Keeper of the Lost Cities [Hardcover]

Shannon Messenger (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 2, 2012 | Age Range: 8 and up | Series: Keeper of the Lost Cities (Book 1) | Lexile Measure: 670L (What's this?)

In this riveting debut, a telepathic girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world—before the wrong person finds the answer first.

Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. And Sophie has a secret—she’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. But the day Sophie meets Fitz, a mysterious (and adorable) boy, she learns she’s not alone. He’s a Telepath too, and it turns out the reason she has never felt at home is that, well…she isn’t. Fitz opens Sophie’s eyes to a shocking truth, and almost instantly she is forced to leave behind her family for a new life in a place that is vastly different from what she has ever known.

     But Sophie still has secrets, and they’re buried deep in her memory for good reason: The answers are dangerous and in high-demand. What is her true identity, and why was she hidden among humans? The truth could mean life or death—and time is running out.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-This debut novel is a powerful and appealing package of skillful world-building, fantasy, suspense, mystery, and middle-school relationships. Sophie Foster, a friendless 12-year-old high school senior with a photographic memory, is plagued by the hubbub of other people's thoughts in her brain. She has always known that she is different, but her life changes profoundly when she learns that she is an elf with telepathic and other magical abilities. She is transported away from her human family forever to the elvin world, where the Lost Cities (Atlantis, Shangri-la, etc.) exist and extinct animals are thriving. As Sophie starts at her new school, her concerns about friendships, midterms, crushes, and grades in subjects such as "the Universe," "elementalism," and "alchemy" will hook readers. While navigating her new life, Sophie must solve two mysteries: First, who is setting all those magical-seeming fires in the human world? And second, who could be leaving items in her locker that repeatedly put her in serious danger? The more she learns, the more her memories return, uncovering secrets about her past. The suspenseful climax leads to a satisfying resolution, although Messenger leaves just enough threads hanging for a possible sequel. A slew of interesting and well-drawn characters, careful plotting, and just plain good storytelling will have readers racing through the pages.-Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York Cityα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

“A delightful and dangerous adventure with complex characters and relationships you'll root for to the end of time.”

--Lisa McMann, New York Times bestselling author of THE UNWANTEDS

"Keeper of the Lost Cities is a little bit Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a little bit Lord of the Rings, and a little bit Harry Potter. And it's all fun!"

--New York Times bestselling author Michael Buckley

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (October 2, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442445939
• ISBN-13: 978-1442445932
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #342,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shannon Messenger graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts where she learned--among other things--that she liked watching movies much better than making them. She's studied art, screenwriting, and television production, but realized her real passion was writing for kids and teens. Her middle grade series, KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES, is published by Simon & Schuster (Aladdin) and her YA series, LET THE SKY FALL, is published by Simon Pulse. She lives in Southern California with her husband and an embarrassing number of cats. Find her online at shannonmessenger.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular Debut! October 2, 2012

By Adam A. Gaffen

Format:Hardcover

Shannon Messenger.

A name that you should get familiar with. She is an author, and a damn good one.

Her first book - Keeper of the Lost Cities, published by Aladdin on 10/2/2012, is quite a wonderful debut. Chronicling the adventures of young Sophie Foster, whose world is turned upside-down in the Natural History museum, the book is a magical romp through a world of Ms. Messenger's imagination.

No, no spoilers here - that's not fair. But I will say a few things. First, though this is aimed squarely at the YA market, I had NO issues with the writing style at all. It is, simply, well-written. It romps, it rolls, and it pulls you in in about three pages. Look, I'm a quick reader, but I finished this nearly-500 page book in less than two days (during which time I also did.. well, lots of other stuff). Second, the characters feel real. They are unique voices, consistent, and well-defined. And they don't read as 'stock' characters - although Elwin does remind me quite a bit of McCoy (though that could be my background bleeding through).

Finally, and this is the big one for me - the dialogue WORKS. You have read my stuff - I do dialogue instead of narrative. It's how I write. And it's what I like to read. Well, I LOVE what Shannon did with her dialogue. It isn't forced, it isn't stilted - it flows and moves as real speech should and does.

My ONLY quibble with the book is the setting of the academy for the world's kids. It feels too much like Hogwarts. Now, that isn't a terrible thing, and, given the heroine is a 13-year-old girl, I'm not sure HOW you could do a book without incorporating SOME kind of school, but it's the one bit that required a little extra 'suspension of disbelief.' That being said...

Go get this book. And hope that she decides to write another (and another, and another...).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of the year! October 4, 2012

By S. O'Donnell

Format:Hardcover

Let me say, I easily gave this book 5 STARS--I never even considered anything less. It is absolutely wonderful. I laughed, I cried (hard), I cheered and held my breath. I loved every character and think Sophie is MG heroine perfection. This is truly one of my favorite middle grade stories of the year!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Like Harry Potter (?) December 2, 2012

By Jessica Walker

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

So, I kept hearing how this was "like Harry Potter, but not". Sophie Foster has been raised by muggles, oh wait, I mean humans. She's never truly fit in. Then one day a strange boy appears, telling her that they've been searching for her for twelve years. He shows her a new and glorious world. She goes off to Hogwarts, okay, Foxfire, and learns about her heritage, and hones her already impressive abilities.

All kidding aside, I can see why Keeper of the Lost Cities is being heralded as the next Harry Potter.
1. It was brilliant!
2. The world building was impressive.
3. Book 1 here was a coming of age story, where our heroine discovers (some of) her abilities, and find friends, family, and a sense of belonging.
4. There's an aura of magic about the story (although only humans would refer to it as magic-I'm obviously human).
5. There's the element of mystery-like Harry and his prophecy, we don't know everything about Sophie or her origins, and I can't wait to see what she does next. She has a good heart, great friends, and amazing potential.

Alright, go read it already! I'm in love.

Speaking of love, there are also some boys in Sophie's life. Rather cute ones. She's only 12 and 13 here, so I would have been a little taken aback by any romance, but there is some crushing going on. It will be interesting to see where it all leads in the rest of the series.

Keeper of the Lost Cities is one of my favorite middle-grade fantasies, and one of the best books I've read all year.