The Wondercurrent

A missing father, a magical scroll, and a dreamworld on the brink. An epic fantasy adventure for children aged 8–12. Now captivating young readers across the globe!

"The story is the type that will foster creativity. Very highly recommended!" -TCK

"The story was adventurous and I definitely would recommend it to my friends. I really want to read the next book!" -AMZ Review, 12 yr old.

Additional details on the story:

Rella's parents, Winter and Julian, are part of a secret alliance of Storykeepers. First, her mother disappears. Then, a few years later, when her father goes missing, Rella is forced to flee her home in the rural village of Ensea (Earth One). In flight, she is mysteriously transported (beneath her grandmother's green quilt) to the magical world of Hleo.

In Hleo she embarks on a quest and teams up with a fellowship of four other children: Eurie, Quinn, Scarlett and The Wooden Boy Sebastian.

Also appearing are an assortment of wild, mysterious and whimsical animal guardians: Thalas (a giant, strong-willed hawk), Alister (a sleepy bear who exists halfway in and halfway out of tree trunks), and Menagerie (a shapeshifting-tiger with a sacred family lineage).

Will Rella be able to destroy the plague and help save the enchanted refuge of Hleo? Will she find out the truth about her parents? Will the guardians and the fellowship of children be able to save The Wondercurrent...and The Red Notebooks?

Dive into this 300 page adventure and awaken your sense of wonder!

Fans of the dimensional fantasy like Harry Potter, Neil Gaiman's fantasy books, Kibuishi's Amulet Series, Ursula K. Le Guin, Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, C.S. Lewis's portal fantasy, The Chronicles of Narnia, Susan Cooper's young adult adventure fantasy The Dark is Rising, Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl, Cornelia Funke's Inkheart, The Secret Lake, The Neverending Story, and middle grade fiction will find something to love in this story.

A few additional themes that parents and children alike may enjoy are:

multilingualism

inclusion and cultural humility

positive, safe parent and child interactions

endangered species and environmental conservation

positive friendship and encouragement.

overcoming fear of the unknown

Note from the author: "When I started this series, my dream was to lay a foundation for young fantasy and science fiction readers (or potential fantasy and sci-fi fans) that would entertain and encourage unbounded, imaginative thinking. When a 10, 12, or 14 year old picks up my books, I want them to feel safe, to escape from the stress and busyness of everyday life and technology, and to be filled with absolute wonder. There is a Wondercurrent in all of us."

Jason (J.R.) Parks is also the owner of ParksWrites and author of the middle-grade poetry/mystery novel Ari's Poetics.

Don't forget to CHECK OUT the EXTENDED PREVIEW in the LOOK INSIDE OPTION and READ THROUGH a little of the book to get a sense of the style prior to purchasing.

***This book has also had additional editorial updates since the original publication, so reviews pertaining to typographical errors may be outdated. The original eBook publication and some print copies were released prior to additional edits.***

***ATTENTION FANS of THE WONDERCURRENT....CHECK OUT LEO AND NOTSCH, the newest dragon, wizard, and race car fantasy from J.R. PARKS.***

Jason (J.R.) Parks, PhD, is the author of the children's fantasy novel The Wondercurrent. Along with writing fiction, Jason spends his time to teaching English at a liberal arts university in the Midwest (USA) and going on adventures (real life and imaginary ones) with his wife, Kendra, and their four creative, energetic, brilliant children. His earliest experiences with writing involved a co-authoring a children's book in his elementary school art class called 'Flying Freddy' (a story about a boy who jumped off of his roof after watching a cartoon character do the same) and a small collection of poems he wrote in the fifth grade, mostly about flowers. He has also published multiple non-fiction peer-reviewed essays on teaching, multilingual literature, and early 20th century American and British literary magazines. In high school, he dabbled in screenwriting and filmmaking before turning his attention to literary analysis and criticism in college and graduate school. After becoming a father, and spending nearly a decade reading wonderful stories to his four children, he discovered his passion for whimsical and fantastic stories. Find him on Twitter @jrparks321