The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark
By Barbara Lawrence,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Series-starting adventure shows a darker Magic Kingdom.
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What's the Story?
Finn and four other teens are selected to be Holographic Hosts at Florida's Disney World. Holograms of these teens lead visitors through the Magic Kingdom, giving visitors information. Their lives as minor celebrities are going fine until they discover that at night while they sleep they become both hologram and human. Their holograms are lured back into the Magic Kingdom at night by a retired park Imagineer who convinces them to fight against the evil Overtakers, who are trying to take control of the Magic Kingdom and eventually the world. The evil Overtakers are led by the evil Maleficient from Disney's Sleeping Beauty, who's aided by characters from the popular rides: pirates from Pirates of the Carribbean and the cute dolls from It's a Small World, who chase and bite the teens while eerily singing their famous song.
Is It Any Good?
It's mind-bending to think that you could be human and a hologram at the same time; this nice sci-fi twist adds to this otherwise standard adventure fantasy. The convoluted mystery is hard to follow and doesn't always make sense, but Disney fans will love the adventure-filled story that takes place in the "happiest place on Earth." Finn is the only character the reader really gets to know; we never get to learn much about the the other four who back him up. The end is somewhat anti-climactic, but sets the stage for the next title in the KINGDOM KEEPERS series.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about if it's OK to lie to your parents when you're helping a friend. When Finn tries to tell the truth, his mother doesn't believe him. What would you have done?
Disney published this book, which is about Disney World. Do you think this could be a conflict for author Ridley Pearson to write a book about Disney for Disney? Is this a form of advertising for Disney packaged as a book?
Finn ignores his best friend, whom he meets in a virtual game, so he can be with his Hologram Host buddies to solve the mystery. Have you ever been excluded by friends? How can you be a good digital citizen as well as a good friend?
Book Details
- Author: Ridley Pearson
- Illustrator: Tristan Elwell
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Fairy Tales, Friendship, Pirates
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
- Publication date: September 1, 2004
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 10 - 14
- Number of pages: 336
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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