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DONALD GARDNER. THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES
AS HE JOINS WITH FBI AGENTS TO BATTLE
A SINISTER SORCERER LURKING IN THE WOODS.
More than a week has passed since sixth-grader Donald Gardner left Germany after facing an evil sorcerer in the woods. He's back in the classroom again, trying hard to adapt to a normal life and fit in.
But on his way home from school, a familiar rabbit missing a pocket watch delivers a grim warning message that his life is in danger now. With orders to find and return the watch, Donald and his friends Jon and Chris begin an incredible new adventure.
A scheduled tour of a hidden FBI facility also unlocks secrets about Oz, our world, and other distant lands, causing friction between the Gardner family, George Clarke, and the agents who seek their help so desperately. They learn about The Powder of Life there, a magic substance that gives life to lifeless objects and prolongs it for the living.
Meanwhile, a sinister caller with supernatural powers takes refuge at a tavern on the outskirts of the German forest. The innkeeper and two travelers are soon trapped by his spells as they toil ceaselessly to assist him.
The world and everything in it is changing rapidly as Donald and his friends fight to save it.
After three failed attempts, he had come to the practical conclusion that it was impossible to concentrate on his math assignment—not just because it was a sunny day and unseasonably warm outside, not because arithmetic was never, to put it mildly, one of his strongest subjects, and not because story problems in general had no logic and they made him cranky.
The reason was simple—he was thinking about tomorrow.
He hadn't been able to focus on anything else for days now. His mother, against her better judgment, had already planned to call the school's office in the morning with an excuse that he was needed by the police for further questioning.
In truth, the Gardners had a big day ahead of them. One of the most important days in Donald's life so far. Yet he could tell no one about it—not even Jon or Chris, although they were his two best friends and already knew about the Silver Shoes, where they had come from, and how he had destroyed them a little more than a week ago.
Things had quieted down considerably since then. News reporters and television crews had received their headlines directly from the FBI, who acted as a buffer and media contact for the family. The agents answered a barrage of questions about the extraordinary kidnappings to everyone's satisfaction, so it seemed. And much sooner than expected, the fickle public breathed a collective sigh of relief and moved on to the next big thing.
That's when the private invitations had been issued and the official plans finalized. Special Agents Stuart Banning and his partner Denny Lamont had informed the Gardner family that in no uncertain terms could they let outsiders know about the tour. Donald was ordered not to discuss it with anyone other than his parents and George Clarke, who would be going along with him.
He was disappointed, to say the least.
Initially, Jon and Chris had been invited to go, too, and it didn't seem fair not to include them now. But that idea was shot down by supervisors at the bureau. Donald was told this would be the first time in United States history that civilians were allowed inside their top-secret facility—and as excited as the agency was to meet them, it was clear they were feeling a little uncomfortable about it, too.
The minutes ticked slowly by as he continued to stare out of the classroom window.
It had sounded like a good idea at first—trying to fit in again at school. But things hadn't gone as expected. Even his teacher Mrs. Harper seemed overly cautious at times, which wasn't like her at all. Other teachers attempted unsuccessfully to hide their looks of concern as they passed him in the hallway. As for his classmates and friends, they welcomed him back with warm smiles and encouraging words, as if nothing at all were different. But occasionally, he would catch a glance before they turned away, and there would be doubt in their eyes ... even fear. They had no idea what he had been through. Few bothered to ask, although he was told by one brave student that they were expressly warned not to probe into his personal life—particularly regarding the matter of his recent kidnapping.
Adapting to normal life again had been anything but a piece of cake.
Donald's eyes were still locked in a distant gaze on the open field beyond the glass. It seemed to call to him. He scratched the side of his head absentmindedly with his pencil eraser, and he could just barely see a square of white cement peeking through the edge of the tall grass about fifty yards away. It was the start of a long sidewalk that led down the sloping hill to his house. He couldn't wait to be on it. But for now, he remained stuck in his chair—trapped inside this institution of learning. A prisoner of the sixth grade, entirely unable to focus on his work.
