42 pages • 1-hour read
The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 4-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary: “At the Bridge”
Fortunately for Eric, the hands pulling him under the bridge belong to Neal and Julie. They tell him to be quiet because the Ninns are on the bridge above them. He quickly explains what he learned from Keeah, then asks Neal to boost him up so that he can eavesdrop on the Ninns. Up close, Eric can see that they have slitted eyes, pointed chins, and six claw-like fingers on each hand.
The Ninns are talking about how angry Lord Sparr will be at their failure to capture Keeah. An old-fashioned car horn beeps, and a strange car appears. It has eight tires and is “long and yellow and [has] a bubble on top” (26). When Lord Sparr arrives, Eric realizes that he is a different kind of creature from the Ninns. His skin is shows normal flesh tones, but he has a purple fin sticking up behind each ear. As the Ninns predicted, he is furious to learn that Keeah has escaped.
The Ninns tell him that three children helped Keeah escape, so Lord Sparr orders them to find these children as well. He speeds away in his yellow car, and the Ninns depart on their groggles. The three friends read the message Keeah has written for Galen to give to King Zello, but they cannot make sense of its nonsense syllables, which read, “Thginot Dekcatta Eb Lliw Frodnefroz” (30). Eric believes that Keeah is in serious danger; he wants to find Galen’s tower. They start down a forest path, and as Neal goes running ahead into a clearing, his progress is halted by an invisible barrier.
Chapter 5 Summary: “The Vanishing Tower”
The three friends feel the invisible wall and realize that it is circular. Just then, the object shimmers into becomes visibility, revealing itself to be a tower of petrified wood. A voice calls out from above, asking, “Who dares approach the tower of Galen Longbeard?” (33-34). A giant spider with a troll’s head hurries down the side of the tower and introduces himself as Max, a spider-troll. When he learns that they are carrying a message from Keeah, he ushers them inside. At the top of the tower, they enter a large round room filled with old books and potions and meet Galen Longbeard, an elderly wizard in blue robes. He asks whether they have seen Leep, his “pilka.” Julie asks what a “pilka” is, but Galen struggles to explain.
Eric delivers Keeah’s message, but Galen cannot understand the strange words. Julie suggests that it might be a code, and Neal realizes that the message consists of regular words written backwards. The message reads “Zorfendorf Will Be Attacked Tonight” (38-39). Galen exclaims that he must warn King Zello. He vanishes suddenly then reappears just as quickly, announcing that he has been to Jaffa City and that Zello will send troops to defend Zorfendorf.
When he hears about the staircase, he says, “I wondered when it would appear again” (40). He tells them that, long ago, Lord Sparr created three objects called the “Three Powers”; these objects gave the sorcerer tremendous power. Galen was afraid that Sparr would use his new abilities to take over the Upper World, so he sealed the staircase between worlds. Now that Galen is getting old, however, his powers have weakened, and the staircase has become visible again.
The old mirror that shows Galen what is happening in Droon begins to flicker. It shows a courtyard where Ninns are holding Keeah captive. They are dragging her inside Plud, Lord Sparr’s evil fortress.
Chapter 6 Summary: “Home Must Wait”
Eric says that Keeah looks scared. He asks what they should do. Galen explains that Plud is where Keeah’s mother, Queen Relna, disappeared after fighting a battle with Sparr. Now, Sparr is trying to take the Red Eye of Dawn—“a jewel that commands the forces of nature”—from Keeah (45). However, neither Galen nor Keeah actually knows for sure whether Keeah has the Red Eye of Dawn, because Galen cast a spell on all of the Three Powers objects to transform them and hide them in different places. Now, no one is supposed to know what they look like or where they are.
The scene in the mirror changes, showing Sparr’s forces ready to attack Jaffa City instead of Zorfendorf Castle. Galen wants to help Keeah, but he knows that he has to go to Jaffa City to help King Zello. When Eric volunteers to help Keeah, Neal yelps in surprise and falls over a stack of books. The missing pilka, Leep (a six-legged creature that looks like a camel with long white hair) has just appeared and licked Neal. Leep leads the way to the door, and the children and Max follow. They are off to Plud to rescue Keeah.
