The Secrets of Droon 34 – In the City of Dreams

Tony Abbott's In the City of Dreams is a Droon adventure for 7 year olds in which Eric's friends race to save him while he's stuck somewhere between waking and dreaming.

What happens

Droon is a magic land under Eric's basement. He, Julie and Neal get there by a staircase that appears when they switch off the closet light. This book comes well into the series, and it starts right in the middle of a crisis.

Three days ago Eric threw himself in front of a poisoned ice dagger meant for the wizard Galen. Now he's lying in a royal bed in Jaffa City, pale and cold and not waking up. Back home, Julie has been shape-shifting into Eric so nobody notices he's gone (and she hates every minute of it).

When the magic soccer ball finally calls them down, there are black flags on the towers. Old friends from all over Droon are crowded outside Eric's door. It's a surprisingly moving scene for such a pacy series.

A cure might be waiting in Samarindo, the City of Dreams. The trouble is that the city keeps rearranging itself. A ripple passes through and streets twist, bridges vanish and a pie shop turns into an empty square of ashes. Princess Keeah, Julie, Neal and Pasha the carpet weaver set off on an invisible flying carpet to find it.

Meanwhile Eric's spirit has wandered off on its own. He can't remember his friends' names. A strange winged shadow is leading him somewhere, and it doesn't feel friendly.

It's a great one for a reader who loves a cliffhanger. The story keeps swapping between the rescue team and Eric, so you're always itching to know what the other lot are up to. Neal's jokes about his fabulous hair keep things light even when they look bad.

One thing to be aware of. Eric being so ill, and everyone being so frightened for him, might upset a child who frets when someone in the family is unwell. It's more tense than scary, though, and the sad part is right at the start.

What to read next

Because it leans on lots of earlier adventures, this isn't the place to begin. If your reader is new to Droon, go back to The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet, where Eric is told to clean out the basement and a football rolls into a little closet under the stairs.