Review: Hidden World

Great book for young fantasy lovers.  It reminded me of one of my favorite movies from the 80's, "The Goonies."  Basically, A boy gets a metal detector for his birthday and he and his best friend use it, assuming they will find nothing but nails and pennies.  When they come upon a large tree, the detector goes wild.  Investigating further, the boys find an ancient symbol and the digging begins.  The older brother and sister discover what they are doing and reluctantly join the cause and the result is finding a door of sorts.

They eventually end up in what seems like a cavern but which ends up being the entrance to a whole other world full of fantastic creatures, futuristic technology, and adventure around every corner.  The mission:  To find and be in charge of a treasure trove dedicated to be used for any resource that will help improve the future of mankind.  I won't spoil it but it does have a mostly happy ending with a tiny bit of bittersweet to go with it.

I really liked this story.  It was a good length.  It wasn't too elaborate that you couldn't keep all of the characters straight, it kept me wondering what was going to happen next, and the creatures were really interesting in their make-up and abilities.  It is definitely a book that I would consider using in the classroom for a fourth or fifth grade class or just to buy for a young reader who loves fantasy.  If you like stand alone stories, this is a good one but it could definitely have a sequel with a mission for the next generation of characters or a prequel that takes place in the hidden world before this adventure. It was just good fun to read.  Enjoy!