Happenstance Found (Books of Umber Series #1)

by P. W. Catanese

Overview

Master storyteller P.W. Catanese begins the Books of Umber trilogy with Happenstance Found—now available in paperback—when twelve-yearold Happenstance awakens in a cave with no memory of who he is or how he came to be there. Lord Umber and his companions rescue Hap, and the group sets out on dangerous and unusual missions that continue in Dragon Games.

Hap’s and Umber’s journeys take them to the corrupt kingdom of Sarnica, where Umber’s nemesis has acquired some dragon eggs. Umber wants to study a new magical species, but what starts as a quest for knowledge turns into a dangerous rescue operation. The deft plotting of these actionpacked, heart-stopping adventures will pique the imagination and leave readers anxious for the final installment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416953821
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	12/22/2009
Series:	The Books of Umber , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	1,138,436
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	NC700L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

P. W. Catanese is the author of ten fantasy-adventure novels. His books have been received with critical acclaim and have been translated into five foreign languages. His Books of Umber trilogy has been nominated for six regional book awards, including the Texas Bluebonnet award, the Florida’s Sunshine State Young Readers award, and the Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice awards. He lives in Connecticut. When he’s not writing books, Catanese draws cartoons, works for an advertising agency, and tries very hard to respond to every message from his readers. Meet him at PWCatanese.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Editorial Reviews

Catanese (the Further Tales Adventures) dazzles in the first of the planned Books of Umber series by wittily subverting genre tropes. Happenstance, a boy with strange green eyes, wakes up in a cave with no memories of who he is or anything about the fantastic world in which he lives. He soon encounters Lord Umber, an adventurer who seems familiar with our world as well as his own, and his two companions-a brute cursed to be forever truthful and a one-handed artist and archer. En route to Umber's home, they discover that Hap can see in the dark, leap many feet in the air, speak numerous languages and go without sleep. As the group attempts to learn about his origins, they're forced to confront a supernatural assassin and secrets from Umber's own mysterious past. Catanese packs a lot into the book: rich characterizations (Umber, who turns out to be from another dimension, suffers from depression and wishes he had his meds), well-choreographed action sequences and genuinely surprising twists at the end. As auspicious start to the series. Ages 8-12. (Jan.)

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Publishers Weekly

Gr 5-8

Happenstance Found, 12, does not remember who he is, where he came from, or any details of his former life. He wakes up in an underground cavern, accompanied by a mysterious stranger who refuses to tell him anything about his origins. The stranger hands Hap over to personable, yet in many ways equally mysterious, Lord Umber. Acting on the stranger's advice, Umber invites Hap to join his company. They immediately meet with adventure and danger, and Hap learns that Umber is a man of diverse talents and boundless curiosity. Umber discovers that Hap can see in total darkness, jump to extraordinary heights, and sense when momentous events are about to occur. Hap is also being pursued by a menacing figure, which he and his companions dub "the Creep." In the final conflict with this character, Hap's ingenuity, abilities, and loyalty are tested. He triumphs over his adversary, but enough tantalizing loose ends are left to be resolved in the sequel. Though some may lament the uneven characterization, there's plenty of adventure and mystery to appeal to fans of Catanese's earlier works.-Misti Tidman, Boyd County Public Library, Ashland, KY

School Library Journal

The beginning of a moderately engaging fantasy series employs a number of tropes readers will find familiar-perhaps irritatingly so. Happenstance-Hap-appears in a world he doesn't know. He has no memories but a lot of languages, and he does not need to sleep. He is found by the wildly curious, intensely aware and distinctly manic-depressive Lord Umber, who clearly has a plan for Hap. The pair travels to Umber's city of Kurahaven with the help of three unlikely and elaborately contrived characters. In Kurahaven, the action slows a bit while Hap learns about the world, discovers a few of his talents and sees the effect his startlingly green eyes have upon the populace. The climax, which involves a rockslide and a race down a collapsing stairwell and crumbling walls into the sea, comes straight from Indiana Jones. There's a little bit of preaching, especially when Umber explains his own origins, and barely a pause without resolution at the end to prepare readers for the next installment. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews

Poor amnesiac Hap. He can’t remember anything before meeting the adventurer Lord Umber, and that was only a few minutes ago! Lord Umber, a genius who is transforming the world with his inventions, kindly takes Hap into his household. No one knows who Hap is, including Hap himself, but it quickly becomes apparent that the boy has untapped magical powers. These powers are soon called upon to save him and his new friends from evil monsters. Narrator Richard Poe sounds like a gruff uncle reading a bedtime story. His female voices are not completely believable, but his good cheer and high energy overcome that weakness. The fun story has a fast pace, and Poe carries listeners along for the ride. G.D. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2010 - AudioFile