characters appears to guide the kids on their journeys. And one thing is for sure-magical, fantastic adventure is in store!
Watch the magic unfold in books #1-#4 of THE SECRETS OF DROON. Eric and his two friends, Neal and Julie, discover a secret doorway in Eric's basement that leads to the rainbow stairs. The stairs reach down into the wondrous world of Droon - a land where all kinds of amazing things occur. A cast of magical characters appears to guide the kids on their journeys. And one thing is for sure-magical, fantastic adventure is in store!
144 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2000
1 person is currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Tony Abbott
210 books403 followersTony 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 12, 2013
I've rated these four stars because they are perfect for the age that they're aimed at. I used to read these to my brother before bed when he was about six and he really enjoyed them! Down in the basement is the entrance to a secret world filled with magic that the main characters frequently visit and have lovely adventures :) writing is descriptive enough to spark a kid's imagination but simple enough to understand :)
November 28, 2019
This book was a very good book. It had lots of detail and was always having great adventures to Droon to find new amazing things!
March 9, 2021
| Reader Fox Blog |
I was seven years old when I first read The Secrets of Droon books. I remember specifically because we bought them for the family road trip from California to Walt Disney World right before my eighth birthday, which we spent there in Florida. Very much an avid reader then and reading at a level higher than my age would have typically suggested, I recall being thoroughly pleased with myself for having read four of these books in what amounted to only a few hours. It was the first time I had ever done so.
As I look back on it now, what had once appeared to me an amazing feat really just seems like a reasonable event.
Rereading The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet by Tony Abbott was an interesting experience. While I have the ability to look back on the story and characters fondly, as an adult with much more experience and knowledge of writing, plot, and character development I find that this book is severely lacking. But, is that a bad thing? As a child, I enjoyed it. I devoured these books. They were fun and full of adventure. They made me eager to read more.
Literary Merit
I guess what it all comes down to is where we place the merit for novels that we read. And for a children's book, this one is actually pretty great. It's a fast read, so kids who struggle to sit for long periods of time could benefit. It's got exciting moments and there are definitely some high stakes. That said, when analyzing it from plot and character development points of view, this book kind of sucks?
This book is basically the equivalent of a 30-minute children's show. It actually kind of reminds me a little of Dragon Tales. You have the kids who find a magical way to get into a different world, they spend some time there and kind of solve a problem, then they go home. I can't personally recall if that's how the rest of the series goes, but I feel pretty confident in saying that I'd place my bets there rather than anywhere else. The book was basically 1/10 of a plot that Abbott decided he could break into multitudes.
The best thing this book has going for it is the fact that there's a lot of action. It's engaging for young readers and you never really feel like you're being bogged down by pointless, dull, or dragging moments. And honestly, for young readers who struggle to remain engaged, this is a great thing. Of course, the action is still very rushed, keeping in line with that 30-minute episode thought. Everything happens painfully fast (how big is this kingdom supposed to be again?) and you don't get a second of downtime for anything.
Also, the mysterious secret code, while easy for adults to decipher, is actually pretty great for young readers.
Characters
Put simply, you do not get to know the characters at all. I couldn't tell you anything about them past a few very simple characteristics that I'm sure the author will play up as the series continues. What's worse is that I couldn't tell you anything about the main character, Eric, other than the fact that his mom expects him to clean the whole basement for some reason and that he likes Princess Keeah. He's insanely bland but he's also the hero, so he's motivated to do heroic things.
Keeah is at least a little more interesting, thankfully. She's on the run from Ninns--which are basically orcs that ride lizards, I guess?--who work for the evil Lord Spaar (why is he evil? I have no idea. I guess just because he wants to take over the castle and gain power). She's a quick thinker with a fighting spirit. But, that's about it.
Neal is...reckless? I think that's his personality quirk. And he likes soccer.
I honestly don't know if I could tell you a single thing about Julie, though. This is kind of sad considering she's one of two main female characters surrounded by men. The only other female character in this whole book is Eric's mom who we get to see for all of two minutes of reading. But honestly, you could remove her entirely and I don't think it'd even make a difference.
There's also absolutely no development for any of the characters. Though, to be fair, there's not really time for it. Considering this book is only 96 pages long and does action so well, there's not a whole lot of time for it. Hopefully, this doesn't continue throughout the rest of the books in the series.
So, thoughts?
I don't think it's terribly bad. I don't think it's particularly good, either, but at least it has some merit. And while I won't say that these books were life-changing for me--I had a great many books for that--they were still books that I recall truly enjoying from my childhood. It's a quick read, it's something young and especially reluctant readers will do well with. In essence, I think The Secrets of Droon is an excellent starting point for reading. And that's that.
| Reader Fox Links |
I was seven years old when I first read The Secrets of Droon books. I remember specifically because we bought them for the family road trip from California to Walt Disney World right before my eighth birthday, which we spent there in Florida. Very much an avid reader then and reading at a level higher than my age would have typically suggested, I recall being thoroughly pleased with myself for having read four of these books in what amounted to only a few hours. It was the first time I had ever done so.
As I look back on it now, what had once appeared to me an amazing feat really just seems like a reasonable event.
Rereading The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet by Tony Abbott was an interesting experience. While I have the ability to look back on the story and characters fondly, as an adult with much more experience and knowledge of writing, plot, and character development I find that this book is severely lacking. But, is that a bad thing? As a child, I enjoyed it. I devoured these books. They were fun and full of adventure. They made me eager to read more.
