The Secrets of Droon 12 – Under the Serpent Sea

Tony Abbott's Under the Serpent Sea is a Droon adventure for 7 year olds that sends Princess Keeah to the bottom of a stormy sea to face a witch.

What happens

It starts with Eric bouncing on his bed, telling Julie and Neal about his dream. He was about four, hiding in the basement during a storm. A girl in blue and a woman with a scaly face stepped out of the closet under the stairs, climbed to the attic and flew out of the window. Was it a dream, or a memory?

This is a later Droon book, and the friends have clearly been down those stairs many times. Keeah is one of their best friends now. It builds on lots of earlier adventures, so it's best enjoyed once your reader already knows who's who.

Down in Droon a huge storm is raging. Galen the wizard has a magic feather pen called Quill that writes down everything, and sometimes the future. Quill says the storm is the work of Demither the sea witch. And it says something else. Keeah will face a dangerous test today, and nobody is allowed to tell her.

So off they go in Friddle the inventor's plane. It's powered by two furry blue yip-yips running round in a cage (brilliant!). Then they jump into the sea wearing special belts. Neal is told NOT to press the red button on his. Can you guess what happens?

There's so much going on. There are sea monsters, a glass palace under the waves and a talking jewel with a nasty voice. Keeah's powers are wild and she can't always control them, which leads to some very funny surprises for Neal and Julie.

It's also a big book for secrets. Things that have puzzled Eric, Julie and Neal for a long time finally start to make sense. If your reader has been following Keeah's story, this is a VERY exciting one.

It gets tense, with a storm, an army of Ninns and a scary chamber called the Doom Gate, but it's more thrilling than frightening.

What to read next

If your reader is new to Droon, go right back to The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet, where Eric, Julie and Neal first find the rainbow staircase in Eric's basement.