We see questions about the Kingdom Keepers book series by Ridley Pearson in the TMSM Fan Nation on a regular basis, but in the last few weeks we have noticed the topic of the Kingdom Keepers has come up more frequently. To help you better understand the Kingdom Keeper books as well as to hopefully create more “Keeper Insiders” the “TMSM Explains” series is now going to answer the questions we see the most about the Kingdom Keeper’s books.
What age group are these books for?
Barnes and Noble online stated that the age range for the books is 10 – 12 years old, but this is also based on your child’s reading level as well as their ability to separate reality from fantasy. To be honest with you I have read them all as an adult and love them.
What IS the Kingdom Keepers?
The Kingdom Keepers is a book series written by Ridley Pearson. Other books by Ridley include the Steel Trapp series and a long and impressive list of adult based mystery books.
Ridley and Dave Barry have written the Peter and the Starcatchers books and the Never Land series. If “Peter and the Starcatcher” sounds familiar, that’s because the original book is now a 5 time Tony Award winning Broadway play that is touring the United States!
How many books are there in the Kingdom Keeper Series?
There are seven books in the series. Disney After Dark, Disney at Dawn, Disney in Shadow, Power Play, Shell Game, Dark Passage, and The Insider.
Where do the Kingdom Keepers books take place?
They start in Walt Disney World where the main characters have adventures in all four parks, on the Disney Dream and finish in Disneyland in the final book.
What is the plot line behind the Kingdom Keepers?
The official explanation is as follow: “In this fantastical thriller, five young teens tapped as models for theme park “guides” find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. Using a cutting-edge technology called DHI—which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging—Finn Whitman, an Orlando teen, and four other kids are transformed into hologram projections that guide guests through the park. The new technology turns out, however, to have unexpected effects that are both thrilling and scary. ”
I found the Kingdom Keepers books when flying home from Walt Disney World in 2006 I came across the first book in the Disney Store in the Orlando Airport. My explanation as to what that are about would be that the Kingdom Keepers books are about five kids are scanned into holograms by Disney to be tour greeters at Walt Disney World. Each kid brings a unique set of strengths and skills to the table, these kids are the Kingdom Keepers. When they go to sleep they “cross-over” to their hologram into the Disney parks (and later Disney Dream and Disneyland) to battle the Villains of the Disney movies. Wayne, an “original” Disney Imagineer, helps lead the Keepers on their adventures and lends amazing insight into Walt Disney. The books not only allow the reader to “cross-over” into the parks with the Kingdom Keepers it allows them to learn amazing facts about the parks, bits of Disney Company and Disney Parks history and get to know the Disney characters in a whole new way. The Kingdom Keeper books to me are a way to connect to the parks when I’m at home in a way that doesn’t make me “Disney Homesick”. They also taught me some great facts about the parks that I didn’t know. Whenever a Nation Member asks me “what age reader are these books good for” I am honest. I have ALWAYS read on an advanced level, so the suggested ages on books were useless. I honestly feel that the parents asking if these books are designed for their kids should pick up the first book in the Kingdom Keepers series and read it themselves for two reasons. First they will be able to make the “is this age appropriate for my child” decision properly after reading the book. Second I feel everyone should read these books and that parents will want to understand why their kids are talking about Fairles, DHIs, the characters coming to life in ‘it’s a small world’ and other amazing things that without reading the Keeper books make NO sense.
So I have read all seven Kingdom Keeper books and I love the Keepers, but now what?
“Unforeseen – A Kingdom Keepers Novella” is a Fairles based story that takes place between Kingdom Keepers VI and VII. Unforseen is available in digital download through Ridley’s website.
Luckily this series has been so popular that Ridley Pearson is expanding on them. “The Syndrome” was released on March 3rd and is a free standing book that that gives Kingdom Keeper fans a look into the world of the Fairlies, key characters in the original Kingdom Keeper books.
On March 31 the Keepers will be back in “Kingdom Keepers: The Return Book One Disney Lands.” This new series was announced by Ridley at the D23 Expo in 2013 during his Kingdom Keepers panel.
I heard readers helped write a Kingdom Keepers book, how did this happen?
In 2013 the “Kingdom Keepers Insiders” website and app were launched. These tools allowed Keeper fans to interact with Ridley, participate in writing challenges and have their writing critiqued by Ridley. Insiders also voted on where the certain parts of the plot for the Keepers final book “The Insider.”
This project was so popular it was continued from July 10-September 1, 2014 Ridley hosted a writers challenge. This challenge allowed Keepers fans ” to contribute submissions for eight writing challenges.” The winning entries for this challenge are being included in “The Return: Disney Lands.” One of the neatest parts of the “Kingdom Keepers Insiders” project is participants receive credit for their work in the story when released to the public.
“All users whose entries are chosen for publication will have their user names or real names included in the print and electronic books. If your child is chosen, we will contact you to verify your approval, as well as your preference for identifying your child by name or user name.”
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Love these books our grandchildren talked about them so much we wanted to see what they were all about.