Somebody has robbed the Lumpies' village! And it can't be Lord Sparr - because he has mysteriously disappeared. The rumor is that a terrible beast is behind the crime. So Eric, Julie and Neal setoff with Khan and Princess Keeah to find the creature. Instead they find a big Surprise!
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About the Author
TONY ABBOTT is the author of more than fifty novels for young readers, including more than thirty books in The Secrets of Droon series and two hardcover novels, Kringle and Firegirl. He was born in Ohio and now lives in Connecticut with his wife and two daughters.
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To begin with, I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and lived in a small house on top of a hill. Together, my mother, a school teacher, and my father, a returning World War II paratrooper pursuing his college studies, brought tons of books into our small house on Cliffview Road. I guess you could say that these books were my first introduction to the world of literature. My father was always writing, so the sound of the typewriter was like the background music of my early childhood.
When I was eight, we relocated, by car, to Connecticut where I finished elementary school and high school. I went to college at the University of Connecticut, majoring first in music (too hard), psychology (too many theories), and finally English (yes! lot and lots of books!). I graduated UConn with a bachelors degree in English Literature. After that, I traveled to Europe for quite a while, drank a lot of coffee, and wrote notebooks full of strange poetry. When I returned, I found work in a variety of bookstores and finally a library where I met my wife to be.
It was when I began reading bedtime stories to my children that the spark of writing I had had for so many years finally turned to children's books. After many failures, my first published book, Danger Guys, was written while taking a writing class with renowned children's author, Patricia Reilly Giff. That first book, and the series that it began, became the cornerstone of my writing career and has become something of a cult favorite, by virtue of its being difficult to find. Since then, I've written over seventy-five books for readers ages 6 to 14, including the cult favorit popular fantasy saga, The Secrets of Droon.
Over 8 million of my books have been sold worldwide, and my series and novels combined have been translated into Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. Danger Guys was named a Children's Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection, and the American Booksellers Association voted The Secrets of Droon among the "Top 10 List of Books to Read while Waiting for the Next Harry Potter." The series was also a Main Selection of the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club, and is on many school and library reading lists.
In 2007, my novel Firegirl won the Golden Kite Award for Fiction presented by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. It is the only award given by children's writers to children's writers, a peer award I remain honored at having received. It was also a selection of the Junior Library Guild.
In the Spring of 2008, my second novel for Little, Brown Books for Young Readers appeared. The Postcard is a comedy/mystery about a boy who finds a clue on an old postcard while cleaning his recently deceased grandmother's Florida house, and who has no choice but to follow the mystery wherever it leads. Among other things, The Postcard is my love song to Florida's Gulf Coast, where my grandparents lived, and to old Florida, its architecture, roadside attractions, and Wild-West origins. It is, not least, my homage to the great hardboiled tradition of Hammett and Chandler, translated to a Florida setting. The Postcard won the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Mystery.
In 2009, The Haunting of Derek Stone, a series of four books for older readers, appeared from Scholastic Inc. Titles include: City of the Dead, Bayou Dogs, The Red House, and The Ghost Road.
My literary and cultural interests include the films of Preston Sturges, the Road pictures of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, and the Marx Brothers, and the writings of Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, P.G. Wodehouse, Jules Verne, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Seamus Heaney, Emily Dickinson, Ted Hughes, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, The Arabian Nights, Beowulf, James Thurber, Philip Roth, Ralph Ellison, and William Faulkner. I'm currently a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Yale Center for British Art, and other esteemed organizations. With my wonderful wife, two delightful and brilliant daughters, and the best dog imaginable, I live and work happily in Connecticut.
When I was eight, we relocated, by car, to Connecticut where I finished elementary school and high school. I went to college at the University of Connecticut, majoring first in music (too hard), psychology (too many theories), and finally English (yes! lot and lots of books!). I graduated UConn with a bachelors degree in English Literature. After that, I traveled to Europe for quite a while, drank a lot of coffee, and wrote notebooks full of strange poetry. When I returned, I found work in a variety of bookstores and finally a library where I met my wife to be.
It was when I began reading bedtime stories to my children that the spark of writing I had had for so many years finally turned to children's books. After many failures, my first published book, Danger Guys, was written while taking a writing class with renowned children's author, Patricia Reilly Giff. That first book, and the series that it began, became the cornerstone of my writing career and has become something of a cult favorite, by virtue of its being difficult to find. Since then, I've written over seventy-five books for readers ages 6 to 14, including the cult favorit popular fantasy saga, The Secrets of Droon.
Over 8 million of my books have been sold worldwide, and my series and novels combined have been translated into Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. Danger Guys was named a Children's Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection, and the American Booksellers Association voted The Secrets of Droon among the "Top 10 List of Books to Read while Waiting for the Next Harry Potter." The series was also a Main Selection of the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club, and is on many school and library reading lists.
