Best fit
Middle-grade and early-teen fantasy readers, roughly ages 8 to 14.
At a glance
What they will find
Friendship, unusual powers, hidden tunnels, mystery, magical danger and a quest that grows beyond one ordinary day.
Where to start
Read the opening chapter online first, then decide whether the full book suits your group.
Before reading
- What makes a place feel ordinary at first, then mysterious?
- What qualities help a team work when everyone brings a different strength?
- What would you do if you discovered a hidden doorway beneath a familiar public place?
Discussion prompts
Friendship and teamwork
The Ascendants have different abilities and different ways of reacting to danger. Which strengths matter most in a team, and why?
Imagination and place
The Preditorium looks like a stadium but becomes a threshold to something else. How does a setting change the feeling of an adventure?
Choices under pressure
When should a character act quickly, and when should they pause, observe and ask for help?
Writing your own world
Choose one everyday location and give it one hidden rule, one unusual object and one secret route.
Simple follow-up activity
Ask each reader to design a team member for an original adventure. Give the character one useful power, one limit and one way they can help the group. The goal is not the strongest power; it is a team that needs one another.
For an introduction to the setting, use the official explanation of the Preditorium. For a classroom copy or library option, see the library request guide.
Begin with Chapter One
Meet the Ascendants at the stadium entrance before the hidden world opens beneath them.
Read Chapter OneSchool Enquiries