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The Kingdom of Wrenly #1
The Lost Stone
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. A debut entry in a new fantasy series finds adventure-seeking 8-year-old prince Lucas and royal seamstress's daughter Clara teaming up to find Queen Tasha's missing emerald before encountering amazing fairies, trolls, dragons and wizards.
128 pages, Library Binding
First published April 1, 2014
218 people are currently reading
1772 people want to read
About the author
Jordan Quinn
65 books100 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 350 reviews
September 27, 2022
I've heard a lot of good things about this series and decided to give it a try with my 7-year-old. He liked it and is eager for the next book in the series, and it's clearly popular as there are multiple hold requests at the library for most titles in the series. So, I give the series credit -- it clearly appeals to the target audience.
Old Mom here was somewhat underwhelmed. There's nothing particularly special in the writing style and the plot was pretty basic but I do think it's good for kids just starting into this branch of fantasy. Illustrations are pleasant, albeit nothing outstanding. I like the map of the kingdom at the beginning, that's a nice touch in keeping with older fantasy books. It's a book featuring wizards and trolls, fairies and mermaids (why the boy would be skeptical that mermaids exist when he's just spoken with a fairy a few hours before is beyond me?) but what I find most fantastical is the lack of historical accuracy. Go into it just assuming it's a fantasy realm and forget any facts you know about the Middle Ages. The prince is allowed to be friends and go on adventures with a peasant girl. It's also clearly a fantastical place where peasant children (both boys AND girls) are able to attend school on a regular basis. Don't try to figure out the economics or trade agreements. The young prince also says things like, "This will be an EPIC adventure!" so clearly there must be some trade route to 21st century America where they're picking up the modern lingo. But, I realize it's just meant to be a fun story, not a history textbook ;-)
This first adventure was pretty tame so I think it's a good choice for the young chapter book reader with interest in medieval stuff, knights and dragons, fantasy adventure, but not ready for some of the middle grade offerings.
ETA September 2022: I do feel that some of the books later in the series are stronger than this first one and I'm glad we stayed with the series. My son enjoyed the series enough that now, even at age nine, he still picks them up sometimes and asks if any new ones are coming out. I've read a lot more early chapter books since we started this series and I can better understand why this series holds such appeal.
Old Mom here was somewhat underwhelmed. There's nothing particularly special in the writing style and the plot was pretty basic but I do think it's good for kids just starting into this branch of fantasy. Illustrations are pleasant, albeit nothing outstanding. I like the map of the kingdom at the beginning, that's a nice touch in keeping with older fantasy books. It's a book featuring wizards and trolls, fairies and mermaids (why the boy would be skeptical that mermaids exist when he's just spoken with a fairy a few hours before is beyond me?) but what I find most fantastical is the lack of historical accuracy. Go into it just assuming it's a fantasy realm and forget any facts you know about the Middle Ages. The prince is allowed to be friends and go on adventures with a peasant girl. It's also clearly a fantastical place where peasant children (both boys AND girls) are able to attend school on a regular basis. Don't try to figure out the economics or trade agreements. The young prince also says things like, "This will be an EPIC adventure!" so clearly there must be some trade route to 21st century America where they're picking up the modern lingo. But, I realize it's just meant to be a fun story, not a history textbook ;-)
This first adventure was pretty tame so I think it's a good choice for the young chapter book reader with interest in medieval stuff, knights and dragons, fantasy adventure, but not ready for some of the middle grade offerings.
ETA September 2022: I do feel that some of the books later in the series are stronger than this first one and I'm glad we stayed with the series. My son enjoyed the series enough that now, even at age nine, he still picks them up sometimes and asks if any new ones are coming out. I've read a lot more early chapter books since we started this series and I can better understand why this series holds such appeal.
August 24, 2024
Oh my gosh, this is cute. I should take book recs from my nephews more often. Love the world building and the apology from an adult!
November 29, 2017
This isn't a bad book. I will keep it on my shelf in the classroom for any kid who is interested, but it really isn't great. I will not be purchasing the next books.
