In this fantastical novel, Disney's Magic Kingdom suddenly becomes a bit eerie. Finn Whitman and four other teens have been hired as Disney World guides, but with an odd twist: With cutting-edge technology, they have been transformed into hologram projections capable of leading guests around the park. What begins as an exciting theme park job turns into a virtual nightmare as Whit and his pals attempt to thwart an uprising by a menacing group of Disney villains.

For anyone who has imagined what goes on in Walt Disney World after the gates close to the public, Pearson's (Peter and the Starcatchers) tale and Littman's authentic-sounding narration, in middle-schooler Finn Whitman's voice, offer a suspenseful all-access pass to the Magic Kingdom behind the scenes-filled with action, technology and a tricky (and implausible) riddle. Finn lands a cooler-than-cool opportunity after he becomes a model for a new breed of "holographic hosts" (Disney Host Interactive/Daylight Hologram Imaging) at Disney World. But the experience gets weirder than weird when Finn and the other four DHIs find themselves transported to the park via their nighttime dreams and must save the Magic Kingdom from Disney witches and villains called "Overtakers" by solving a puzzle said to be left behind by Walt himself. Littman reads at a smooth pace, speeding up along with the story's tension. He nails realistic kid-like reactions and dialogue even though listeners might find much of the plot hard to believe (and some of the plugs for Disney a bit over the top). Ages 10-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Gr 6-9-Thirteen-year-old Finn and several of his friends become holograms at Florida's Disney World and then find themselves literally pulled into nighttime adventures in the theme park. Ridley Pearson's fantasy (Disney Editions, 2005) is fast paced and technologically savvy. Finn and his friends make repeated forays after hours into the very guts of such Disney icons as Tom Sawyer's Island, It's a Small World, Adventure Mountain, and other rides both tame and wild as they lay siege to Maleficent, an evil witch whose minions are at work to destroy the Disney mystique. The kids hang out at the park looking for signs and signals that will aid them in their nighttime quest for securing Disney power. Their parents are mildly suspicious, but Finn and his pals are fast talkers, willing to face their nighttime nemeses alone, rather than bringing in adult forces. Gary Littman reads with a variety of accents, some of which are less successful than others, and it's easy to differentiate among both kids and adults. Given how much Disney has seeped into the very core of Americana, most listeners will be able to understand the references and will know for whom Maleficent is a foil. While the details about why one would become a hologram for Disney are slighted, the sleuthing aspect of the tale has universal appeal.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

When Finn is selected as the model for a holographic guide in the Magic Kingdom, he never imagines it will pit him against the evil forces plotting to destroy Disney World. Along with the four other teens who act as Disney's holographic hosts, Finn appears in the Magic Kingdom in his dreams. There, an old Disney Imagineer tells the five they have been specially selected to save Disney World. The evil forces of the Overtakers-Disney's villains, led by the witch Maleficent of Sleeping Beauty-are coming to life to destroy first the Magic Kingdom, and then the world. Luckily, Walt Disney wrote a riddle long ago that can be solved to defeat the Overtakers. As they study the puzzle, the heroes battle witchcraft and living animatronics in the theme park's after-hours. Though the adventure makes cunning use of Disney's mythos-a scene in which the "It's a Small World" dolls attack the adventurers while singing their famous song is chilling-flat characters and an anticlimactic finale detract from the cleverness. (Fantasy. 11-13)

Pearson’s new take on book three has not only tightened the storyline by reducing the page count but brought new magic to the literary world with a whole new story.
—Laughing Place

Suddenly something is very wrong in Disney World. Rides close unexpectedly, parade schedules change without notice, and costumes disappear. Are the animatronics coming alive after the park closes? Who are the Overtakers? Only Finn and his four friends can save the Magic Kingdom. Displaying an impressive range of kid voices, narrator Gary Littman lets Finn and company act like normal preteens, obnoxious, skeptical, jealous, goofy, and macho, in turns. As Wayne, their Imagineer-guide, his voice crackles with age, and his Robert Newton impression when the Pirates of the Caribbean try to shanghai Finn is super. The "Disney after dark" premise is engaging, and Littman makes it fun. S.J.H. 2006 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine