The Keepers: The Box and the Dragonfly audiobook

I was rather excited about this book from the moment I was first told about it. The person telling me about the book generally doesn't like children's books, so when she was proving to be excited about it, I thought I should be paying attention to that. And you know what? She was right.There is so much in this book that I liked. We're immediately introduced to Horace, our hero of the story, who immediately sees a sign that catches his eye, which immediately leads him to his first encounter with a questionable character, which is quickly followed by Horace's discovery of the the House of Answers, which immediately sets Horace on his way to adventure. This all sounds really rushed when I type it out like this, but it works. Sometimes I feel stories are too drawn out to get to the action, and sometimes they are far too rushed, but this one worked perfectly for me to get us into the story. As was mentioned by the person who told me about the book, I had an immediate feel for Harry Potter, but only in the sense that there was a very real, very close world of magic that is going on in the background of this story that the general population knows nothing about, and it's been this way for a very long time. Sanders really does a great job of a quick world building that doesn't feel forced, it just is. However, that's about as far as the HP similarities went. Horace is a really smart kid, and he's very methodical and scientific in his thinking, so when he is presented with what seems to be a magical artifact, he goes about exploring it's properties in a very scientific way, even going so far as to discuss some of his thoughts with his science teacher. Here is another something that I particularly liked about the story; there does actually seem to be some science behind the magic and fiction in the story. It makes the entire story feel really grounded for me.Horace, Chloe (the other hero of our story), their families, and the other characters in the story also feel very real. They have their flaws, their families aren't perfect, they make mistakes. One of the things that I continually was impressed with is Horace's relationship with his family, especially his mother. One thing that I find frequently frustrating about many YA and middle grade books is the constant necessity for the kids to keep things from the adults in the stories. I assume this must be to show that a certain level of independence in a young person is a good thing, but the other thing to remember is that the kids these books are geared at are young, and don't always know best, and sometimes it's OK, even a good thing, to ask for help from the grownups in their lives. Granted, while Horace doesn't reveal everything that is going on in his life with his parents, they still play an important part in his life and he still relies on their advice. To me, this seems like a refreshing turn of events for a YA or middle grade book. On the flip side of that, with Chloe's family and he strained relationship with her father, I feel this is refreshing in its own way, as it shows kids that don't have the ideal family life or have problems at home that there can still be magic in the world and that relying on your friends can be just as important as relying on your family.While it seems like The Box and the Dragonfly is a large book (clocking in at 544 pages!), it is paced great and never feels like it is slogging along. I read it in two sittings and was partly saddened that I got through it so quickly. Given the age group that the book is geared towards, however, I think it will move along at a great rate and kids won't feel bored reading it at all, nor will they feel like they've got a huge book to plod through.If I had any complaint at all about the book, it's Sanders' descriptions of his characters. I never felt at any point in the book that I had a clear idea of what any of the characters looked like. While this works to some of the characters advantages and their very nature, it doesn't work for others. Other than a vague idea that Horace is a bigger kid, I have no idea what he looks like. Is he bigger as in taller, broader, or bulkier? Just telling me he's a big kid doesn't really help me put a clear picture of him together in my head. While reading, I kept having more and more differing views of how the characters look. Maybe it's just me, but I feel a more precise description of some of the characters would have gone a long way. This one "flaw" aside (and honestly, that's not even that big of a deal), Sanders has created quite the fine world in The Box and the Dragonfly. Not one to read much middle grade anymore, I'm pleased to have read two such strong middle grade debuts this year (the other being J. A. White's The Thickety: A Path Begins). Just like that book, I'll definitely be looking forward to continue reading Horace and Chloe's adventures and will be recommending this book to all my friends with young readers!

I won't put myself through an entire 600 page book if it's not a lot of fun, but this IS a lot of fun. Some science, some fantasy, main characters I liked a lot, and a promise of COOL MOM in book two. I hope the old person wardens become an even dicier issue in the future. Good rec for Percy Jackson, Septimus Heap, and Amulet fans.

Excellent read!!! I can SO get more kids to read this book here at Da Vinci!!!! Don't be afraid of the length as it's too short as it is!

Got an ARC of this--couldn't put it down. What an ending! I'm already excited for the next one. Horace and Chloe are great characters. I will probably buy the hardcover when it comes out.

Time travel with alittle bit of Hogwarts charm:a superb combo.

Drawn to a particular box inside a mysterious store, Horace finds his new gift changing the way he looks at everything around him, as well as leading him to befriend the surly Chloe and join a group dedicated to protecting children like them from a terrible evil looking to capture them. Sanders will surely please fans of science fiction with this intriguingly complex opening that sets off a mystery of wondrous proportions. Horace and Chloe have made bonds that are going to change their lives forever - and these are bonds one cannot break.

I was unprepared for what awaited me after my wife, who works in the media, brought home an advance copy of this book, and gave it our 9-year-old -- who after immediately devouring it gave it to me for my birthday. Who would think that an exciting fantasy story marketed for kids would cast its most entrancing spell in the arena of normal human emotions and relationships? The story itself is exciting and like much successful fantasy, seems to describe a reality hovering in your subconscious that you didn't know you knew. There is an attempt to provide scientific context for the fantastic elements (which worked for me except for one minor inconsistency). The excitement builds and by the end this was an impossible-to-put down book.But the main characters -- so real and familiar with dialogue that's pitch-perfect in almost every scene -- were the real stars for me, quickly getting under my skin. Even their more realistic challenges were as captivating as the fascinating world they discovered hidden under their noses. Experiences of intimacy and attachment are a lot of what this book ended up being about for me, and I thought these were handled beautifully, with an emotional truthfulness as deep as the best of the children's fantasy genre. "Incredible" and "beautiful" were the words that sprang to mind on completing this book, and waiting for the next in the series is a daunting separation indeed!