I was disappointed in the abruptness of transitions and the lack of flow between ideas. The characters were nice enough, and elements of the book were intriguing, but it felt almost like a patchwork of great/classic ideas that weren't combined well. I read the Secret of Droon right after finishing this, and that series blew Wrenly out of the water.
I also agree with another reviewer that the set up of the Kingdom's economics made me pause as well. And the ease of resolve of "conflicts" (and the gentleness of all conflicts) was also not very interesting. It felt almost as though the author was writing *down* to children, assuming they could not understand or deal with conflicts like stealing or families arguing about boundaries/rules.
I was disappointed in the abruptness of transitions and the lack of flow between ideas. The characters were nice enough, and elements of the book were intriguing, but it felt almost like a patchwork of great/classic ideas that weren't combined well. I read the Secret of Droon right after finishing this, and that series blew Wrenly out of the water.
I also agree with another reviewer that the set up of the Kingdom's economics made me pause as well. And the ease of resolve of "conflicts" (and the gentleness of all conflicts) was also not very interesting. It felt almost as though the author was writing *down* to children, assuming they could not understand or deal with conflicts like stealing or families arguing about boundaries/rules.
August 12, 2022
4,25 stars - English Ebook
Welcome to the Kingdom of Wrenly—a new chapter book series full of fantasy and adventure.
Meet Lucas, the eight year-old prince, and Clara, the daughter of the queen’s seamstress. Lucas is an only child who longs to make friends and go on adventures. Clara knows the kingdom well, so she and Lucas team up and explore the lands of Wrenly!
In The Lost Stone, Lucas and Clara search for Queen Tasha’s missing emerald. On their exciting adventure, they travel to all the main attractions of Wrenly: Primlox (the island of fairies), Burth (the island of trolls), Crestwood (the island of dragons), Hobsgrove (the island of wizards), and the beautiful Mermaid’s Cove. King Caleb has promised to reward the person who finds the precious stone, and Lucas and Clara are determined to search the entire kingdom until they find it!
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, The Kingdom of Wrenly chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
Over the read full of adventure. Love to read it to the grandchildren some day. With voices. For kids from 6 to 8 I think.
Welcome to the Kingdom of Wrenly—a new chapter book series full of fantasy and adventure.
Meet Lucas, the eight year-old prince, and Clara, the daughter of the queen’s seamstress. Lucas is an only child who longs to make friends and go on adventures. Clara knows the kingdom well, so she and Lucas team up and explore the lands of Wrenly!
In The Lost Stone, Lucas and Clara search for Queen Tasha’s missing emerald. On their exciting adventure, they travel to all the main attractions of Wrenly: Primlox (the island of fairies), Burth (the island of trolls), Crestwood (the island of dragons), Hobsgrove (the island of wizards), and the beautiful Mermaid’s Cove. King Caleb has promised to reward the person who finds the precious stone, and Lucas and Clara are determined to search the entire kingdom until they find it!
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, The Kingdom of Wrenly chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
Over the read full of adventure. Love to read it to the grandchildren some day. With voices. For kids from 6 to 8 I think.
July 24, 2019
It was really cool. I like the magic and the fairy named Sophie. I wonder what happens next.
The photos are cool. I saw a mermaid tale on page 100.
The photos are cool. I saw a mermaid tale on page 100.
October 24, 2021
Fun adventure
December 22, 2025
Aggressively mediocre.
Read
February 3, 2020Read to me by my 6-year-old! A great early chapter book.
March 16, 2024
Didn't get far into this series before dropping it. The men are strong. The women exist to support the men. The mom has a huge chest and tiny waist and says maybe one sentence per book.
November 22, 2017
Illustrations for early chapter books are important, perhaps as important as those in picture books. Many kids who read them are just starting to read books long enough to contain chapters, so good illustrations are key to keeping them engaged when the reading becomes difficult. Robert McPhillips comes through on that score in a big way in The Lost Stone, the first installment of Jordan Quinn's The Kingdom of Wrenly series. Wrenly is populated by a variety of creatures, and they're all depicted interestingly in the illustrations. But best of all is the two-page spread before the story gets under way, showing where the palace sits in relation to the islands of Primlox, Hobsgrove, Crestwood, Burth, and other regions of the kingdom. It's a map worthy of the ones in Brian Jacques's Redwall books, and promises good things to come.
