The Secrets of Droon
Encyclopedia
The Secrets of Droon is a fantasy
book series by Tony Abbott
aimed at elementary school
-age children. The series was named by the American Booksellers Association
among the top ten books for Harry Potter
fans. On October 1, 2010, the final book of the Series: Special Edition 8: The Final Quest was released, concluding its eleven year run.
The first twelve books see Keeah, Eric, Neal, and Julie trying to find and free Keeah's mother, Queen Relna, from a curse placed on her by Sparr that forces her to shift shapes; she goes from being a bird, to a dragon, to a tiger, and finally a dolphin before becoming human again with the help of her sister, Witch Demither. The fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth books and the first special edition introduce the plot involving Zara, the Queen of Light, and her three sons: Urik, Galen, and Sparr; Zara, who was kidnapped along with Sparr by Ko, emperor of the long-lost evil Empire of Goll, and brought to Droon (as Zara and her sons were originally from the Upper World) will later become a recurringly important part of the series.
After Special Edition #1, ‘‘The Magic Escapes’’, Droon's past begins to be explored, as well as Droon's connection to the Upper World. The characters develop as well, with Eric's wizard powers (gained in Book 12, ‘‘Under the Serpent Sea’’) progressing, and Julie obtaining the powers of a wingwolf- namely, to fly and shape-shift. In Book 22, ‘‘The Isle of Mists’’, Sparr awakens Ko; however, in the process Sparr and his pet, the two-headed dog Kem, are aged back to being children, and become allies with Keeah and the Upper World children. In Book 28, ‘‘In the Shadow of Goll’’, Sparr is turned back into his adult self, though he remains the children's ally. He disappears through a hole in the earth to Droon's Underworld, but reappears in Special Edition #5, ‘‘Moon Magic’’, though fifty years older in Droon's future. He comes back to Droon's present to give the children and Galen his piece of the Moon Medallion, a magical artifact composed of four pieces created by Zara and her sons (Zara's Silver Moon [the pendant], Galen's Ring of Midnight, Urik's Pearl Sea, and Sparr's Twilight Star), before going off on his own journey.
Gethwing, the moon dragon who serves as Ko's lieutenant (though he has ambitions of his own), becomes the more prevalent villain, especially when Ko is thrown into a chasm with no visible bottom. In Book 33, ‘‘Flight of the Blue Serpent’’, Eric is wounded by a poisoned ice dagger intended for Galen, and is eventually manipulated by Gethwing into becoming Prince Ungast, his evil opposite. Ungast, along with Princess Neffu (Keeah's evil opposite) and Lord Sparr, returned to his younger, evil self, form Gethwing's formidable "Crown of Wizards"; it is not until Special Edition #7, ‘‘The Genie King’’, that Eric becomes himself again. Eric, pretending to still be Ungast, goes undercover to find out a secret about Gethwing that could possibly help defeat him.
has even expressed interest in doing a three to four season television series based on the books.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
book series by Tony Abbott
Tony Abbott (Author)
Tony Abbott is an American author of children's books. His most popular work is the book series The Secrets of Droon, which includes over 40 books...
aimed at elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
-age children. The series was named by the American Booksellers Association
American Booksellers Association
The American Booksellers Association is a non-profit industryassociation founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States and Canada. The ABA and its members support freedom of speech, literacy, and programs that encourage reading...
among the top ten books for Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
fans. On October 1, 2010, the final book of the Series: Special Edition 8: The Final Quest was released, concluding its eleven year run.
Plot Overview
Eric Hinkle, Neal Kroger, and Julie Rubin are three friends who accidentally discover a magical world called Droon; a rainbow staircase that appears when Eric's basement closet is dark is usually how they get to Droon. There they meet Keeah, the princess of Droon and a budding wizard, who is trying to defend Droon against Lord Sparr, an evil sorcerer who constantly tries to destroy Keeah and the Upper World friends and take Droon for his own to rule.The first twelve books see Keeah, Eric, Neal, and Julie trying to find and free Keeah's mother, Queen Relna, from a curse placed on her by Sparr that forces her to shift shapes; she goes from being a bird, to a dragon, to a tiger, and finally a dolphin before becoming human again with the help of her sister, Witch Demither. The fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth books and the first special edition introduce the plot involving Zara, the Queen of Light, and her three sons: Urik, Galen, and Sparr; Zara, who was kidnapped along with Sparr by Ko, emperor of the long-lost evil Empire of Goll, and brought to Droon (as Zara and her sons were originally from the Upper World) will later become a recurringly important part of the series.
