YA? Fantasy in which kid on a school trip disappears into a hidden chamber, wakens a Warrior/ Knight in magical stasis, and ventures into an underground world. Spoilers.

[Jiann]

I think I read this book 2 or more years ago... as far as the publication date, not sure, could be anything, though I'd guess post 1980. I'm guessing it's a YA book because from what I can recall the protagonist was a school kid.

SPOILERS

To expand upon the description in the title, I'm pretty sure it's a school trip to a church or something and the protagonist finds a hidden chamber/tomb in which there is a sleeping knight, waiting in a magical coma to be called into service. Knight wakes up and protects kid. I think it turns out that this knight guy is one of many that were left behind by some past organization. Anyways, they go into some underground world place. Down there they have adventures and find a tribe of gnomes/dwarves. They try to get directions from the gnomes but the gnomes are very forgetful and generally inept and don't actually prove helpful at all. In fact I think it may have later been revealed that the gnomes were deliberately misleading.

Pretty vague, I know, which is why my attempts to google it have been unsuccessful... any help would be appreciated

[Capn]

Hey Jiann,

I don't know it, but I know of some lists that might have caught it:

Underground Cities: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Gnomes: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
Dwarves: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
Goblins (just in case): https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...
Portal is in Ancient Ruins: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
MG/YA Graveyards/Cemeteries: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

Was it Arthurian, do you think? Were there other "Sleepers" awaiting the future battle?

Arthurian Fiction (Juvenile): https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8... (includes books like The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Grey King, both of which feature the Sleepers. I'm sure it isn't either of those, but just to give you an idea. There are many other books with these Sleepers, of course!)

Another book (which you can rule out) isThe Graveyard Book, which features a "Sleer" which guards an ancient burial mound / barrow. This would be something pre-medieval, though (Norse, late neolithic, Celtic, Pictish sort of thing). If your knight seems more ancient and warrior-like (doesn't wear metal armor or chainmail, etc.), then I can also recomend this list that covers barrows:

Standing stones, barrow hills, dark secrets:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

I apologise for all the lists - they have an uncanny knack for bolstering your To Read pile. ;)

[Jiann]

Thanks! I've been working my way through these lists now and then over the past few days but nothing looks familiar yet. I don't think it was Arthurian. I think the sleeping knight guy said there were other sleeping knight guys like him in other locations, but I don't recall if any others made it into the story.

The gnomes I mentioned probably aren't a big enough force in the book to make it into a gnome/dwarf list. They weren't the main bad guys, more like just a minor inconvenience.

In any case, these lists have provided some reading material in the meantime

[Capn]

Okay, here are some oddball, out-of-left-field offerings until someone can hit upon the exact title for you!

Fourteen-year-old Joshua Adams wakes from a fifty-year sleep to find that he has escaped nuclear war—and that the genetically altered races of Earth now hail his awakening as the first fulfillment of an ancient prophecy.
For of old it was sung that the Seven Sleepers would awaken to unite their strength with Goél and join in battle against the wicked priests of the Sanhedrin. But the choice of Josh and each member of the quest is a dangerous one. He must survive not only the peril of the Sanhedrin but the doubt that threatens his faith and, ultimately, his commitment to Goél, his spiritual champion. (Christian; 1994; 7 book series)

'What's to stop me killing you and taking the Powers?' The giant raised the sword. 'All I see is a dwarf, a pony and seven children, none of whom is even remotely capable of resisting the might of Uller Princekiller.' For centuries, the knights, dwarves, giants and sages of Auberon-Zamberg have been intent on a single quest. They're all searching for 'The King Who Guards the Gate'. Prophecy speaks of him as one of seven protectors who will defeat the armies of night and overcome the Dark Sleeper. The last thing anyone is expecting is that these seven protectors are ordinary children. (2016)

This book offers an unusual mix of compelling contemporary narrative juxtaposed and intertwined with a lyrical Arthurian tale. Emlyn and Maxine are both newcomers, both misfits in their own way. But their lives are linked and their paths destined to cross in ways that neither can begin to imagine. Drawn to the ancient site known as Sleeper's Spinney, Emlyn and Maxine unleash an unearthly power when they unwittingly remove one of a group of wooden horsemen hidden beneath the earth. Containing the trapped spirits of Arthur and his men, the carvings have been held in check since the Dark Ages by a long line of Keepers, the McCrossans. With the Keepers prepared to stop at nothing to recover what has been stolen, Emlyn and Maxine are drawn into a parallel world of myth, magic and the supernatural. Arthur is awake - and he is no revered, grey-bearded king come back to save the Isles. Its thrilling climax sees a race against time as Emlyn and Maxine try to destroy the figures before Arthur and his guard are let loose and released into the world of twenty-first century Scotland. (Definitely Arthurian, but wasn't on a list; 2009, Max Cannon is protag)

Still staggering under Paragor's relentless attacks, Alleble's remaining allies flee from the four corners of The Realm to safety within the Kingdom's walls. But there is little time for Alleble to mourn before Paragor, the Wyrm Lord, and the deadly Seven Sleepers unite against the followers of King Eliam. As Alleble begins to lose hope, Paragor unleashes The Final Storm. Will anyone survive to see the dawn?
Another allegorical Christian series. This is book 3 - the first is here: . 2005

This is one of the Droon series (#16): "Cats don't bark. They meow. Or at least they did before Eric used Droonian magic in the Upper World. When he cast a spell with the wand of Urik, everything got messed up - now weird stuff, like barking cats, are all over! Eric and his friends hurry down the magic staircase only to find more trouble. Earthquakes have rocked Droon; and Galen's under a nasty spell. Time for some back-up! The brave Knights of Silversnow could help, but they're in a deep sleep in the Ice Hills. The knights have the power to make things right again, but only if the wand of Urik has the power to wake them up." Scholastic, 2002

[Capn]

Are you still looking, Jiann? It probably isn't Earthfasts, but I see that I didn't mention it earlier...

Elidor is also a potential possibility

[Jiann]

I haven't found it, but I also haven't remembered any other details to help the search, so I think it may be a lost cause. I do appreciate your effort though, thanks!

[Kris]

A long shot - "The Good Knight Ghost" (1956) by Jeanne Bendick?

Description on Worldcat.org: "During a school field trip to museum, Mike decides to hide in a closet. He encounters a ghost who has entered the museum in a suit of armor, who transports Mike into a medieval world, which includes dragons."

One cover image on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Good-Knight-Gh...

[Kris]

Jiann, what's the location/ country?

Could the school trip have been to a church, cathedral, museum or castle?

[Capn]

Don't give up yet, Jiann!

Some more guesses for you in the meantime:

Triskellion - crusader tomb, English village, American brother and sister sent to live in rural England (2008)

The Sleeping Sword - somewhat Arthurian, Isles of Scilly in SW England (2003)

The Sporran: The Remnant Chronicles I & II - catacombs under Edinburgh Castle. (2007)