Prince Lucas, eight years old, isn't happy with his lot in the kingdom. Wealth and prestige is nice, but he's languishing in isolation from Wrenly's other children. King Caleb has forbidden his son to play with anyone who isn't of royal blood, and there are no other royal kids in Wrenly. The young prince is so desperate that he sneaks out of the palace and pretends to be an impoverished commoner so he can attend public school, but the castle guard discovers his ruse and returns him to the palace. Being a prince is a thrilling fantasy for some, but a royal title can't erase loneliness.
Lucas is so forlorn, his father has second thoughts about forbidding him from having playmates of lesser birth. Clara Gills, daughter of Queen Tasha's seamstress, had lots of fun with Lucas before the king ended their friendship. Permitting the prince to play with her wouldn't be so bad, Lucas's mother argues, and King Caleb reluctantly agrees. Lucas won't be allowed to make friends with every urchin in Wrenly, his father warns, but he may spend time with Clara. Lucas and Clara are excited to have the ban rescinded, but before they can schedule a time to meet up, mild crisis hits the kingdom. An heirloom emerald that Queen Tasha's great-grandmother gave her is missing. The distraught queen has been all over Wrenly recently, so she has no idea where to start looking. Wanting to help, Lucas and Clara set out to retrieve the gemstone.
From island to island the reunited friends search, inquiring of witnesses and tracking the path of the emerald once they find out where it's been. It's no longer in Primlox, land of the fairies; a troll who had it in Burth no longer possesses the gem, and the wizard he traded it to lost it en route to Hobsgrove. There's no telling where it could be now. Discouraged, Lucas would probably give up if he were on his own, but he and Clara are a team, and mutual encouragement keeps either of them from despairing. Queen Tasha's gem can still be found...with a little help from a magical being that no one can even prove exists.
Friendship doesn't follow rules, but that doesn't stop people from trying to hem it in. Friends who aren't of the same social echelon, political or religious belief, gender, age, or ethnicity are often told by someone in authority that the blessing they are to each other matters less than superficial differences between them. Why should friends be penalized because people outside the bond they share can only see what sets them apart, not the reasons they enjoy each other's company? Friendship is mysterious and powerful; it allows us to access parts of our personality and potential that might otherwise lie dormant forever. Friendship is too sweet to miss out on because its participants are an unconventional pair in some way, and Lucas's parents realize that when he teams up with Clara to rescue his mother's emerald. I'll rate The Lost Stone two and a half stars, and I gave thought to rounding that up rather than down. If the story had been a bit more poignant, I would have. I have great expectations for the Kingdom of Wrenly series moving forward. If you're interested in an early chapter book series with some depth, I recommend this one. It's going to be fun.
Prince Lucas, eight years old, isn't happy with his lot in the kingdom. Wealth and prestige is nice, but he's languishing in isolation from Wrenly's other children. King Caleb has forbidden his son to play with anyone who isn't of royal blood, and there are no other royal kids in Wrenly. The young prince is so desperate that he sneaks out of the palace and pretends to be an impoverished commoner so he can attend public school, but the castle guard discovers his ruse and returns him to the palace. Being a prince is a thrilling fantasy for some, but a royal title can't erase loneliness.
Lucas is so forlorn, his father has second thoughts about forbidding him from having playmates of lesser birth. Clara Gills, daughter of Queen Tasha's seamstress, had lots of fun with Lucas before the king ended their friendship. Permitting the prince to play with her wouldn't be so bad, Lucas's mother argues, and King Caleb reluctantly agrees. Lucas won't be allowed to make friends with every urchin in Wrenly, his father warns, but he may spend time with Clara. Lucas and Clara are excited to have the ban rescinded, but before they can schedule a time to meet up, mild crisis hits the kingdom. An heirloom emerald that Queen Tasha's great-grandmother gave her is missing. The distraught queen has been all over Wrenly recently, so she has no idea where to start looking. Wanting to help, Lucas and Clara set out to retrieve the gemstone.