4.5 actual ratingwhile about 75% of the way thru this I was feeling like it was a chore to finish, and wondered if maaybe it should've been edited down a hundred pages or more but couldn't put forth the energy to really decide if it was necessary. even if the buildup was a little too long and the details a bit too many, I do love this story. Lots of adventure, lots of mystery and intrigue, classic good vs evil overhead. reasonably likable characters (Chloe seemed alright at the beginning but she just aggravated me more as the book went on). it does move kinda slow so I feel like maybe it'd be a tough sell to the intended audience, if they can be bothered to pick it up at the almost 600 page size. (the sequel is arguably even longer but I never compared the pages. I just know it's enormous for a second in a series)back I the point- the ending was excellent. I love the last conversation and I do want to know the rest of it but I'm not sure I ever will. I'll definitely recommend this to anyone interested in the cover or this type of story, it is excellent for what it is :)

I have some mixed feelings about this story. Let's get to the good things first:-solid writing and characterization.-unique and complex magic system. -lots of action.-few to no plot holes (this is difficult in a book this long- good job, Sanders!)-most things made sense in time. -time travel without paradoxes that addresses the issue of whether or not the future is written in stone (this is one of the few things that was a little hard to understand).In general, I just enjoyed the book. Everything was done correctly, following the rules of crafting a story, but it wasn't anything brilliant. Now one thing about it that didn't give me good vibes:-the whole story reeks of materialism. I can understand bonding with an animal or another human like this, but a box? A construction of wood and glass? Seriously? Yuck.

great book about relativity and time physics hut in a kid friendly Wrinkle in Time way. Can't wait for the next installment.

This is a book that is better than most- correction almost every YA book I've ever read. And I've read a lot of YA, it's my chosen genre to read, and my genre to write. Every side character is unique and well defined and none of them think they aren't the main character of this story. Every magical item isn't your tropey basic one (it lets me fly, or I can walk through walls), but they have unique twists, limits, and terrifying consequences that aren't the usual simple exhaustion. The main characters are deep, moving and have wonderful arcs. This book made me cheer in victory, gasp from a twist, feel intense fear, and even laugh out loud multiple times (once from a pun which I'm still not totally okay with). It never topped the New York times best seller list. None of my friends have heard of it. Heck, the only reason I've heard of it is because I was thinking of applying to Champaign-Urbana for Grad school (it is now choice #1 if you're curious). It lacks a basic romance. What I mean by that is there's no kissing or hugging or wanting to kiss and hug, but theres a moment when the characters touch in a unique way only possible by their objects and it is the unique one-ness that people try to accomplish, but can't because of our human limitations. But the main "fault" is that this book deals with the impossibility of knowing, and when the characters are given the ability to KNOW in absolute or nearly absolute details it deals with that. It speaks to something so often forgotten in our culture and never talked about to children "too much knowledge spoils the process". That feeling is sometimes just as important as knowing. Its characters are on the brink of understanding, both going from Middle schoolers to high schoolers, from regular people to Keepers, and from childhood to a loss of innocence and adulthood. When they get here they discover that sometimes not knowing is actually just as important. This is a message that is very hard to grasp, unfortunately too hard for some adults and some children. If I was more of a scholar I'd talk about Heidegger and his "dasein" and C.S. Lewis and Phillip K. Dick and coming of age stories and all of the amazing idea and influences who these pages pay tribute to and strengthen. However, I am not a scholar. I am a writer and as such I'll talk about one man. Thank you Ted Sanders, you have truly helped a writer find his way again.

A somewhat unexpected 5 stars. While I was reading there wasn’t a point when I thought “oh this is definitely a 5 star book” it was just like I got to the end and thought about it and it was the obvious decision.A bunch of things I liked in this book:The best types of villains are1) Well-developed with a great redemption arc2) Creepy ass bitchesWe got the second one. And yeah, they were lowkey terrifying. I mean, you stick a huge thin stick man with incorrect finger joints on page 6 of a book, as he’s pretending to be nice but is instead threatening and who doesn’t know how to smile right, what do you expect me to do? Not be creeped out?I really liked how the book was written. Also nothing was ever boring. It’s a long book but it’s kind of like a TV show. Things are always progressing, and we see the long term development of the characters as opposed to seeing them for only a short period of time. Definitely a different reading experience than what I’m used to.Speaking of characters, yes. Because I love Horace and I (really) love Chloe but most of all I love their relationship because it is so dang wholesome. At the end I felt like I really knew them in real life. Glad this is a series because I could read about them for a long time.More on characterization: Very interesting stuff going on with the mentor figures. Usually these roles are portrayed as very trustworthy and as people the main characters can always turn to. But here, they get called out for their shit and I don’t automatically trust them because we see that they’re human and make mistakes. I don’t know yet what their intentions are and I wonder if this is going to come back at some point 👀The whole climax of the book was absolutely insane and it must have taken some serious planning. The author obviously knows wtf he’s doing because that entire setup and execution was very impressive.Also not the cliffhanger ending… I need book 2 rn

Great book for middle readers!And can I just say -- the last 2 pages?! OMG! It's rare that a book for this age group drops a major bomb in the last couple of pages, you know, the kind that makes you want to immediately re-read the book with new knowledge. Dang!

3.5 ✨IDk. It was good. I enjoyed it. But it didn’t suck me in as much as others of similar concept, ya know? That little twist right at the end tho. That might just get me to come back for book two 😂