-This review contains slight spoilers-
I've known about the Kingdom Keepers books since the first one came out in 2009, but have never gotten around to reading them until now. So far, I've only read the first one (which you can easily do in one day if you want to) but I've already purchased the second one as well. The book follows the stories of five kids, who have become holographic hosts for tours in the Disney parks. The main gist of the story is that when the kids go to sleep, they cross over into their holographic selves in the parks, where the villains are fighting for control and need to be stopped.
I should point out that I much prefer books that have realistic stories (with the exceptions of some well-written fantasies) so I was slightly worried that I wouldn't get into the book when I first began reading it. Taking into consideration that the book is meant for children in grades 5-8, the unrealistic aspects of the story were fair, and there wasn't anything too crazy that would have bothered me.
Overall I thought the book was very good, for its recommended age group (more on that in a bit.) I love the concept of a fictional work taking place at the Disney parks, and if I were 10 years old I would probably be completely obsessed. I also really enjoyed the nostalgia factor of the book. Every now and then the characters would mention that they were going on VMK (Virtual Magic Kingdom) to chat with each other. This is something that I would think resonates more with my generation than children who were not really around for the age of VMK and IM's. Now everyone has cell phones or Facebook, and even with younger kids, I'm not sure IM's are really big anymore.
Like I said, for the recommended age group, the book is awesome. I'm not saying I didn't like it, because I did, but I'm not obsessed like I would be if I were younger. The plot and character development would be amazing for a 10 year old, but for me I would say that it was good. I thought the book had good entertainment value, though it was not necessarily a good piece of literature (at least for someone my age.) The characters are not extremely developed, neither is the plot. The entire book is fairly simple for an adult, though a child would likely find the writing style to be much more challenging or developed. I read some reviews on Amazon, and am honestly kind of shocked at the number of adults who consider this to be a 5 star book. I mean, it isn't bad. It's not bad at all, it's just very clearly meant for children. I would rate the book 5 stars for 10-12 year old children, but not for me as a 22 year old. There are reviews on Amazon written by adults, who purchased the book for themselves, who refer to it with words like "captivating." Really?? Captivating? I don't know what kinds of books these people normally read, but this book made me feel old, and was very obviously meant to be a children's book.
I took some issue with the grammatical syntax of certain words and phrases used in the book. There was at least one instance where the author used the word "Fantasmics" (plural) rather than "Fantasmic." Little things like this get to me, especially when the words used incorrectly are the names of Disney attractions... in a book that is marketed for Disney fans. There are other parts of the book that very briefly mention characters as being actors in the parks, and some details about costumes with heads missing and things like that. Perhaps it's the future Disney Cast Member in me, but I did not like this at all. For an adult book, sure, by all means, but only if it's used correctly. ("Disney War" mentions the costumes that characters wear, however this book is meant to be informational and for adults) I don't think headless costumed characters belong in a children's book. Character integrity could have been kept in place without changing the story.
Basically, it's a fun, entertaining read for adults, but it is probably more meaningful for kids who better fit the age and reading levels of the writing style. I obviously enjoyed it, because I already have the second book. I think it's a great book to read when I want to relax and read something but I don't want to become too involved. I read the first one quickly during a time when I had a lot of things going on with school and work, and would not have really had the time to become too involved in a more developed novel. I'm thinking it will also be a nice book to bring to the beach--something you could easily finish in one sitting.
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