From island to island the reunited friends search, inquiring of witnesses and tracking the path of the emerald once they find out where it's been. It's no longer in Primlox, land of the fairies; a troll who had it in Burth no longer possesses the gem, and the wizard he traded it to lost it en route to Hobsgrove. There's no telling where it could be now. Discouraged, Lucas would probably give up if he were on his own, but he and Clara are a team, and mutual encouragement keeps either of them from despairing. Queen Tasha's gem can still be found...with a little help from a magical being that no one can even prove exists.
Friendship doesn't follow rules, but that doesn't stop people from trying to hem it in. Friends who aren't of the same social echelon, political or religious belief, gender, age, or ethnicity are often told by someone in authority that the blessing they are to each other matters less than superficial differences between them. Why should friends be penalized because people outside the bond they share can only see what sets them apart, not the reasons they enjoy each other's company? Friendship is mysterious and powerful; it allows us to access parts of our personality and potential that might otherwise lie dormant forever. Friendship is too sweet to miss out on because its participants are an unconventional pair in some way, and Lucas's parents realize that when he teams up with Clara to rescue his mother's emerald. I'll rate The Lost Stone two and a half stars, and I gave thought to rounding that up rather than down. If the story had been a bit more poignant, I would have. I have great expectations for the Kingdom of Wrenly series moving forward. If you're interested in an early chapter book series with some depth, I recommend this one. It's going to be fun.
July 6, 2022
"The Kingdom of Wrenly
Book One, It introduces a prince who is lonely and bored and thinks the ONLY way to fix it is to run away, lie, and make a friend to go on adventures with. Then after getting a friend the queen sends them on a quest to find her lost jewel. The books are very creative and adventurous and early chapter book large font. It is fast paced for hooking in readers. And I do love the map inside the book.
Content that some parents may wish to know about...
*one lie is described as a fibb, he lies to join a school saying "he fibbed and said his family just moved to town"
*one lie is not even addressed, he gives a fake name
*no remorse for having run away, when the guards find him is says in the book he wished he could have run away from them.
*he doesnt get in trouble, and gets rewarded afterward. He parents hear how bad he wants a friend decide he can have one, then his friend asks what kind of trouble he got in, he says none in think my parents felt bad for me
*there is a mention of finding a ladybug and how that means good luck
*a friendly wizard adding ingredients to a spell he is making over a cauldron tells them the next place to look
*mythical characters such as mermaids, ogres
*mild bickering between the friends, mild arrogance of him knowing better than others
Book Two
A special rare fire dragon egg is discovered in the kingdom, when born it gets sick and needs help and the friends go on a quest to get a magic ingredient to save it.
*mild disrespect towards parents when told to eat his breakfast he grabs an apple takes a bite and is like there now can I go, then they tell him to not talk with his mouth full and wait to be excused yet someone rushes in to tell of a special dragon egg and they all go to see it
*mild bickering here and there between the friends
*mild arrogance, he acts like just because he is a prince and so great that he can have that fire dragon the most dangerous and train it up even though he says he has never even trained a dog, he does mention with with the help of the experienced dragon training experts though
*the wizard says he will help for exchange of the dragon egg, which is said to have powerful magic when used for spells and he gets an evil smile about it that makes you wonder if he has bad plans but nothing comes of it in the book.