He was thankful that at least he was still invited to go tomorrow. The agents could have changed their minds about him as well, but they needed his help now. Mr. Clarke's help, too. A new case had to be solved right away—a very important one involving a certain sorcerer from Oz who was gaining strength somewhere in the darkest regions of a forest in Germany.
Suddenly, Donald thought he saw something move in the distance. It was near the sidewalk. A little white speck—nothing more—behaving in an oddly random way. It seemed to be bouncing up and down through the tall grass. And since this unidentifiable object was far more interesting than his math assignment could ever be, he continued to examine it through the window.
Scarcely a minute had passed before he realized it was headed in his direction, almost as if it were making its way directly to him. The motion was still erratic. Up and down. Back and forth.
He began to see details now.
It was white, for the most part, with something blue and shiny underneath it. And it had two white stalks that spread out at the top.
Then Donald sat up in his chair. His eyes grew wide with recognition.
It was a rabbit.
The furry creature was hopping through the field outside his window. Nothing so peculiar about that, except it was wearing something.
A blue satin vest.
"Donald, keep your eyes on your book, please," said Mrs. Harper suddenly.
She was circling her students like a hawk with a keen lookout for any noticeable lack of concentration—and she had found her first culprit in Donald Gardner.
Katie Samuelson, the new blonde girl who had moved there recently from Seattle, suppressed a giggle and flashed him a quick smile. She always seemed to be catching him at his worst.
Mrs. Harper grabbed the two strings that controlled the Venetian blinds next to him and promptly lowered them, blocking his view entirely. Donald glanced around the room at his classmates, and he was mortified to see all of them silently watching him.
He looked down immediately and reread the last part of the paragraph about a lawnmower ... then something about hours in a day ... a red metal tank full of gasoline ... and how many times he would have to fill the lawnmower from the tank.
Why was there a rabbit outside wearing a vest?
"Focus," he commanded himself silently.
Donald reasoned that if he could destroy a pair of magic shoes from the Land of Oz, he could surely figure this one out.
Sadly, he was mistaken.
He flipped the page, rolled his eyes in frustration, and went on to the next problem. It started out even worse than the lawnmower saga—with a poorly-drawn cartoon of three boys who were building a brick wall. The kid on the right stood apart from the other two. He had messy brown hair that looked a little like his own, although this boy appeared to be terrified by something. Donald almost laughed out loud at the kid's goofy expression and accidentally kicked the chair in front of him. After receiving a glare from the disgruntled classmate who occupied it, he resumed his examination of the artwork. It was both strange and amusing at the same time. Then he started to read:
Jacob has forty bricks in his wheelbarrow at eleven o'clock in the morning. Tom can lay only four bricks per hour.
This made absolutely no sense whatsoever, but he kept going.
They are building a wall that will be three bricks high and eight bricks wide by five o'clock in the afternoon. How many bricks will Tom need to borrow from Jacob before Donald realizes his life is in grave danger now and the rabbit wearing a blue waistcoat has come to warn him about it....
Donald closed his eyes and rubbed them for a moment. Then he opened them again and stared down at the page with renewed intent. Things were not the same. The scared little boy was gone, but the other two remained in the drawing. They were busy building a brick wall, just as they had been doing seconds ago. He blinked a couple of times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Then he reread the last part of the problem carefully:
How many bricks will Tom need to borrow from Jacob in order to finish the wall on time?
Donald was tired. No question about it. It was the end of a long day, and he was still recovering from an overwhelming string of recent events. He hadn't concentrated well on this assignment at all, and his mind was playing tricks on him now.
Seriously weird tricks.
Just then the bell rang, and he jumped up from his seat, almost involuntarily, and slammed the textbook shut. Several students nearby stood up at the same time and eagerly gathered their belongings to go home.
"Be sure to complete the first eight problems in this section for tomorrow," announced Mrs. Harper. "Class dismissed!"
There was a quiet but conspicuous groan from the group.
Donald organized his books and papers and shoved them with determination into his backpack. Then he quickly joined his friends at the door.
"Donny, are you all right?" said Chris. "You look like you saw a ghost."
"Yeah, is everything okay?" asked Jon.
"I'm fine," he replied, and he smiled at them both for added assurance. "I'm just ready to go home, that's all."
