Tales of the past, an heir to the king’s throne and the ever-looming threat of climate change all come together to create Laurel Colless’ children’s book, “The Sleeping King.”
Legend has it that in centuries past, a great king was laid to rest, leaving a promise to wake again when the world would need him most. Could eleven-year-old Peter Blue be that sleeping king? When a pesky wizard pulls Peter out of a nap, telling him to wake up and save the world, Peter isn't interested. It's only when a strange clue in his birthday treasure hunt leads him to his dad’s Global Advanced Intelligence Agency (GAIA) jacket that Peter starts to change his mind.
Peter Blue's legend-inspired story combines the magic of a child confronting a promise from another lifetime with the realism of climate change.
At Spiral Hall, an invitation-only school for the world’s most eco-demically gifted children, eleven-year-old Peter Blue is something of a legend, or so he’s told. His father, a top agent at GAIA – the Global Advanced Intelligence Agency – has been missing for years, believed dead. But new intelligence determines he might be alive and held captive by evil Anthrogs – demons, born from garbage dumps, who show up as wildfire and killer storms. As Peter gains skills and knowledge to combat the Anthrogs, he must prove to himself that the legend is true in order to save his father and the world, before it’s too late.
When 11-year-old Peter Blue and his team are sent on a quest to catch a group of Renegale imps (bad baby gales) they have no idea where to start – how do you catch the wind? But Peter’s mentor Agent Fleur has enough to worry about with a toxic yellow fog attack on seven cities. Then Wanda Shore gets a big idea to fix the fog even though she’s totally unqualified and just flexing to her followers, says her soon-to-be roommate Riva du Lac. The adventure takes them to an active volcano where they soon figure out that the yellow fog and the Renegales are connected. But digging too deep will be dangerous and may also bring to light a dark and unwelcome secret from Peter’s past that he’s not going to like.
Riva du Lac is determined to keep her promise to her dad – no detentions in her first term at Spiral Hall. With just three days left, it seems like smooth sailing. But her plans capsize during a sea cleanup when she discovers Shem, a mythical fish-boy. A surprise honour from the school's Spiral Knights forces Riva to choose between following the rules or saving her new friend. Meanwhile, during a nap in assembly, Riva's classmate Peter Blue has a vision of a garbage-spewing sea beast attacking the knights.
With floodwaters rising and time running out, Shem’s secret from the past may be the only hope for Peter, Riva and their friends to save the knights – and themselves.