In this launch title of the Atherton series, as with his The Dark Hills Divide, Carman creates an isolated world whose very existence relies upon the hero venturing out of bounds. A trio of waterfalls connect the three-tiered world of Atherton, which is comprised of the upper-level Highlands, where the wealthy and powerful reside, the agrarian Tabletop beneath it, and the poverty-stricken Flatlands “at the distant bottom.” Eleven-year-old Edgar lives in Tabletop, harvesting figs and scaling the cliff walls. A faint memory directs him to search for something hidden (“It will come for you,” says the voice in his memory)-and he discovers it on the way to the forbidden Highlands. Edgar’s discovery is a book, and he must enlist the help of a Highlands servant boy to read it to him (the residents of Tabletop are illiterate); thus the author points out the importance of cooperation. The book, it turns out, was written for Edgar and offers up a cautionary tale: Atherton was built as a home for escapees of an Earth-like “Dark Planet,” now poisoned and dying. With subtlety, Carman delivers a strong message; he constructs a world in which water is precious above all, and tampering with nature always ends badly. The author occasionally breaks out of the narrative to address readers directly, and these intrusions mar the flow of what is otherwise a fluid and compelling fantasy and mystery. Ages 8-12. (May)

Atherton, The House of Power, has been honored by the Junior Library Guild with a premier selection award. From the Junior Library Guild award designation material:In keeping with our goal of providing satisfying reading experiences for children, the Junior Library Guild congratulates you on ATHERTON: THE HOUSE OF POWER, chosen as a Premier Selection. The Junior Library Guild Premier Selection award has the distinction of being one of the first awards given to books while still in manuscript form. The award represents the best of more than 1500 book manuscripts that our editorial staff reviews each year.About the Junior Library GuildFor more than 75 years, the Junior Library Guild has recognized children’s books that provide a rewarding reading experience with the Premier Selection designation.For questions, interview support or public relations please contact:press@patrickcarman.comFor press material, pictures, and video or to find out more about Patrick Carman log onto www.patrickcarman.com

Tags: Trailer

RJ Carter www.the-trades.comBestselling author Patrick Carman, has left behind the Land of Elyon and created a new world for readers. Welcome to Atherton, a world that looks something like a child’s top: an uninhabited (or is it?) southern hemisphere, topped by a triple-layer of flat landscapes — the Flatlands, Tabletop, and the Highlands. The flow of water is controlled by the lords who live in the highlands, who let it flow into the second tier of Tabletop, the agricultural level where the people grow rabbits, sheep and figs. Waste is thrown literally off the edge of the world into the barren Flatlands. But there’s a secret behind this feudal society that none of the residents know: Atherton is an artificial world. Edgar, a young boy of Tabletop, is an anomaly among his folks. He gets into trouble with the master of the fig groves frequently, because his mind is elsewhere, and at night he practices his forbidden hobby: climbing the cliffs to the Highlands, to see how high he can go. He’s seeking something from a memory long ago, and eventually finds it — a book, which contains all the secrets of Atherton. Which would be a handy thing… if Edgar knew how to read. But the only people who know how to read are the higher classes in the Highlands. As Edgar works on finding out the contents of the book, the other citizens of Atherton are in for a surprise as well: the Highlands are sinking! What will happen when the high class and the low class eventually find themselves on equal footing, after the Highlands having been so demanding of Tabletop for so long? Nobody knows, but they don’t expect it to be good, so they prepare for war — an unheard of concept outside of storybooks. But Edgar won’t be around for the war — because he’s gone exploring for more information in the Flatlands, which is where he meets Dr. Luther Kincaid, who finally explains the world of Atherton in full to Edgar (or at least as best as Edgar can understand it): “Where you come from, there are almost no trees. Can you even imagine a place so unlike the grove? The air is filthy, nearly impossible to breathe. A person can live where you come from — lots of people do — but it’s not the beautiful world it used to be. If you must know, it’s called the Dark Planet, and it’s closer than you think.” “But how did I get here? How did anyone get here? And why don’t I remember my life before Atherton?” Again Dr. Kincaid slipped into speaking in terms Edgar couldn’t understand. he lectured about computers and machines and something called the third wave, until Edgar shook his head. Science, skyscrapers, televisions, cars, pollution — all of it was lost on the boy. It made the divide seem impassable to poor Dr. Kincaid. “Try again,” suggested Edgar. “And pretend you’re a boy like me. Maybe that will help.” Dr. Kincaid pondered this approach a moment before he continued. “There came a time on the Dark Planet when I and a group of other scientists — those are people who try to solve problems — had the idea of building a new place where people could live. We worked on it for a long time and found ourselves going in circles, not getting anywhere. But then we found someone who could help us.” The House of Power is a unique blending of “The Village” meets “Dark City”, and the release is being supported by a website that is interactive with codes found in the book, as readers are invited to Unlock Dr. Harding’s Brain and delve deeper into the secrets of Atherton — a world that is, quite literally, turning inside out! The adventure is told in a straightforward fashion, and older readers will quite likely be able to deduce puzzles rather easily. Younger readers, however, will be enthralled, and readers of any age will appreciate the imagination involved in creating every aspect of Carman’s new world.