Kingdom Keepers II: Disney at Dawn

This is a sequel to the first Kingdom Keeper book and it was, as I understand, a few years later. It was also something of a disappointment... or the one where Pearson got a little lazy. Not that I want to pick apart a kid's book, but there are a handful (or two) of inconsistencies that raise flags and take the reader out of this adventure. Many are minor, like confusing which character did what and whether or not clues would mean anything to characters who weren't privy to certain conversations. There are some logistic issues, such as whether the keepers are banned from all the theme parks or if their agreement as DHIs was limited to the Magic Kingdom. And there's a question of how they manage to keep in contact using their Nintendo DS systems for chat and maybe audio? However, the first and most persistent concern was the name of a main character. Is she Jess or Jez? (If you've read the 1st book, that makes more sense.)All that aside, however, this is a nice second installment to an on-going series that explores the Disney mythology and provides kids (and adults) with adventure-filled stories. This one takes place mostly in the Animal Kingdom as the keepers attempt to find and rescue Jez, who has been kidnapped. They face many challenges of course, not the least of which is an alternate DHI server that threatens to capture them in Sleeping Beauty Syndrome (asleep and can't wake up) should they drift off. And this time, Maleficent is joined by the most evil Disney villain ever: Chernabog (from Fantasia). And the slight hints at leadership lessons from book one blossom a little more in this book. I won't give away any spoilers, but the story provides a resolution while still leaving plenty of plot lines in play for book three, which... I haven't read yet.A note to parents: there is a bit of suggestiveness throughout the books - both in language (Maybeck has a mouth on him apparently) and in relationships (very mild, but it's there - you sense a love triangle in the making). And, of course, behavior you don't want your kids emulating (lying, etc.).- from trudatmusic[dot]com[slash]raw (9/11/12)

This one was not as good as the first. I realize I am an adult reading a book for young adults but anything to do with Disney I will read. The characters and the way they act or speak is appropriate for the young adult. So I know it is the book for them. It is, however, a strong, sometimes funny, and is very believable. (hey, it could happen). But what I love most about it is the author is spot on where the parks are concerned. Every thing is in its place as it should be as he goes about the plot. So, if your child reads these books be sure that if you end up at Disney you can follow the book in each park and know that the Kingdom Keepers are taking care of business.

Though this book was not as good as the first in my opinion, it was still pretty interesting, especially for those of us who haven't been to the park in over 15 years. This book mainly focuses on the Animal Kingdom part of the park and also Maleficent and Chernaborg. Hardly any other characters are mentioned (Aladdin and Jasmine breifly, Ariel has about a two page part..) which that was disappointing to me as I wanted more character interaction, but was left with only the two bad guys that were talked about constantly. Though the story line still moved along rather quickly, I just kept wishing for more characters and more parts of the park. Hopefully in the next book they'll do just that.

From my 10yo son: Kingdom Keepers: Disney at Dawn by Ridley Pearson tells a fictional story about 7 kids named Finn, Philby, Maybeck, Charlene, Willa, Amanda, and Jess. These kids are trying to defeat Disney villains, who are called "The Overtakers", that come alive at night in the Disney Parks. Jess goes missing; what they do is for you to read. I'm not going to tell you. The books are incredibly good because of the suspense, and I've been there.

This book opens several months after the first book ended. The host program has been shut down to fix some flaws, but tonight it is reopening. Finn and the other four teens are part of a big parade celebrating the event. But what starts as a celebration turns to danger as a huge storm comes rolling in. Finn sees monkey running through the crowd watching the parade. Then Jez, a friend of the hosts, is kidnapped. Before the night is over, Maleficent will escape from her prison.In the aftermath, Finn learns some horrid things from Wayne, the old Imagineer who has been their guide so far. Animal Kingdom is set to get their own holographic hosts soon, but their server is flawed. The Overtakers plan to use it to trap Finn and the others next time they go to sleep. So they must infiltrate Animal Kingdom, free Jez who they think is being held there, and destroy the server before any of them fall asleep. With many of the animals in the park part of Mal's army, that won't be easy. Can the kids figure all this out before they get too tired to think?The Disney fan in me enjoyed this second behind the scenes mix of adventure and fantasy. Heck, the action drew me in so fast, I often had a hard time putting it down, reading the last 100 pages in one sitting.The characters could have been a bit better defined, although we did get to know them better than in the first book. Despite the fact that I was hooked, the pace slacked a little in the middle and I got frustrated by how little was happening. But when it picked up again, I was hooked. It would have been nice to see more of other famous Disney characters involved in the story instead of once again focusing on Maleficent as well.These books will absolutely appeal to Disney fans everywhere. I am anxiously awaiting the next chapter in this saga.

Great book

Bought for my daughter before our trip to Disney. She loved this book and it really sparks children's imaginations about what goes on at Disney after dark.

My boy loved it great to remind us of disney

Excellent

Received as promised. Thank you.