Additional information
by Gary D. Schmidt (Author)
The Valorim are about to fall to a dark lord when they send a necklace containing their planet across the cosmos, hurtling past a trillion stars . . . all the way into the lunchbox of Tommy Pepper, sixth grader, of Plymouth, Mass.
Mourning his late mother, Tommy doesn't notice much about the chain he found, but soon he is drawing the twin suns and humming the music of a hanorah. As Tommy absorbs the art and language of the Valorim, their enemies target him. When a creature begins ransacking Plymouth in search of the chain, Tommy learns he must protect his family from villains far worse than he's ever imagined.
How can a grieving sixth grader stand against villains from another world?
- A Coming of Age Story: Sixth-grader Tommy Pepper is just trying to survive middle school and the loss of his mom when a cosmic war lands in his lunchbox.
- An Otherworldly Mystery: The mysterious chain gives Tommy incredible artistic powers, but it also paints a target on his back for the alien creatures now stalking the streets of Plymouth.
- A Heartfelt Family Story: At its heart, this is a book about the unbreakable bonds of family and a boy who must find his courage to protect his little sister and his dad.
- Good vs. Evil: A classic battle between light and darkness that will resonate with fans of classic fantasy and heartfelt contemporary stories alike.
Author Biography
Gary D. Schmidt is the best-selling author of the National Book Award finalist Okay for Now, the Newbery Honor and Printz Honor book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, and the Newbery Honor book The Wednesday Wars. He is a professor of English at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Visit him at www.hmhbooks.com/schmidt.
