Dread Mountain (Deltora Quest, No. 5)

Our three heroes are on the track of the fifth gem which lies in the dangerous Dread Mountain, but before that Lief has a terrifying vision of his parents home, barren and destroyed.Lief, Barda and Jasmine, continue on their journey, managing the long walk by flying in the pouches of a peaceful species called the Kin.When they enter the domains of dread mountain, they must face poisoin gnomes, grey guards and messages written by the writer's blood.And worst of all they are stuck in the terrifying mazes of the evil mountain!But this only seems small compared to the darkness they feel when they face the fifth guardian, the evil Gellick, who is invincible to destroy.Will our heroes survive the dreads of Dread Mountain.........................................................

Books Books Books. You are always forced to read stupid books for Summer reading. I begged not to have to read them and so the choice was given if I could find a book in the next week to read I didn't have to do summer reading. After searching without success I found a book to replace Summer reading that was the newest of The Deltora Quests at the time. Like the four books before this book cast it's spell and I could not put it down out of interest. It is not exceptional, not the most action packed, not the most romantic and certainly not having the best monsters but I will always consider it my jewel. I'd take Gellick over the Hoboken Chicken any day! That poisin spitting frog on the front, he will set you free.

As they travel to Dread Mountain, Lief, Barda, and Jasmine find a clear spring. But an ominous sign makes them unsure. They are thirsty, and out of water. They drink, and later discover the entire truth of Dreaming Spring. They also meet the Kin, a fabled creature thought to be extinct. The Kin take them to the mountain, but their only young follows. Can they care for her, and themselves, too? She proves to be helpful, and as they learn about what happened on the mountain, they are imprisoned by the Dread Gnomes, Gnomes that live on the Mountain, under the rule of a toad-like creature, Gellick. The fifth gem, the emerald, is inbedded in his brow.

My 9 year old grandaughter loves this series. The 1st one was on her required reading list for entering 4th grade & initially she didn't want to read it because it "looked scary". But now she is finishing the series. She has read & loved all of the Harry Potters & most of the Chronicles of Narnia. This series appeals to these fans.

Lief, Barda, and Jasmine have found the fourth gem of the Belt of Deltora and have escaped the dangerous Shifting Sands alive. The next stop on their journey to find all eight gems is Dread Mountain, near the border of the Shadowlands. But along the journey, Lief has a frightening vision of his ransacked, empty home, and fears his parents may be dead or held captive. But he is forced to continue on with the quest, because if the Shadow Lord is not defeated, there will be no hope for his parents at all. The companions reach Dread Mountain with the help of a peaceful species of creatures known as the Kin. Once at the Mountain, the three companions face monsters, evil gnomes, and most deadly of all, Gellick, the hideous guardian of the fifth gem. The exciting Deltora Quest series continues with this book. I can't wait until the next book in the series is released.