The Lake of Tears facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Emily Rodda |
|---|---|
| Original title | maaklakqibv |
| Cover artist | Marc McBride |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Series | Deltora Quest |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
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Publication date
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2001 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 129 |
| ISBN | 0-439-25324-1 |
| OCLC | 46426946 |
| LC Class | CPB Box no. 1858 vol. 18 |
| Preceded by | The Forests of Silence |
| Followed by | City of the Rats |
The Lake of Tears is the second exciting book in the Deltora Quest series. This popular fantasy series has eight books, all written by Emily Rodda. In this book, the heroes continue their dangerous journey to find seven special gems. These gems are needed to save the land of Deltora. Scholastic first published this book in 2001.
The Adventure Continues
In the first book, The Forests of Silence, the heroes Lief, Barda, and Jasmine found the topaz gem. Now, they are on their way to the Lake of Tears. Their goal is to find the ruby, which is the next gem for the Belt of Deltora.
They discover that the evil sorceress Thaegan controls the land around the Lake of Tears. She has 13 scary monster children! As the friends travel, they save a man named Manus from the Shadow Lord's soldiers, called Grey Guards.
Manus is from the city of Raladin. Long ago, Thaegan cast a spell on Raladin. This spell made everyone there, and their children, unable to speak. Lief, Barda, and Jasmine also learn that Thaegan used magic to turn the city of D'Or into the Lake of Tears.
The companions, with Manus, escape the Grey Guards. But then, they are captured by Jin and Jod, two of Thaegan's monster children. Our heroes manage to defeat Jin and Jod. After this, they travel to Raladin, hoping Manus will find his people.
When they arrive, the city seems empty. But when the Ralad people hear the companions, they come out of hiding. Lief, Barda, and Jasmine explain they must go to the Lake of Tears. The Ralads beg them not to go, but the heroes do not tell them about the gems. Manus agrees to guide them.
The Lake and the Ruby
When they reach the Lake of Tears, a huge, talking fish-like monster named Soldeen attacks them. Soldeen is very dangerous. Lief uses the power of the topaz gem to convince Soldeen to give them the ruby.
Soldeen agrees, but then Thaegan suddenly appears! She threatens to kill them all. The ruby flies from Lief's hand and falls deep into the lake as Thaegan uses her magic. Just as Thaegan is about to finish them, Jasmine's raven, Kree, swoops in. Kree attacks Thaegan, drawing blood, and kills her!
When Thaegan dies, all her spells are broken. The Ralad people can speak again! The Lake of Tears changes back into the city of D'Or. Soldeen, the monster, turns out to be a man named Nanion. He gives the three companions the ruby gem. He wishes them well on their quest.
Now, the Belt of Deltora holds both the topaz and the ruby. Their next journey will take them towards the City of the Rats.
Main Characters
Lief
Lief is the main hero of the Deltora Quest series. His parents are Jared and Anna of the Forge. As a child, Lief explored the streets of Del. This made him clever and gave him skills he would need later. He didn't know it, but Barda always protected him. Lief thought he was just lucky to escape danger.
On his sixteenth birthday, Lief learns he must go on a dangerous quest. He has to find the lost gems of the Belt of Deltora.
Jasmine
Jasmine is a wild girl with messy black hair and bright green eyes. She grew up in the Forests of Silence. Lief and Barda meet her there soon after leaving Del. Her parents were captured by Grey Guards when she was seven. The forest raised her.
Jasmine can understand what trees and many animals say. She has amazing senses, but sometimes she doesn't understand human customs. Jasmine is almost always with her raven, Kree, and a small mouse-like creature she calls Filli. Like Lief, Jasmine can sometimes get angry quickly.
After helping Lief and Barda in the forest, and with the topaz's help, Jasmine's mother's spirit appears to her. Her mother tells her to join Lief and Barda. After this, she joins them to find the gems for the Belt.
Barda
Barda was chosen by the King and Queen of Deltora to help find the lost gems. This happened sixteen years before the story begins. For those sixteen years, Barda pretended to be a beggar. This helped him gather important information for the quest.
He also secretly became Lief's bodyguard. Lief didn't know this. On Lief's sixteenth birthday, Barda revealed who he was. That's when the quest for the gems of Deltora began. At first, Barda was annoyed to travel with a young person. But soon, he saw Lief as a great help, not a problem.