Literary Merit
I guess what it all comes down to is where we place the merit for novels that we read. And for a children's book, this one is actually pretty great. It's a fast read, so kids who struggle to sit for long periods of time could benefit. It's got exciting moments and there are definitely some high stakes. That said, when analyzing it from plot and character development points of view, this book kind of sucks?
This book is basically the equivalent of a 30-minute children's show. It actually kind of reminds me a little of Dragon Tales. You have the kids who find a magical way to get into a different world, they spend some time there and kind of solve a problem, then they go home. I can't personally recall if that's how the rest of the series goes, but I feel pretty confident in saying that I'd place my bets there rather than anywhere else. The book was basically 1/10 of a plot that Abbott decided he could break into multitudes.
The best thing this book has going for it is the fact that there's a lot of action. It's engaging for young readers and you never really feel like you're being bogged down by pointless, dull, or dragging moments. And honestly, for young readers who struggle to remain engaged, this is a great thing. Of course, the action is still very rushed, keeping in line with that 30-minute episode thought. Everything happens painfully fast (how big is this kingdom supposed to be again?) and you don't get a second of downtime for anything.
Also, the mysterious secret code, while easy for adults to decipher, is actually pretty great for young readers.
Characters
Put simply, you do not get to know the characters at all. I couldn't tell you anything about them past a few very simple characteristics that I'm sure the author will play up as the series continues. What's worse is that I couldn't tell you anything about the main character, Eric, other than the fact that his mom expects him to clean the whole basement for some reason and that he likes Princess Keeah. He's insanely bland but he's also the hero, so he's motivated to do heroic things.
Keeah is at least a little more interesting, thankfully. She's on the run from Ninns--which are basically orcs that ride lizards, I guess?--who work for the evil Lord Spaar (why is he evil? I have no idea. I guess just because he wants to take over the castle and gain power). She's a quick thinker with a fighting spirit. But, that's about it.
Neal is...reckless? I think that's his personality quirk. And he likes soccer.
I honestly don't know if I could tell you a single thing about Julie, though. This is kind of sad considering she's one of two main female characters surrounded by men. The only other female character in this whole book is Eric's mom who we get to see for all of two minutes of reading. But honestly, you could remove her entirely and I don't think it'd even make a difference.
There's also absolutely no development for any of the characters. Though, to be fair, there's not really time for it. Considering this book is only 96 pages long and does action so well, there's not a whole lot of time for it. Hopefully, this doesn't continue throughout the rest of the books in the series.
So, thoughts?
I don't think it's terribly bad. I don't think it's particularly good, either, but at least it has some merit. And while I won't say that these books were life-changing for me--I had a great many books for that--they were still books that I recall truly enjoying from my childhood. It's a quick read, it's something young and especially reluctant readers will do well with. In essence, I think The Secrets of Droon is an excellent starting point for reading. And that's that.
| Reader Fox Links |
December 16, 2009
Grades 4-5
Abbott takes children to a different world and on an amazing adventure in this fantasy story. In the basement of Eric's house exists a magical doorway that takes him and his two friends, Neal and Julie, to a land known as Droon. The land of Droon is filled with make-believe creatures and amazing characters which will appeal to young readers. The illustrations provide enough detail to support the text and add life to the imaginary characters. The text is of medium size making it easy for young readers to flow through the book.
Related Content Areas:
Social Emotional Learning, English Language Arts
Lesson Idea:
The teacher could use this story to examine different types of relationships that exist between people. The class could take an in-depth look at the friendship between the three main characters in the book and compare it to relationships that they might have with their friends.
Abbott takes children to a different world and on an amazing adventure in this fantasy story. In the basement of Eric's house exists a magical doorway that takes him and his two friends, Neal and Julie, to a land known as Droon. The land of Droon is filled with make-believe creatures and amazing characters which will appeal to young readers. The illustrations provide enough detail to support the text and add life to the imaginary characters. The text is of medium size making it easy for young readers to flow through the book.
Related Content Areas:
Social Emotional Learning, English Language Arts
Lesson Idea:
The teacher could use this story to examine different types of relationships that exist between people. The class could take an in-depth look at the friendship between the three main characters in the book and compare it to relationships that they might have with their friends.
February 23, 2025
We are all loving these books. We are reading them to the kid, but if he wanted to, he could read these by himself. In difficulty, they're either equal to or just a tiny bit beyond the level of a Jigsaw Jones book, and equal to the Fairy books by Daisy Meadows. The story is very engaging. 3 friends find a way to access secret, magical stairs in Eric Hinkle's basement, which lead them to another world. The story line is very adventurous, and I like that the villain is so classically evil, but has some sort of hinted-at, but as yet unrevealed good side/justification. I can't wait to find out what it is. I enjoyed book #4 the most so far. This is a great series for 6 -10 year olds.
June 21, 2011
A fun, Fantasy read for younger readers.
August 8, 2012
Joe loves these, too. Unfortunately he wants to read them all out of order, which I do not suggest.
June 10, 2013
Cute adventure story for 2nd or 3rd grade level readers.
October 8, 2014
This series was great. I remember reading it as a kid, and loved all the fantasy and magical places and creatures! Lots of fun!
April 7, 2016
reading these books with my kids, my oldest is 7 and she loves them.
September 1, 2008
Very high fantasy level, fun for kids.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews