The Secrets of Droon 10 – Quest for the Queen

Tony Abbott's Quest for the Queen is a magical racing adventure for 7 year olds about a great race through a forest where nobody is allowed to use magic.

What happens

It starts at school. Eric is washing off after gym when the soapsuds in the sink turn into the face of the wizard Galen. Then a piece of chalk floats up and writes a message on the board in the middle of a maths quiz (only Eric, Julie and Neal notice). Something is wrong in Droon.

So down the rainbow stairs under Eric's basement they go.

This time they land by the sea beside Bangledorn Forest, home to green monkeys, their queen Ortha and a whole city of tree houses. Once every seven years the forest holds the Droon Quest. It's a chariot race past walls of fire and a raging river, ending on an island that rises out of the sea for a few minutes at sunset. The rightful winner gets whatever they want most.

Princess Keeah knows exactly what she'd want. Her mother, Queen Relna, has been under a spell for years that turns her from one animal into the next. Right now she's a red tiger, and somebody invisible is following her.

Then there's Tarok, the least funny clown in Droon (his jokes really are terrible), and his giant partner Slag, who carries a big net and says they're off fishing. In a forest. The children aren't fooled for long, and your reader won't be either.

The chapters are short and full of sound effects, Ka-splursh! and Honka-honka!, which makes it a lovely one to read aloud. There's plenty of teamwork too. Julie covers a frightened pilka's eyes with leaves to get it past the flames, and Eric swings out on a vine when the one Keeah is balancing on snaps.

Who wouldn't want a wagon that's bigger on the inside than the outside?

This is a mid-series book. It picks up after an adventure where Keeah flew off on a giant bird, and it leaves a few big secrets hanging for later. It reads fine on its own, but the characters mean more if your reader has met them before.

What to read next

Coming in partway? Go back to where the three friends first find a door under the basement stairs, when they're meant to be tidying up, in The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet.