"Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo" by Obert Skye Is written for ages 9 and up. I loved it. Leven is a 14 year old who has a miserable life until he learns about a secret gateway that bridges the world of reality and Foo - a place that makes it possible for humans to dream and hope. Without Foo there would be no humanity. This book is the first in a series of ??? 4 that I know of for sure. One of the things I loved so much about this books is not just the plot and characters but the author's writing style. He used some really great similes. "They drifted into town like an unpleasant odor." Can't you just picture these people? Fate is a big part of the story. The people from Foo believe that Fate will protect them or do what is right. "A true lithen would think nothing of walking off a four-hundred-foot cliff because he would know that if it were his time, he would hit the ground and die." So many young reader books are written with no expectations that kids should learn new words. Leven Thumps challenges the reader with words not found in many books for 9 year olds - but should be. I wanted to reread passages. As I said, I loved this book and have ordered the 2nd one - "Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret".