Product Description

WELCOME TO FOO.

Fourteen-year-old Leven Thumps (a.k.a. "Lev") lives a wretched life in Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma. But his life is about to change and his destiny be fulfilled as he learns about a secret gateway that bridges two worlds -- the real world and Foo, a place created at the at the beginning of time in the folds of the mind that makes it possible for mankind to dream and hope, aspire and imagine. But Foo is in chaos, and three transplants from that dreamworld have been sent to retrieve Lev, who alone has the power to save Foo.

Enter Clover, a wisecracking, foot-high sidekick; Winter, a girl with a special power of her own; and Geth, the rightful heir to Foo. Their mission: to convince Lev that he has the power to save Foo. Can this unique band of travelers help Lev overcome his doubt? Will Lev find the gateway in time? Or will Sabine and his dark shadows find the gateway first and destroy mankind?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #105819 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-11
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From Publishers Weekly
This imaginative and entertaining young adult fantasy novel successfully depicts an unusual boy's coming of age. Oklahoma orphan teen Leven Thumps has a hidden and powerful talent: he can glimpse, and then manipulate, the future. He is also the only person on the planet who can protect the gateway to Foo, a mythical realm whose existence ensures that human beings in this reality retain the ability to dream, hope and imagine. Sabine, the wicked ruler of Foo, wants to extend his tyranny by ruling this world as well-but if that happens, no one on Earth would ever be able to dream again. As Lev hurries to find the gateway between the two worlds before Sabine does, he encounters several friends to help him: Winter, a bright 13-year-old girl who can instantly freeze things and people just by wishing it; Clover, an adorable, foot-high furry creature from Foo who has been assigned as Lev's companion (and, apparently, as comic relief); and Geth, the wise but displaced king of Foo, who alone knows the full secret of the gateway. Obert Skye's imagined world of Foo contains many whimsical and delightful elements, such as Humble Pie that apologizes for its own flavor and promises to taste better next time, and candy that temporarily rearranges its chewer's body parts. At times, the prose does not match the quality of the story. Debut novelist Skye resorts to telling instead of showing, especially with character descriptions; Lev's guardian, for example, is "a little man with no compassion or concern for others." Some passages are also oddly overwritten ("He didn't speak English, he spoke anguish"). However, the story's pacing is excellent, and the last hundred pages build palpable excitement and suspense. Kids and adults alike will enjoy this charming tale of good and evil, and look forward to the other books in the series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8–Two teens, a small, furry "sycophant," and a talking toothpick try to prevent evil forces from destroying two worlds in this lighthearted fantasy. "Foo" is the world from which all dreams come, and the villainous Sabine wants to find the gateway from there into our world. This would destroy both worlds, so the reluctant title hero and his magical companions try to prevent it. The complicated plot unwinds through a playful narrative that tries, often unsuccessfully, to mix humor and suspense. There are some funny moments, but many attempts at comedy seem forced or distracting. An urgent race to Germany includes some clever plot twists, as when Leven's friend Winter uses her ice-creating power to turn an ocean into a road, but their quest never becomes truly exciting. When it turns out that the ominous "Shadows" under Sabine's command can be dismissed by a simple hand clap, it's mildly amusing, but detracts from the sense of true danger that makes an involving adventure. Leven's self-doubts and changes of heart are almost tedious, and there's little chemistry between him and Winter. Adult characters are mean, dull, and unattractive, which results in some Dahl-like humor, but soon gets repetitive. Despite some solid humor and an occasionally intriguing plot, there's not enough cohesion or consistency here to make this a rewarding fantasy.–Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly
"Excellent... palpable excitement and suspense. Kids and adults will enjoy this charming tale."

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Series
As an educator and mother, I think that this series is really interesting and quite good. I shop and buy these books for myself to read. I tell my children about them and then they ask for them to read. When they are done, we can chat about them as a family. They are very cleverly written.

At first I wasn't that sure I was going to like them as Harry Potter is not an easy act to follow. But, Leven Thumps is endearing. He is an unsuspecting hero. Which I like. Clover is just funny and sooo sweet. He gives Leven things and never tells him exactly what it is for. Leven always is surprised. Just very endearing story lines and characters. Give it a try. You may like it too!!

Okay first book, Terrible series, just gets worse and worse...
Okay first book, Terrible series, just get worse and worse...
I bought all three and book two bugged me because it didn't have any boundries, such as a few birds can suddenly dig a ditch miles wide and hundreds of miles deep and every falls into it unharmed, on and on and finally hope, the last sentence of book two look promising. Ever been upset after reading something and learning that it was a dream, hence valueless? I have that feeling constantly. Book three took a dive right off the bat, and I had to quit half way through. I could not read his meandering waffle anymore. Sorry, I just feel cheated since the first book had promise, overlooking the animated toothpick.
Obert, if you read this, sorry, I think you should have rapped up your story in the first book. Ken

Flawed but very silly

Leven Thumps had some flaws: for one the story was a bit grim and the main character a bit too reluctant and doubtful. For another it had stereotypical characters (a la Harry Potter): the same old runaway kids, the same old fat, hairy predictable guardians, same old toothpick king. Ok, so maybe not that predictable. It's full of absurdities: a monkey like creature who can disappear under a cloak, talking candy, and a girl whose hair can turn into ice, a train station filled with clapping people (you'll have to read the book to understand this one). This book is about a boy called Leven Thumps, a girl called Winter, a loyal creature called Clover and a king called Geth--he's the toothpick. They go on a quest to save a land called Foo without which humanity would collapse. An evil king who resides in Foo plots to take back his life that was stolen at nine. Although I think readers younger than 13 or who have the heart of a young reader would like it most of all, I'd recommend this book to anyone with a good sense of humor, and a thirst for crazy fantasy. The hilarious antics of Clover was worth it! Once you pick this book up you won't be able to stop reading, or stop laughing. (written by LEAD's sci-fi/fantasy book discussion group)