"Can't argue with that," said Jon. "Race you to the sidewalk!"
Jon immediately bolted from the others, and Donald and Chris took off after him.
They were halfway across the field before Donald realized someone was calling his name. It was a high-pitched, desperate yell. His heart was beating fast as he turned to find Katie Samuelson chasing after him through the tall grass.
"Wait!" she shouted again.
The three boys exchanged curious glances as she approached. She was completely out of breath by the time she caught up, and she held a small object in her outstretched hand.
"You ..." she began, panting heavily, "I think you dropped this pencil on the floor."
She walked up to Donald and proudly showed it to him like a trophy. Then she brushed a stray strand of blonde hair from her mouth and stood, almost in defiance, waiting for his response.
"Oh, sure—yeah," said Donald with an awkward drawl. "Um, thanks."
"It's Katie," she added warmly. "We just moved here from Seattle."
"Yeah, I know," he answered. Then he grinned. "I'm Donald, but most of my friends call me Donny."
After that, he just stared at her.
"Seems like a nice school so far," she tried again, breaking the silence.
"I'm Jon," his friend volunteered, and he gave her a casual wave while sporting his own sheepish grin. "And he's Chris."
"Hi," said Chris, grinning himself.
"Hi," replied Katie. "Well ... here's your pencil."
She handed the rescued object to Donald.
"Okay, yeah—thanks again," he said with a slightly forced appreciation.
Then he reached over and shook her hand before he turned away with his two friends.
A handshake?
It was a spontaneous gesture that he immediately regretted.
"I'm glad you're back home!" she shouted, and Donald turned again to face her. "I mean ... I'm glad you're safe now," she added quietly.
"I'm glad, too," he said, followed by another long pause.
"Well ... see you soon."
She nodded in agreement. "Yes, see you tomorrow!"
Then she turned away herself and began to walk with a confident, conquering stride toward the school.
Jon waited until he was sure she was out of earshot before he spoke.
"Oh, you've definitely got a girlfriend."
"Totally," said Chris with a snicker.
Donald let the idea sink in for a moment before he challenged their opinion.
"No way! I don't even know her," he argued.
The three boys resumed their walk home.
"Well, she knows you, all right," said Jon teasingly.
"Definitely," seconded Chris with a mischievous grin.
"Okay, let's drop it," he announced, clenching his teeth now.
"What are you so mad for?" said Jon. "I think she's sorta cute."
Donald stopped and stared at his friend. They had never really talked at length about girls. Not specific ones, at any rate. And certainly not about girls from his own class.
"You think she's cute?" he asked as he pondered the notion.
"Definitely cute, yeah," confirmed Jon in a calm, matter-of-fact way. "She's got a good smile," he added, and he made the observation so casually it was almost revolutionary.
"Even better—she thinks you're cute," said Chris.
"Who says?" replied Donald with a frown.
This prompted Chris to let loose with a loud, impatient grunt.
"Oh, come on, Donny! She just ran across the entire universe to give you a pencil!"
"Hey, how about coming over to my place tomorrow after school?" suggested Jon. He was mercifully changing the subject.
"It's Friday, and we could shoot some hoops."
"You always want to show everybody how good you are at basketball, "observed Chris bitterly. "You know you can cream either one of us! Besides, don't you have football practice or something?"
"Not 'til Monday. How about two against one?" he offered, which seemed reasonable, since he was several inches taller than both of them now.
Donald was relieved that they were off his back for the time being, and he quickly responded with, "Sounds good!" Then his heart sank as he remembered he wouldn't be going to school at all tomorrow, nor would he be around for any afterschool sports or private conversations with Katie.
He could say nothing about it, though. He had given the agents his word that he would keep quiet.
Then, out of the blue, Chris asked the million-dollar question.
"So, Donny—when are we going to that FBI place? I know we're not supposed to talk about it, but it's been over a week already."
"Closer to two," said Jon.
A lump suddenly rose in Donald's throat. This was the dreaded bomb he'd been expecting for days now.
"Uh ... I don't really know," he answered. "I'm not sure."
