Kingdom Keepers II: Disney At Dawn (Hardcover)

by Ridley Pearson (Author)
Key Phrases: jungle trek, dhi server, bat enclosure, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Cast Members (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
In this sequel to The Kingdom Keepers: Disney after Dark (2005), Disney World is again in danger. The five Kingdom Keepers must battle Maleficent and the Overtakers, who threaten to capture them while they sleep, so the kids must stay awake from the beginning of the battle to its end. Can they do it, or will the urge to sleep be too intense? Lane uses perfectly timed dramatic pauses to build on the suspense-filled story. A number of characters speak with accents (British and African American), and Lane’s interpretations are authentic sounding and crisp. Upbeat music begins and ends each disc. Kids who loved the first title (also available from Brilliance) won’t be disappointed. Grades 5-8. --Anna Rich --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Description
It's supposed to be a happy day at the Magic Kingdom--the return of the teenaged holographic hosts. But things go very wrong when a sudden lightning storm disrupts the celebration, and Amanda's mysterious sister, Jez, disappears. The only clue is the sighting of a wild monkey in the Magic Kingdom during the storm. The mystery deepens as Finn is contacted by Wayne, an old man he hasn't heard from in months. Wayne tells Finn that there's trouble at the Animal Kingdom: the evil Overtakers have gained control of one of the computer servers that will be used to operate Daylight Holographic Imaging there. That means that if any of the holographic hosts fall asleep, they will go into comas--permanently. Filled with action and brimming with the same meticulous detail as The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark, this second book in the series--Disney at Dawn--is the result of hands-on research behind the scenes at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park. Young and older readers alike will get a glimpse into a second Disney kingdom. The wild rides have only just begun; and the clock is ticking. How long can the teens keep themselves awake in their quest to find their friend--and what happens if they fail?

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Disney Editions (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423103653
• ISBN-13: 978-1423103653
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,413 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Read for Disney Fans and Cast Members Alike, September 4, 2008

By	D. Graebner "Theme Park Junky" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having been a Disney cast member for many years, I read Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark, and now it's sequel Kingdom Keepers II: Disney at Dawn with great interest. Both offer a fun read for kids and adults alike. With "Disney at Dawn," author Ridley Pearson has continued his story of the Kingdom Keepers, a group of school children who originally modeled for the fictional holographic Interactive Host Program at Disney's Magic Kingdom but who now find themselves the unofficial protectors of Disney. In the original story, the kids are magically transported into the Magic Kingdom at night while they're asleep. Their mission - to find out who is behind the mysterious goings on in the park after dark. Animatronic figures are roaming the parks and Disney characters have come alive, including the villians. Now, in the sequel, the kids again find themselves in the park; this time in Disney's Animal Kingdom. They must delve deeper into the mystery of the Overtakers, to find out which super villian is really in charge and what horrible scheme the villians have in mind. Fans of Disney, especially cast members past and present, will enjoy the refereneces to familiar locations and settings. Sure, there are some glaring errors (Ridley, it's Fantasmic, not the fantasmics) and some lesser errors that only cast members will appreciate (there are some interesting assumptions concerning ride operation and cast member IDs for example) but it is a work of fiction, so those mistakes offer an additional element of interest for those of us who work in the industry. I strongly recommend this series as a wonderful read for all ages. With page-turning actions, humorous dialogue, and engaging characters, it's a fun addition to any library!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book!, August 30, 2008

By	Alex M! "DISNEYFAN!" (Greenville. SC, USA!) - See all my reviews

This book grabs your attention, and you never want to stop reading this! Like all of Ridley's books, they are fast and fun! There is not one part that is boring! This is a must have for all DISNEY fan!
Can't wait For KKIII

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Get on with it!!!!!, November 13, 2008

By	dox - See all my reviews

I don't know what Ridley Pearson is waiting for. The first and second book both repeatedly refer to the "overtakers" but so far we've met only one. The Disney villain roster is a myriad of frightful miscreants but Pearson has for some reason centered on Malificent only. Granted, she is probably the most intriguing of all the D.V.'s, but where's the evil Queen from snow white? Where's Captain Hook? Where's Ursala,Hades, Scar, Jafar,or the evil Step-Mother? With all this evil talent it is dissapointing to see that Pearson has a short sighted approach and lazily depends on one character (and her Audio-animatronic pawns)to provide the conflict.

In Book one, Malificent refers to her master as a "she", which led me to beleive that the second book would reveal the evil Queen to materialize in book 2 to give the Kingdom Keepers a whole new challenge. Instead, Pearson impliments(barely)Chernabog as the new big villain. We're talking about a one-dimensional character, who spends all of 5 minutes in Fantasia doing nothing more than flailing his arms about and making frowny faces at some mountain side village. Not exactly the scheming type. And isn't he the size of a mountain? How are we to accept that this guy is hiding inside a fake mountain that's full of roller coaster track. It just doesn't make sense.

I understand that this book is intended for younger readers, but that doesn't mean that the author should phone it in. He has an infinite cast of characters that most writers would love to work with and he is simply not taking advantage of it. The idea of the Kingdom Keepers series is appealing to not just younger readers, but to also those of us who just enjoy seeing our favorite characters from our favorite place come to life. Unfortunately, Ridley Pearson is not living up to the potential of these stories.