Category: Young Adult/Teen Publisher: Feed A Read.com
ISBN-10: 1781760071
Type: Fiction
Pages: 280
Copyright: Feb 10, 2012
ISBN-13: 9781781760079
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
A lonely young girl gets an opportunity most children can only dream of - to be enrolled in an Academy on Planet Aruuliah, where lessons in telepathy and astral-projection are on the curriculum. Read on for an adventure waiting to happen!
Agathea Fulstropp is a lonely 11-year-old girl, a bit on the moody side, and more than a little spoilt.
She is looking forward to a luxury break in the Caribbean with her parents, but is livid when they announce that the trip has to be cancelled due to work commitments! So instead of spending six weeks sunning herself on a tropical beach, Thea – as she insists on being called – finds herself unceremoniously packed up, and sent off to stay with a grandfather she barely knows for the entire summer!
But it turns out to be the best summer of her life when her grandfather has a strange reunion with a mysterious childhood friend, and she is given the opportunity of a lifetime.
To visit a world beyond the stars, and become Earth’s first student to be enrolled in an experimental Inter-Planetary Education Programme at the Firestone Academy, where lessons in telepathy, mind-reading and astral projection are the norm.
Things, however, are not as straightforward as they seem. One of her fellow students makes no secret of the fact that he despises her, and will stop at nothing to make her leave…she is having disturbingly vivid dreams…and just who is that hideously deformed cave creature, and more to the point, what does it want with her?
Excerpt
“So,” remarked Annalije casually as they ate, “you’re the Earthonian who saved the Academy from a Trogaloid invasion!” Thea smiled at the thought of being called an ‘Earthonian’. In her opinion, it sounded so much better than ‘Earthling’.
“Trogaloid invasion?” she repeated curiously, around a mouthful of chips, “What’s a Trogaloid?”
“The Trogaloids,” explained Annalije, matter of factly, “are the people whose place you snatched away at the last minute, and I understand they are pretty mad so you’d better watch out.” She leaned forward, lowering her voice teasingly, “Kuldarr especially is none too happy with the situation!”
Seeing Thea’s blank look, she gave a rich purr of delight. “Oh my!” she exclaimed deliciously, “You don’t know what’s been going on do you?”
Thea, bewildered now, leaned back in her chair. “No I don’t,” she began frowning, “what do you -?”
Well, whatever else she had been about to say was drowned out by what can only be described as an inhuman roar of rage from across the room, as a hulking great figure launched itself onto their table, sending trays of food crashing to the floor. All activity ceased as everybody in the Halls of Dining watched in stunned silence.
In total shock, Thea instinctively pushed back from the table, but was unable to move any further because of the wall behind her. She found herself looking into the glowering eyes of none other than Kuldarr himself, who growled softly beneath his breath and pushed his sneering face within inches of her own. Transfixed, Thea was trapped like a frightened rabbit, unable to speak or tear her gaze away.
She was terrified…more terrified than she had ever been in her life. And he was like a wild animal! Scared as she was she didn’t dare take her eyes off him, watching in horror as those sharp teeth came closer and closer. She winced at every snap and snarl, whimpering in terror at the thought that any minute now, those massive jaws would be clamped around her throat...
This book was as much a pleasure to write as it was to read. Although aimed at the pre-teen market of about 9-12 years, I believe it will appeal to children of all ages as well as adults (if they are anything like me!). I was encouraged to read from a very early age and can still recall the wonder and excitement I used to feel as a child, being transported through the written word to a world of fantasy and adventure. This is what has inspired me to write this book and hopefully, it will inspire and encourage other children in their own reading, so they too can experience the same pleasure and enjoyment that I did.
The characters are easy to understand and varied enough for all readers to be able to find somebody they can identify with. They may even find that they recognise some of the traits described within themselves or someone they know! Of course, some are more likeable than others, however, I feel that their personalities and characteristics are realistic enough to be convincing.
I hope you enjoy reading his book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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