After Special Edition #1, ‘‘The Magic Escapes’’, Droon's past begins to be explored, as well as Droon's connection to the Upper World. The characters develop as well, with Eric's wizard powers (gained in Book 12, ‘‘Under the Serpent Sea’’) progressing, and Julie obtaining the powers of a wingwolf- namely, to fly and shape-shift. In Book 22, ‘‘The Isle of Mists’’, Sparr awakens Ko; however, in the process Sparr and his pet, the two-headed dog Kem, are aged back to being children, and become allies with Keeah and the Upper World children. In Book 28, ‘‘In the Shadow of Goll’’, Sparr is turned back into his adult self, though he remains the children's ally. He disappears through a hole in the earth to Droon's Underworld, but reappears in Special Edition #5, ‘‘Moon Magic’’, though fifty years older in Droon's future. He comes back to Droon's present to give the children and Galen his piece of the Moon Medallion, a magical artifact composed of four pieces created by Zara and her sons (Zara's Silver Moon [the pendant], Galen's Ring of Midnight, Urik's Pearl Sea, and Sparr's Twilight Star), before going off on his own journey.
Gethwing, the moon dragon who serves as Ko's lieutenant (though he has ambitions of his own), becomes the more prevalent villain, especially when Ko is thrown into a chasm with no visible bottom. In Book 33, ‘‘Flight of the Blue Serpent’’, Eric is wounded by a poisoned ice dagger intended for Galen, and is eventually manipulated by Gethwing into becoming Prince Ungast, his evil opposite. Ungast, along with Princess Neffu (Keeah's evil opposite) and Lord Sparr, returned to his younger, evil self, form Gethwing's formidable "Crown of Wizards"; it is not until Special Edition #7, ‘‘The Genie King’’, that Eric becomes himself again. Eric, pretending to still be Ungast, goes undercover to find out a secret about Gethwing that could possibly help defeat him.
Main characters
- Eric Hinkle. One of the main protagonists of The Secrets of Droon. In the first book, he and his friends, Neal Kroger and Julie Rubin, find a rainbow staircase in Eric's basement closet that takes them to the magical land of Droon.
- Neal Kroger. Along with his friends Eric Hinkle and Julie Rubin, first enters Droon in Book 1, The Hidden Staircase and the Magic Carpet. He, Eric, and Julie help Princess Keeah and their Droonian friends to defeat whatever evils threaten Droon.
- Julie Rubin. “Discovered” Droon in the first book, as she was the one who first felt the staircase and convinced them to once again go back into the closet and turn off the lights, revealing the rainbow staircase.
- Princess Keeah
- Lord Sparr. The main antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of the series, a powerful evil sorcerer, the leader of the Ninns and the ruler of the Dark Lands. His magic, like nearly all dark magic in Droon, is red. He constantly seeks to dominate not only Droon, but the Upper World, too. - Galen Longbeard, Wizard of Droon.
- Salamandra. She is the princess (and later queen) of an empire called Shadowthorn. She has a thorn-covered staff which she uses to steal magic and perform it. She is also in possession of the 'Portal of Ages' which she uses to time travel through Droon and the Upper World's pasts and futures. She first appears in Special Edition 1: The Magic Escapes and reappears in most of the last 10 books. Her allegiance is brought to question often, but she seems to be mostly good intended.
Family members
- Mr. & Mrs. Hinkle, Eric's parents
- Mrs. Kroger, Neal's mother and a librarian
- Mr. & Mrs. Rubin, Julie's parents
List of Books
- The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet
- Journey to the Volcano Palace
- The Mysterious Island
- City in the Clouds
- The Great Ice Battle
- The Sleeping Giant of Goll
- Into the Land of the Lost
- The Golden Wasp
- The Tower of the Elf King
- Quest for the Queen
- The Hawk Bandits of Tarkoom
- Under the Serpent Sea
- The Mask of Maliban
- Voyage of the Jaffa Wind
- The Moon Scroll
- The Knights of Silversnow
- Special Edition 1: The Magic Escapes
- Dream Thief
- Search for the Dragon Ship
- The Coiled Viper
- In the Ice Caves of Krog
- Flight of the Genie
- Special Edition 2: Wizard or Witch?
- The Isle of Mists
- The Fortress of the Treasure Queen
- The Race to Doobesh
- The Riddle of Zorfendorf Castle
- Special Edition 3: Voyagers of the Silver Sand
- The Moon Dragon
- The Chariot of Queen Zara
- In the Shadow of Goll
- Special Edition 4: Sorcerer
- Pirates of the Purple Dawn
- Escape from Jabar-Loo
- Queen of Shadowthorn
- Special Edition 5: Moon Magic
- Treasure of the Orkins
- Flight of the Blue Serpent
- In the City of Dreams
- Special Edition 6: Crown of Wizards
- The Lost Empire of Koomba
- Knights of the Ruby Wand
- Special Edition 7: The Genie King
- Special Edition 8: The Final Quest
Sequel series and possible TV series
Tony Abbott has revealed on his blog that there could be a sequel series of seven books based on the Seven Cities of Gold.NickelodeonNickelodeon
Nickelodeon is a US cable TV channel.Nickelodeon may also refer to:-In television:*Spinoffs of the Nickelodeon channel:** Nickelodeon Magazine, a children's magazine.** Nickelodeon Universe, an amusement park....
has even expressed interest in doing a three to four season television series based on the books.