In 2007, my novel Firegirl won the Golden Kite Award for Fiction presented by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. It is the only award given by children's writers to children's writers, a peer award I remain honored at having received. It was also a selection of the Junior Library Guild.
In the Spring of 2008, my second novel for Little, Brown Books for Young Readers appeared. The Postcard is a comedy/mystery about a boy who finds a clue on an old postcard while cleaning his recently deceased grandmother's Florida house, and who has no choice but to follow the mystery wherever it leads. Among other things, The Postcard is my love song to Florida's Gulf Coast, where my grandparents lived, and to old Florida, its architecture, roadside attractions, and Wild-West origins. It is, not least, my homage to the great hardboiled tradition of Hammett and Chandler, translated to a Florida setting. The Postcard won the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Mystery.
In 2009, The Haunting of Derek Stone, a series of four books for older readers, appeared from Scholastic Inc. Titles include: City of the Dead, Bayou Dogs, The Red House, and The Ghost Road.
My literary and cultural interests include the films of Preston Sturges, the Road pictures of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, and the Marx Brothers, and the writings of Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, P.G. Wodehouse, Jules Verne, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Seamus Heaney, Emily Dickinson, Ted Hughes, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, The Arabian Nights, Beowulf, James Thurber, Philip Roth, Ralph Ellison, and William Faulkner. I'm currently a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Yale Center for British Art, and other esteemed organizations. With my wonderful wife, two delightful and brilliant daughters, and the best dog imaginable, I live and work happily in Connecticut.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Super Series, Major Plot Twist,
This review is from: Tower of the Elf King (Secrets of Droon, 9) (Paperback)
Happiness and joy descended upon our household when the most recent Droon installment arrived. While my son and I are avid consumers of serial chapter books, the Secrets of Droon remains our favorite. Fortunately, number 9, which introduces a huge plot twist, did not disappoint. For the first eight installments, the bold young adventurers from the upper world -- Eric, Julie, and Neal -- have teamed with the Junior Wizard, Princess Keeah of Droon, to reign in the evil aspirations of the dastardly Lord Sparr. In The Tower of the Elf King, however, Lord Sparr is notably absent, and our young friends confront a new, surprisingly complicated foe, Gryndl. In addition to Gryndl, plus some old friends (particularly Kahn, King of the Purple Lumpies -- long my son's favorite), our friends meet The Maker, whose inventions feature prominently in the story line. Experienced Droon readers will be pleased to learn more of the illusive, shape-shifting Queen Relna, at the same time remaining wary of Sparr's eventual return. Once again, it's refreshing that the author does not weigh down the narrative rehashing prior adventures, but, for this reason, it's probably best to begin with the first book in the series. Once your kids begin, it won't be long before they'll be joining us in anticipation of the tenth installment!
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favrorite Lumpie book,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Tower of the Elf King (Secrets of Droon, 9) (Paperback)
I liked this book because it is funny. My favrorite character is the Lumpies because in book #2 Neal thought the Lumpies were pillows. Phew, Eric didn't dream of banging a garbage can. Neal didn't dream of sitting in the middle of a pizza and eating his way out to the crust. I loved reading this book because it is really good. I wonder what Keeah's mother will be in the next book. This is my favrorite Secrets of Droon so far I think I will like #10. Secrets of Droon is my favrorite kind of book. I would recommend this book to you. If you get this book you should get #1 because the stories connect. All of the books are good. They all have a happy ending. You should get all of the Secret of Droons.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great series.,
By Expert Review "Engineer" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tower of the Elf King (Secrets of Droon, 9) (Paperback)
My daughter is in the 4th grade. She is hooked on the entire Droon series. I wouldn't recommend these for younger children unless they are above average readers. Droon is a magical world full of adventure and mystery.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
"Hey, Eric! Watch me!" Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
hog elf, elf king, red tiger, pig nose Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lord Sparr, Upper World New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
"Hey, Eric! Watch me!" Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
hog elf, elf king, red tiger, pig nose Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lord Sparr, Upper World New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 1
book:
12
books
cite this book:
See all 12 books citing this book
- Danger Guys (A Trophy Chapter Book) by Tony Abbott in Back Matter
- The Secrets of Droon #15: The Moon Scroll by Tony Abbott in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Voyage of the Jaffa Wind (Secrets of Droon, 14) by Tony Abbott in Back Matter
- Wow! Blast from the Past! (Abracadabra! 8) by Peter Lerangis in Back Matter
- Search for the Dragon Ship (Secrets Of Droon #18) by Tony Abbott in Back Matter
- The Slime Wars by Debbie Dadey in Back Matter
See all 12 books citing this book
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