Jon seemed surprised by this. "They still haven't said anything to you? That's weird. I thought they were pretty excited to get you in there."
"Didn't they want you to help them out with some information?" added Chris.
"Yeah ..." he replied, "but I'm not sure what's happening now."
Donald was terrible at keeping secrets from his friends, and Jon and Chris could usually sense when he was up to something.
"Okay, but you'll let us know when you hear back from them, right?" asked Chris. "We were invited to go, too—remember?"
There was a noticeable hint of distrust in his voice.
"Sure," said Donald. "I won't forget."
"Because we'd totally have to kill you if we missed out on that," added Jon, only half-jokingly.
"No worries," said Donald in a concerted effort to assure them both.
Just then a white blur flashed in front of them and bounced right up onto the rock wall running parallel to the sidewalk.
"Have you the time?" inquired the rabbit as he stared intently from the ledge.
Donald, Jon, and Chris were stunned beyond words. The small creature sat up on his haunches, wringing his front paws fretfully for a good long while before Donald checked his wristwatch and tried not to stammer with his response.
"It's three fifteen," he answered finally.
"Wonderful, Charles! You do have time after all," continued the rabbit. "Now would you kindly give it back to me?"
"I'm not Charles, I'm Donald," he replied with a raised eyebrow.
"And you can't have my watch."
Jon stared at him in amazement. "Oh, man—a talking rabbit."
"This isn't happening," said Chris breathlessly. He glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone else was around, but there wasn't a soul in sight.
"Of course it's happening!" said the rabbit with a nervous twitch. "As sure as ferrets are ferrets. I'm appallingly late now. And as you can see, I have no time! None at all."
"I get it—it's his watch," said Jon. "He's missing a pocket watch, isn't he?"
"What are you talking about?" said Chris.
"Alice in Wonderland," he explained. "Didn't you ever read it or see the movies? This is the White Rabbit!"
"Stolen, it was!" cried the poor animal in despair. "Thieves! Pirates! Bandits! Time is the key to everything, and I haven't any."
"How did you get here?" asked Donald. "What happened to your watch? And how did you ever find me?"
"Too many questions," stated the rabbit with a shudder. "One at a time, please. Single file! I bring an important message to you, Charles. Oh, it's terrible!" The White Rabbit reached into his vest pocket and removed a small pair of reading glasses. After fixing them properly to the bridge of his nose, he managed to produce a thin scroll of paper from an inside pocket, and he unraveled it carefully while clearing his throat. "Shall I read it to you?"
Donald was impressed with the dexterity of the rabbit's front paws.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from the POWDER of LIFE by Paul Miles Schneider Copyright © 2012 by Paul Miles Schneider. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
tanuki2001
Posted January 9, 2013
My New Year's present (to myself) was to read "The Powder of Life", the sequel to "Silver Shoes" (on my Kindle so as not smudge my signed hardback, of course). All I can say is "Wow!" - I loved "Silver Shoes" so now I don't have a verb to express my appreciation of the sequel. Paul, you outdid yourself!
The story line of "Silver Shoes" continues in "The Powder of Life" when Donny and his friends Jon and Chris are faced with new challenges and more adventures. As in "Silver Shoes" Donny and the guys are portrayed as typical pre-teens (perhaps a bit smarter and certainly braver than most) with typical pre-teen concerns who are caught up in an adventure worthy of L. Frank Baum himself. The plot is tight and quickly paced and the book is over (sadly) before you even realize it. Donny, Jon, and Chris learn a lot about Oz and the purpose of life while figuring out how to overcome numerous challenges. Another tour de force by Paul Miles Schneider and a great addition to your shelf of Oz books (something everyone should have). Don't miss this one!
I can hardly wait for the next book! (And yes, Munchkins, there *is* another book in the offing! A very Ozzy huzzah for that!!)
Overview
DONALD GARDNER. THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES
AS HE JOINS WITH FBI AGENTS TO BATTLE
A SINISTER SORCERER LURKING IN THE WOODS.
More than a week has passed since sixth-grader Donald Gardner left Germany after facing an evil sorcerer in the woods. He's back in the classroom again, trying hard to adapt...