No April Fool's joke! Audio versions of Kingdom Keepers 6 and 7 to be released April 1

Image courtesy Kingdom Keepers Insider

Kingdom Keepers fans - the day you've been waiting for will be here soon.  Today, Ridley Pearson released the cover for the anticipated final volume of the Kingdom Keepers series.

What is no surprise is that our favorite five heroes (and a few more) will have the final battle with the Overtakers at the place where all the Disney magic started -- Disneyland. 

Here's a description of the book from KingdomKeepersInsider.com:

The Kingdom Keepers’ senior year in high school is almost over. For more than three years, they’ve done little more than surveillance missions into the Disney parks after dark. Their battles are long behind them, they agree, the threat to the Disney realm silenced—albeit at great cost.

But inside the catacombs of the Aztec temple where Finn Whitman faced down his nemesis, the monstrous Chernabog, a new threat brews. One that will rise like a phoenix … or, more accurately, like a stealth bomber.

Deception and betrayal rock the Kingdom Keepers as the merciless group of Disney villains known as the Overtakers stage an unexpected comeback. Supercharged with black magic, the Overtakers seek an iconic element that will power them to victory and render the Keepers—not to mention all of Los Angeles—defenseless.

But a discovery by the Keepers provides them with one hope of victory––a lost icon that hasn't been seen in decades. Believed to be gone forever, it may yet be saved. If so, the Keepers have one last chance to preserve the heart of the Kingdom––Disneyland––from a terrifying destruction decades in the making.

But wait, there's more.

If you're like me, you've been enjoying the Kingdom Keepers series on audiobooks.  I spend a fair amount of time in the car, so I often listen to audiobooks.

Kingdom Keepers 1-5 are on audio, but, for various reasons, book 6 was never released on audio.  Well, that oversight will be corrected on April 1 as well.  According to the Brilliance Audio website, the audio versions of KK6 and KK7 will both be released on April 1.

Both titles are, again, read by MacLeod Andrews, who read all but the first Kingdom Keepers novels (book 1 was read by Christopher Lane).  As with the previous titles, these performances are unabridged.  Both books have run times of approximately 9 hours each.

As much as I'm looking forward to reading/hearing the final story in the Kingdom Keepers saga, I'm equally looking forward to finally enjoying book 6 and I prefer to - in it's audio format.

Kingdom Keepers 4: Power Play to be released in April

Amazon.com now is accepting pre-orders for the fourth installment in the popular Kingdom Keepers series of books about a group of teens who are working to stop the Overtakers from gaining control of Walt Disney World.

Along with the pre-order site, Amazon has released a brief description of the upcoming book:

For the five teens who modeled as Disney Hologram Imaging hosts, life is beginning to settle down when an intriguing video arrives to Philby's computer at school. It's a call for action: the Overtakers, a group of Disney villains, seem to be plotting to attempt a rescue of two of their leaders, both of whom the Disney Imagineers have hidden away somewhere following a violent encounter in Epcot. A staged attack by new Overtakers at Downtown Disney, startles the group.

One of their own, Charlene, is acting strange of late. Has she tired of her role as a Kingdom Keeper or is there something more sinister at play? When caught sneaking into Epcot as her DHI, acting strictly against the group's rules, Finn and Philby take action.

Has the "impossible" occurred? Have the Overtakers created their own holograms? Have they found a way to "jump" from the Virtual Maintenance Network onto the Internet, and if so, what does that mean for the safety of the parks, and the spread and reach of the Overtakers? Are they recruiting an army from outside the parks?

A dark cloud in the Kingdom Keeper era is unfolding, and with dissention in their own ranks, it's unclear if there's any chance of escape.

I, for one will be sure to get the latest edition in this fun series. Hopefully we'll see a cover soon.

Kingdom Keepers 3 launches next week, Pearson book signing at WDW

Kingdom Keeper fans listen up!

The third book in the Kingdom Keeper series is set to hit bookshelves next week (April 6)!! The audio version is set for release at the end of April (for you audiobook fans like me).

And... if you happen to be at Walt Disney World next week, you might just be able to meet Ridley Pearson himself!

Mr. Pearson will be signing books Wed., April 6 at the Once Upon a Toy store in Downtown Disney from 4-6 p.m. and 7-8 p.m.

On Thu., April 7, Mr. Pearson will again sign books at Mouse Gear in Epcot from 4-6 p.m.

I'm looking forward to this latest installment in the Kingdom Keeper series and am eager to see what the Overtakers have planned next and if the DHI's will find Wayne!

What do you think about the Kingdom Keepers books? Vote in the poll!

Pearson releases draft cover art for Kingdom Keepers 3

Author Ridley Pearson released the draft cover for Kingdom Keepers 3, Disney in Shadow, on his blog today. No surprise, the cover features Epcot. In previous posts, Pearson indicated KK3 would take place "primarily in Epcot and Hollywood Studios." According to Amazon.com, KK3 is set for release in late April, 2010, though this could change (at one point, the book was supposed to come out this month).

If this cover is any indication, it appears our favorite DHI's are in for even more trouble, this time in Epcot.

Kingdom Keepers update: Third installment set for release Sept. 15

The much-awaited third installment in Ridley Pearson's Kingdom Keepers series is anticipated to hit bookshelves in either September (according to Amazon.com), October (according to Barnes & Noble.com) or April 2010 (according to some posts on some Disney forum sites). Original reports indicated the book, "Disney in Shadow," would be coming out in August. One possible reason for the delay could be due to the book's huge size - nearly 550 pages, according to Ridley Pearson's blog.

In some earlier blog posts, Pearson indicated there would be five books in the Kingdom Keepers series. "Disney in Shadow" is expected to pick up where the second book, "Disney at Dusk," left off with the escape of one of Disney's most powerful villans, Chernabog. According to another post on Pearson's blog, much of "Shadow" will take place in Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

Pearson says "Kingdom Keepers" series to be at least 5 books

Get ready, fans of the Kingdom Keepers series, because you're in for many more adventures with the DHI's!

For those of you who have no idea what any of this means, I'll give you a snapshot description. Those in the know, feel free to skip this bit. "Kingdom Keepers" is the overall name for a series of books about a group of tweens (known as the Kingdom Keepers) who are the source models for different DHI's, or Disney Host Interactives (basically holograms), throughout Walt Disney World (mostly the parks). But there's a hitch: a group of evil characters called the Overtakers, led (sort of) by Maleficent (remember the evil green-skinned woman in "Sleeping Beauty?") is bent on taking control of all the parks. So it's up to the Kingdom Keepers to stop the Overtakers' evil plans. So far two books in the series have been published. Up to speed now?

In his blog, author Ridley Pearson announced that he's completed writing Kingdom Keepers 3, but is planning Kingdom Keepers 4 AND 5 (with 5 possibly being the final book in the series). Past blog posts indicate the third book will take place at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot.

Pearson also has asked blog readers to give their thoughts on where the fourth installment should take place (he has even hinted about taking this concept outside Walt Disney World) and is looking for thoughts on the fifth (and possibly final) book in the series.

If you haven't had a chance to read (or better yet, listen to) either of the Kingdom Keepers novels, I suggest you give them a try. By no means are they "War and Peace," nor are they meant to be. Each is a light read, fun to enjoy, but not bogged down with tons of meaning. The story lines are shallow and quick, making this a book you can go through and enjoy quickly, leaving you wanting more (especially the second book). So get ready for more crossovers and beware of "Sleeping Beauty Syndrome!"