The König is a tyrant. His subjects are starving. And all-out war is fast approaching. Will a pair of young, courageous brothers save their kingdom? When an emissary sent by the König himself stops by the remote mouse colony of Long Meadow, the peaceful life Sommer and Nesbit have shared is turned upside down—and the brothers are catapulted into separate death-defying adventures. Sommer, levelheaded and clever, is ordered to the palace to join the König’s illustrious Eagle Guard as it prepares to face a full-scale invasion by the nefarious Emperor Wolfsmilch and his army of a hundred thousand forest mice. Meanwhile, the small but spirited Nesbit is banished to the Forest of Lost Life for insulting the König, and must dodge hungry predators at every turn. The brothers struggle to reunite and defy the oppressors who threaten everyone and everything they have ever known and loved. But time is quickly running out for both of them—and the fate of the kingdom hinges on one last, daring mission. Set against the magnificent backdrop of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria, The Kingdom of the Sun and Moon is an action-packed adventure story for young readers and adults alike.
Semi Finalist
Assessment:
Set in Vienna’s Schonbrunn Palace, Nesbit, a weak and outspoken mouse, and his brother, Sommer, are forced into different lands where they must defend the kingdom as they encounter a variety of threats. The background and lore of the kingdom of mice are well crafted, though reluctant readers may find some of it overkill. Readers will enjoy the adventure and trouble that the two mice find themselves facing. Ending with a good message, this is a delightful story about the kinship of brothers.
Date Submitted: July 21, 2016
Winner of the 2015 Gold Benjamin Franklin Award for Teen Fiction and the Silver for Young Reader Fcition.
Foreword Reviews INDIEFAB Book of the Year Finalist in Juvenile Fiction .