*the wizard tries, potions, spells, charms, and herbs to help the sick baby dragon
*the friends find someone who knows the location of the only magic berry that will help the dragon and they convince him to let them know where they are located in case something ever happened to him then at least someone would know and yet he has them promise to not tell a soul
Ok so I have to say, that after my little girl got the first two books from as a reading prize from the summer reading program and i pre-read them I decided to mark out anything I didn't like and rewrite it how I would like. They are early chapter books, large font and a fast read for a grown up so I went through both books and blacked out and wrote in and made it work for us but I don't know that I would go out of my way to buy them to do that."-Conservative Momma's Book Reviews
Book One, It introduces a prince who is lonely and bored and thinks the ONLY way to fix it is to run away, lie, and make a friend to go on adventures with. Then after getting a friend the queen sends them on a quest to find her lost jewel. The books are very creative and adventurous and early chapter book large font. It is fast paced for hooking in readers. And I do love the map inside the book.
Content that some parents may wish to know about...
*one lie is described as a fibb, he lies to join a school saying "he fibbed and said his family just moved to town"
*one lie is not even addressed, he gives a fake name
*no remorse for having run away, when the guards find him is says in the book he wished he could have run away from them.
*he doesnt get in trouble, and gets rewarded afterward. He parents hear how bad he wants a friend decide he can have one, then his friend asks what kind of trouble he got in, he says none in think my parents felt bad for me
*there is a mention of finding a ladybug and how that means good luck
*a friendly wizard adding ingredients to a spell he is making over a cauldron tells them the next place to look
*mythical characters such as mermaids, ogres
*mild bickering between the friends, mild arrogance of him knowing better than others
Book Two
A special rare fire dragon egg is discovered in the kingdom, when born it gets sick and needs help and the friends go on a quest to get a magic ingredient to save it.
*mild disrespect towards parents when told to eat his breakfast he grabs an apple takes a bite and is like there now can I go, then they tell him to not talk with his mouth full and wait to be excused yet someone rushes in to tell of a special dragon egg and they all go to see it
*mild bickering here and there between the friends
*mild arrogance, he acts like just because he is a prince and so great that he can have that fire dragon the most dangerous and train it up even though he says he has never even trained a dog, he does mention with with the help of the experienced dragon training experts though
*the wizard says he will help for exchange of the dragon egg, which is said to have powerful magic when used for spells and he gets an evil smile about it that makes you wonder if he has bad plans but nothing comes of it in the book.
*the wizard tries, potions, spells, charms, and herbs to help the sick baby dragon
*the friends find someone who knows the location of the only magic berry that will help the dragon and they convince him to let them know where they are located in case something ever happened to him then at least someone would know and yet he has them promise to not tell a soul
Ok so I have to say, that after my little girl got the first two books from as a reading prize from the summer reading program and i pre-read them I decided to mark out anything I didn't like and rewrite it how I would like. They are early chapter books, large font and a fast read for a grown up so I went through both books and blacked out and wrote in and made it work for us but I don't know that I would go out of my way to buy them to do that."-Conservative Momma's Book Reviews
July 26, 2020
2020:
Read aloud to the younger kids. Much to like - good length, lots of illustrations, especially a map at the beginning, a fantasy-ish story with both a boy and girl lead. But the plot is terrible and the supporting characters equally awful. We will probably read at least the next one because the kids liked it so much.
2018:
Preview read. Simple and fun early reader chapter book with lots of great illustrations and a fantastic map at the beginning of the book. THis seems like a nice fantasy setting and has some solid friendship and teamwork themes established early on in the series. Three star as an adult, four star for its intended audience.
Read aloud to the younger kids. Much to like - good length, lots of illustrations, especially a map at the beginning, a fantasy-ish story with both a boy and girl lead. But the plot is terrible and the supporting characters equally awful. We will probably read at least the next one because the kids liked it so much.
2018:
Preview read. Simple and fun early reader chapter book with lots of great illustrations and a fantastic map at the beginning of the book. THis seems like a nice fantasy setting and has some solid friendship and teamwork themes established early on in the series. Three star as an adult, four star for its intended audience.
October 21, 2017
I read this one with my 4 year old son and we loved it! We both love medieval settings so this is the perfect series for us. The language and amount of words per page is very attainable for his attention span and there are wonderful illustrations on every page. It was really fun to have the map of the kingdom at the front of the book that my son wanted to keep looking back at as he learned about the different locations. I'm glad there are 12 books in the series because it means we've got lots of books to look forward to!
