Hidden Land (School & Library Binding)

In the first book of the trilogy, five cousins suddenly got swept away into the Secret Country -- a magical land of wizards, dragons, unicorns, nobles and kings, which they thought they had made up as a game. Now they have taken the parts they set down for themselves, ranging from sorceresses to crown princes -- and a person they never made up has shown up: the mysterious Claudia.

Now things take a not-so-unexpected turn, when the kids try to keep the King from being murdered. But the king dies anyhow -- and the question of whodunnit only makes things more complicated. Since he is the crown prince, Ted has to ascend the throne, but since he isn't really Prince Edward, he's uneasy about it. But despite his lack of experience, he must find a way to ready the Hidden Land for war against the Dragon King... even if he dies in the process.

Dean jumps headlong back into the story without missing a step. "The Hidden Land," like its predecessor, takes a lot of basic fantasy elements and whips them together into something fresh. Kids in a fantasy land, wizards, unicorns, evil dark lord, and plenty of other stuff. Don't worry -- Dean's sense of whimsy and mystery carries it through.

Her descriptions are detailed but avoid being grandiose. Dean takes the story seriously but doesn't make it pretentious. She also mixes together "ye olde" speak and modern English, keeping the medieval people from sounding like modern Americans, and Americans from sounding like ye olde medieval types. You can't forget that these scared, confused kids are not native to the Secret Country.

Ted is perhaps the character who grows the most in this book, since he's struggling to keep afloat as the new King. But all the cousins have become more confident and able. (In a few cases, they act oddly because of their adventures). Some are stronger, some are wiser, and some are just handling the situation well. But they are still portrayed as kids stuck in a fantasy game gone wild.

"The Hidden Land" suffers from the awkwardness of being in the middle of the trilogy. But it remains a budding classic, with its whimsically serious story and likable characters. Highly recommended.

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