Novel by Rebecca Gilleland

Upon walking into a hidden hall of doors in their barn on a rainy day, Kennan and Beth are propelled into adventure beyond their expectations. They choose a door and find themselves on a windswept mountain summit with a dragon flying all too nearby. As they travel across this land following the clues they've been given, they encounter a lost pony, talking crows, elves, and the spiders of Mirkwood. Realizing they are in a story from a book, they must follow the clues to the end to return home, having learned a special lesson in courage along the way. This courage will help them to serve "The King they already know." The first in the Hall of Doors series.

Author's Note: Upon finishing wonderful read-a-louds such as the Narnia series and The Lord of the Rings with our children, I found my nine-year-olds clamoring for more "exciting" stories, stories they could read on their own. I pondered many hours that summer about their request; and then I thought, what if they could actually enter these wonderful tales and have their very own adventures? The Hall of Doors series was born in my imagination, starring my four youngest children as themselves.

Most of the exciting portions of The Dragon's Hoard take place in a world similar to that created by J.R.R. Tolkien in his wonderful story, The Hobbit. By reading great books like The Hobbit, we can enter amazing new worlds and fight battles against evil, or just explore and see what different places, people, and creatures are like. Only by reading can we go into the past or the future, fly in space, explore the center of the earth, or walk the lands of myth and legend.

Each book in this series presents the characters with a new character trait that they must master. The four children find themselves challenged to grow and develop in service to "The King they already know." At what point will they realize whom it is that they already serve? I challenge you to read on and find out.

Grade level: 2-4, Chapter book.
A great choice for reluctant 4th grade readers.
Setting: Imaginative
64 pages