Kingdom Keepers Review

Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson

Synopsis:

A group of kids can enter a different dimension, which allows them to go to Disney World when they fall asleep at night without being noticed by most.  In this state, they quickly discover that Disney World is under attack, and they are the only ones that can save the most magical place on earth!

Review:

The most enjoyable parts of this book are the plot, pacing, and details.  It was a really fast read, and part of the reason why that is so is because there aren’t many unnecessary parts.  The moments that may be a bit slower in the book are used as a reprieve after so much excitement. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that there was a twist that I didn’t foresee towards the end.  The descriptions of Disney World are fantastic. Pearson vividly describes parts of the Magic Kingdom, and I truly could picture it in my mind. It reads like a children’s mystery book, which I love because it brings back all of the Nancy Drew novels I used to love. The stakes are just high enough to have kept my attention, but it wasn’t gruesome at all like many adult thrillers.

The only major con would be the lack of real character development.  These kids didn’t feel like real kids to me. The writer just didn’t go deep enough into the characters for them to seem like people I could meet in real life.  The smaller drawback was that parts of this book did seem like an advertisement for the parks, like the description of the Halloween party, but as a big Disney fan, I didn’t mind that very much.

Standout Quote and personal reflection:

“When I do things I shouldn't do, my mother says I need a new pair of glasses -- that I should be be looking differently at the choices I make.”

Brilliant!! This is absolutely brilliant!  This completely applies to my life as a small shop owner.  More often than not, it feels like in business I am doing something I shouldn’t, or things are working out like I want them to.  One thing that I have learned and need to continue to practice is to not let the failures define me. I should look at it like a learning opportunity, which is easier said than done.

This can also apply to my life outside of Amy’s Small World, particularly with my habit of constantly blaming myself for everything.  My initial reaction to almost everything is, “oh, sorry!” even if an event doesn’t have anything to do with me. Every time Erik and I hang out with people, we have a debriefing in the car, where I spill all the “horrible” things I’ve done to make people never want to see me ever again.  I have to control myself otherwise I would grab the steering wheel and make the first u-turn I could to go apologize to everyone. Thankfully, Erik is not like that at all. He does not get anxious about social situations, is an extrovert, and is well-liked by all that get to know him. He is really helping me to see what I perceive as a horrible, friendship-ending mistake of not complimenting a friend’s new baby 100 times is actually fine and may actually be a good reaction in the situation.  He is helping me change my “glasses” about myself, trying to show me that my self-perceived awkwardness may not turn people away after all.

P.S. If you lack confidence in your social abilities, surround yourself with people who are confident in that area and can encourage you with love and patience.  It has helped me so much.

*Sometimes even my smooth husband even gets caught in an awkward photopass pose*

Audience Recommendation:

I think this book would be perfect for upper elementary or middle school students.  I wish that I read it when I was younger. It was still entertaining as an adult, and I would recommend it to Disney fans missing Magic Kingdom or to adults going for their first time.

Grade: A-

For what it is, a children’s book, it is great!  I am giving it the A- though because it isn’t as in-depth character-wise as I would like it to be.

Buy Kingdom Keepers Here

Happy cruising readers,

Amy