The Shifting Sands facts for kids
![]() First edition
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Author | Emily Rodda |
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Cover artist | Marc Mcbride |
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
Series | Deltora Quest |
Genre | Fantasy novel |
Publisher | Scholastic |
Publication date
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2001 |
Media type | Print (Paperback) |
Pages | 131 |
ISBN | 0-439-25326-8 |
OCLC | 47204404 |
LC Class | CPB Box no. 1857 vol. 20 |
Preceded by | City of the Rats |
Followed by | Dread Mountain |
The Shifting Sands is an exciting fantasy book. It's the fourth story in the eight-book series called Deltora Quest, written by Emily Rodda. In this book, our three brave heroes continue their big adventure. They are searching for seven special gems that are missing from the magical Belt of Deltora. Each book brings new dangers and challenges!
Contents
Plot Summary
The story follows Lief, Barda, and Jasmine as they travel towards the dangerous Shifting Sands. They face many tricky situations on their journey.
The Apple Farm Adventure
After leaving the City of the Rats, the heroes spot a scary Ak-Baba flying above. To hide, they quickly dive into the River Broad. The smart fish in the river even help them stay hidden!
Later, they pass an apple farm owned by an old woman called Queen Bee. Feeling hungry, they decide to take some apples. But Queen Bee is not as fragile as she seems! She has many bees hidden under her shawl. The trio gets chased away by her angry bees for stealing.
The Rithmere Games
After some time, they reach the town of Rithmere. They hear about the Rithmere Games, a competition where they could win money. They want to enter, but they don't have the one silver coin needed for the entry fee.
Lief, Jasmine, and Barda decide to help a game operator. They let Jasmine's raven, Kree, spin the wheel for a game called "Beat the Bird." If the wheel landed on a number, the player won that many silver coins. If it landed on a bird, they got a wooden bird toy. Kree spins the wheel thirty times. Soon, Kree realizes something is wrong and pulls the table sheet. This shows that the operator was cheating by using a pedal to control the wheel! The cheater runs away, leaving coins scattered. The heroes try to grab some, but all they find is a wooden bird.
The three still want to enter the Rithmere Games. They meet a man with a scar named Doom, whom they had seen before. They enter the games and discover they are actually fighting matches! Despite this, they decide to compete. That night, Lief, Jasmine, and Barda are locked in their room. But Mother Brightly, the host of the games, helps them escape.
After the fights, Jasmine wins the big prize of one thousand gold coins! Mother Brightly tells them about a secret passage they can use to leave. However, when they try to use it, they are ambushed by Grey Guards. It turns out the prize money was supposed to go back to Mother Brightly for the next competition. As the heroes try to escape with the coins, Doom appears and helps them get away.
Reaching the Shifting Sands
Finally, they reach the walls of the Shifting Sands. Lief starts to hear strange voices. They hide from the Grey Guards, who are then eaten by a terrifying insect monster called a Sand Beast. Lief sees the Guards' belongings sinking into the sand, moving towards a central place called the Hive.
They arrive at the Hive, a place full of treasures. Lief bravely enters a hole filled with riches. He replaces the valuable lapis lazuli gem with the wooden bird they found earlier. This helps keep the pile of treasures stable. He climbs out of the Hive just before it collapses. Lief then places the lapis lazuli gem into the Belt of Deltora. Their quest continues towards the Dread Mountain!
Main Characters
Lief
Lief is the main hero of the Deltora Quest series. He grew up believing his parents were Jarred and Anna, who worked at the forge. But he was actually born to King Endon and Queen Sharn. As a child, Lief explored the streets of Del. This made him clever and taught him skills he would need later. He thought he was just lucky to escape dangers, but his bodyguard, Barda, was secretly protecting him. On his sixteenth birthday, Lief learns he must go on a dangerous quest to find the missing gems of the Belt of Deltora.
Barda
Barda was chosen by the King and Queen of Deltora to help find the lost gems. He was trusted with this important task 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 the bodyguard for Lief, the King and Queen's child, without Lief knowing. When Lief turned sixteen, Barda revealed himself. The quest for the gems of Deltora then began. At first, Barda found it annoying to travel with a young person. But he soon saw Lief as a helpful friend, not a problem.
Jasmine
Jasmine is a wild and brave girl. She has wild black hair (or dark green hair in the anime) and bright emerald green eyes. She grew up in the Forests of Silence, which is where Lief and Barda first meet her. Her parents, Jarred and Anna, were captured by Grey Guards when she was only seven years old. Because of this, the forest became her home and raised her. She can understand the language of trees and many animals. She also has amazing senses, but sometimes she doesn't understand normal social rules. Jasmine is almost always with her raven, Kree, and a small mouse-like creature she calls Filli. Like Lief, Jasmine can sometimes have a quick temper. After helping Lief and Barda in the forest, and with the help of the topaz gem, she sees her mother's spirit. Her mother tells her to join Lief and Barda on their quest. After this, Jasmine becomes a key part of the team, searching for the great gems to complete the Belt.