STAR LIFE KEEPERS

A tween boy and his teenage sibling and cousin find themselves in a strange realm in Rick Williams Sr. and Brady Williams’ middle-grade fantasy series starter.

Twelve-year-old Jason, his slightly older sister Amanda, and their 15-year-old cousin Elisa decide to go back in time to save their fathers from untimely deaths. They discover secret technology their grandfather designed at his planetarium, which they think is a time machine. However, when they attempt to use it, they end up in medieval times in what’s known as the Belacamber universe—and it’s not the Middle Ages from history books. Not only does it feature magic, elves, and dragons, it also contains dinosaurs. Their Grandpap is already there, fortunately, and provides them with guidance. They soon learn that the new universe normally contains alternate versions of themselves, who’ve now swapped places with them in the reality they’ve left. The three teens join their Grandpap on a quest to find a medicinal plant to heal the ailing queen, but soon get caught up in the conflict with nearby Jurassica—a primarily dinosaur-focused nation—and participate in numerous battles. They also learn that they’re Star Life Keepers, who have special powers that allow them to protect the Belacamber universe. Young readers may find the various place names, prophecies, quests, and types of creatures are difficult to keep straight as the narrative goes on. Early in the story, for instance, it’s revealed that Jason, Amanda, and Elisa are very slowly absorbing the memories of their alternate selves; this sometimes works as an easy way to catch readers up, but it sometimes just leads to more confusion (as Amanda herself states). However, many young readers are sure to enjoy a world that features both dragons and dinosaurs. The elves are coded as broadly Indigenous, described as “brown-skinned” and living in huts made of animal skins and corn stalks and wearing “deerskin dresses with colorful beads”; Jason is portrayed as hard of hearing. Occasional grayscale illustrations, credited to Prayan Animation, offer simple representations of characters and creatures.

An offbeat but overly complicated teen fantasy adventure.