Chapters 4-6 Analysis
In Chapters 4-6, new plot complications occur as the rising action introduces new characters and fresh crises for the children to navigate, and in these scenes, Eric’s latent heroism begins to show itself as he responds bravely to these new challenges. Once Eric locates Julie and Neal and delivers Keeah’s message to the wizard, the story’s initial conflict is resolved, but Keeah’s capture and Sparr’s attack on Jaffa City complicate the narrative and make it clear that the three friends will have to surmount additional obstacles before returning to their own world. These developments raise the stakes involved in Joining the Battle against Evil, for not only is Keeah in immediate danger, but it is clear that Sparr has a good chance of conquering Jaffa and stealing the Red Eye of Dawn before the forces of good can intervene. Because the children are now aware that the rainbow staircase may give Sparr a chance to invade the Upper World, they know that the troubles of Droon could also put their own world in danger.
To further cement Sparr’s role as the leader of the forces of evil, the author takes pains to emphasize the strangeness of the sorcerer’s henchmen. When Eric, Julie, and Neal get their first close look at Sparr and the Ninns, the descriptions of the Ninns’ “puffy and fat” (25-26) faces and pointed ears and chins give them a distinct air of “otherness,” emphasizing the danger and hostility that they represent. Likewise, the purple fins behind Sparr’s ears mark him as inhuman despite his otherwise humanoid appearance, and taken together, these physical details imbue Sparr and his forces with a distinctly demonic aura. Additionally, because Lord Sparr’s appearance blends human traits with fishlike qualities, the narrative implies that as a monstrous hybrid, Lord Sparr experiences emotions and motivations that are not fully human and could be characterized as “cold-blooded.” A full-page illustration of Sparr on page 28 portrays him standing silhouetted against billowing mist or clouds, his mouth open in an expression of rage as he shouts at a much smaller Ninn, and this dynamic image is designed to emphasize his wrathful, dangerous, and unforgiving nature.
These characterizations of the story’s antagonists also support the story’s thematic focus on Escaping the Mundane World and Embracing New Growth. From the very beginning of the three friends’ explorations in Droon, they are inundated with fantastical sights, from Sparr and the Ninns to the quirky wonders of Galen’s disappearing tower. Even the most benevolent of Droon’s denizens exude an extremely outlandish air; Max is a spider-troll hybrid, and although Galen is the archetypal wise old magician, the three protagonists are taken aback by his abrupt actions and his ability to teleport at will. This myriad of details is designed to celebrate the strangeness of this alternate world and to challenge the three friends’ ideas of what is “normal.”
In such unusual and danger-filled circumstances, Eric, Neal, and Julie could easily feel helpless and overwhelmed, but instead, these scenes emphasize Eric’s ability to blossom under pressure. As he willingly volunteers to help Galen and Keeah, Eric begins to transform from the pointedly average 10-year-old he was in the Upper World to a far more heroic figure. For example, he demonstrates great courage when he asks Neal to boost him up closer to the Ninns so that he can hear what they are saying, and he shows strong leadership ability when he directs his friends down the forest path, where they eventually discover Galen’s tower. Likewise, he is the one who takes charge of the story’s primary action when he decides that they should stay in Droon to help rescue Keeah even though they have already discharged their responsibilities by delivering her message. Additionally, like any good leader, he takes the time to look to his friends for their agreement before committing them all to this audacious plan and rushing out the door toward Plud.
Eric also shows a capacity for honorable self-sacrifice in this part of the story, and his actions acknowledge The Importance of Honoring Commitments. Once he has delivered Keeah’s message to Galen, he has technically fulfilled his part of the bargain, and he could easily ask Galen to return him and his friends to the Upper World. As the title of the final chapter in this section indicates, however, Eric knows that “Home Must Wait.” As he explains to his friends, Keeah has helped him, and in his mind, he now has the obligation to help her in return. Despite the danger that awaits the three friends, their lack of hesitation and team-spirited sentiments illustrate their close, trusting bond, and it is clear that they regard the coming adventure as a task that they are duty-bound to complete.
Unlock all 42 pages of this Study Guide
Get in-depth, chapter-by-chapter summaries and analysis from our literary experts.
- Grasp challenging concepts with clear, comprehensive explanations
- Revisit key plot points and ideas without rereading the book
- Share impressive insights in classes and book clubs