June 10, 2021
This was lacking any kind of heart or substance. It was like: the two kids went here, now the emerald is with these different fantasy creatures, so let's go there, oh, now a different creature has it, let's go there. It just felt like the author wanted these kids to have an "adventure" without putting any real thought into it at all. Maybe early readers would enjoy it, but I think kids deserve more.
May 29, 2015
"can you believe i read a 114 page book in 3 days". okay i,ll admit it the kingdom of wrenly is a great book.
August 29, 2018
My entering second grader read the series all summer, and he rated it.
March 29, 2022
Read it in one sitting with Hunter. It was cute, and I loved the illustrations. Perfect for a four-year-old, so nothing too deep. It kept a good pace. We're both ready for the next one.
May 15, 2018
The Lost Stone is a cute read for young fantasy lovers who aren't ready for the older stuff yet. This is the first book in a series of adventures that follows the exploits of Prince Lucas and his best friend, Clara. In this book, Lucas sneaks out of the castle disguised as a village boy so he can attend the local school and hopefully make a real friend. But he is quickly discovered and returned to the palace. Luckily for him, his parents understand his desire for a friend and they allow him to be friends again with Clara. After his mother loses an emerald that she values, Lucas and Clara set out to find it. The illustrations are cute and help move the story along. The text reads smoothly and well, especially for readers new to chapter books. A fun series that I plan to get for my library.
March 30, 2018
I didn't like the part when people found out that the Queen (Queen Tasha) lost her emerald stone. I enjoyed this book because I liked the part when Lucas and Clara went to all the magical islands around the Kingdom and the island where the mermaids lived -- they found the emerald stone for Lucas and Clara (because a wizard on the island where the wizards lived) -- a wizard dropped the emerald stone off a cliff.
Read
December 30, 2020This is a cute early chapter book for young fantasy fans. The story isn't very deep, but there's a nice focus on friendship, and it was interesting to see the different creatures that inhabit the various islands of Wrenly. The illustrations, which appear on every spread (nearly every page), are wonderful and really improve the experience. It's a cute, gentle read that I think will be a good addition to my library.
May 24, 2021
Excellent for our schools. I don't know why I've only just discovered this. Looks like volume #18 was released last week. Features married parents who advise and guide the children. Astounding. I think the reading level could be grade 2, but Lexile calls it 3rd grade so I will go with that. (See: https://hub.lexile.com/find-a-book/se...)
June 8, 2021
Alaska Battle of the Books 2021. Read aloud with kids. I didn’t enjoy this and found the story very disjointed and not interesting, but the kids enjoyed and have taken the world building required in this first book and loved the entire series. Averaged rating for the kids, as I’m not the target audience of this book.
August 12, 2021
"I loved that they went on an adventure. The prince got to go with a friend and Clara was a great friend. 👍"-Review and rating by Lissy (age 6)
This was an okay book. The plot seemed overly simplified and we read all 10 chapters in one sitting. I think this book would have made a good beginner chapter book, but as a read aloud it left something to be desired.
This was an okay book. The plot seemed overly simplified and we read all 10 chapters in one sitting. I think this book would have made a good beginner chapter book, but as a read aloud it left something to be desired.
November 13, 2024
I bought this as a Christmas present for one of my brothers. I wanted to read it to make sure I liked it. It's such a fun story and the art that accompanies it is great. I would genuinely read more of these, so this should be a great gift. This is my favourite type of middle grade!
November 13, 2021
Check out my full review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jlAU...
April 9, 2022
So many people it's amazing now all the books I've loved some I didn't like BUT this book has a lot of personalities so I'm in love 💗
December 30, 2022
A good starter fantasy book series. I know some kids who would like this.
August 5, 2024
I love the ending
March 4, 2025
I'm reading this series because my daughter read all 21 of them rather quickly, and I want to be able to talk about them with her. I enjoyed this first book.
March 9, 2025
It was ehh
Displaying 1 - 30 of 350 reviews