Books published by publisher Peekaboo Pepper Books

The Dark City is the first book in the Guardians of Elestra series. After seeing their grandfather sucked into a ball of light that disappears into an old lantern in their back yard, twins Derek and Deanna Hughes travel to the bizarre magical world of Elestra where they discover a shocking family secret. They find themselves in a race against the dark wizard Eldrack to find the magical moonstones that can grant a wizard new powers. They are helped along the way by the ancient wizard and fry cook Iszarre, whose wooden spoon wand is as powerful in the kitchen as it is on the magical battlefield, Tobungus, the tap dancing mushroom man who has a severe problem remembering the twins' names, Glabber, the butter-obsessed snake wizard, and many others. In the Dark City, the twins must figure out why Magia's capital city, Amemnop, once known as the City of Light, is covered in a shield of darkness that has sucked the life and magic out of the residents. Their journey includes a trip to a library where the books talk, and sometimes argue with each other, a battle with flying beasts who show an extreme aversion to Derek's flashlight, and a final battle in the icy waters of a huge fountain, where a lemon may just be the key to victory.The Guardians of Elestra books are filled with incredible creatures, magical locations, altered realities, and a constant dose of humor. So, open the book, travel through the lantern post, and explore Elestra with its newest Mystical Guardians.

Derek and Deanna join Iszarre, Glabber, and even Tobungus to battle Eldrack and his followers on the streets of Amemnop. When Tobungus finishes bragging about his achievements in battle, they’re all off, along with Zorell, to the Forest Realm. They must soar through the Floating Forest over the Iron Range before heading to visit their uncle and his sassy cow in the Antikrom Mountains, where time occasionally marches in reverse. Try as they might, their uncle refuses to give up his life as a yak farmer to join them in their battle against Eldrack. But, they get the feeling that they’ll see him again, as the final battle draws closer.

Derek and Deanna and their friends accompany Iszarre to King Barado's castle for a picnic that ends with Iszarre arguing with a peach tree about giving him a second piece of fruit. Their search for the fifth moonstone starts with a trip to Tobungus' home, the Torallian Forest. That means that Zorell must meditate to find a happy place, and Tobungus needs to feed his shoes flipper juice to increase his dancing abilities. If Tobungus seems weird, his friend Rorrdoogo and the Mushroom wizard Bohootus are stranger yet. But, the real action takes place in the Dragon Realm where a young king finds his way, and his color, and an old dragon gets his mojo back. At the end of their adventure, as usual, Derek and Deanna are left with more questions than answers. Who was this friend who betrayed the older dragon, and where did all of the purple dragon wizards go?

In the 7th adventure in Deanna's and Derek's journey through Elestra, they meet the incomparable Sunflower King, whose ego is larger than any Torallian's, and the Baron Ron Don bon Bleepus, the leader of a highly renowned artistic magic circus. Like always, though, they'll have to face off against Eldrack, who has some new tricks up his sleeve. This time, they're left with serious questions about their future battle against or with Eldrack.

On their third adventure in Elestra, Derek and Deanna venture outside of Magia for the first time. Derek starts the day by reading a prophecy in the flickering light of a candle after he visits the ancient Gula Badu in a basement deep beneath the Library. Then, after a slow, bumpy ride on drectaws, they find the Desert Realm to be hot and filled with Eldrack’s minions. This time, the dark wizard sends tentacled sand beasts and giant knifebirds to try to stop the twins. Their new friend Zorell joins them on the trip, much to Tobungus’ dismay. It’s a good thing he does, because his dancing proves to be a powerful weapon against the army of tentacled sand beasts. Their guide is a local girl named Dahlia who feeds them sugary lizard tails and reads prophecies woven in a hidden tapestry. After finding the entrance to a secret desert, they enter a lone pyramid and meet a mysterious statue who points out a solution to their problem. To escape from Eldrack’s reach and return the moonstone to the arch, they must cross the Great Snort Pit in a boat with bite marks that are frighteningly large.The Desert of the Crescent Dunes again mixes unique fantasy creatures and locations with a healthy dose of humor. As the twins find more moonstones, they learn that there are deeper mysteries than why Tobungus and Zorell hate each other so much. With this third adventure, they grow more powerful and more confused. One thing that they are increasingly sure of is that magic and music are somehow connected in Elestra. With the first set of three moonstones in place, they unlock the first magical instrument and hear the first notes of the song that will call the Lost Army of Light to their side in the Magical Tournament that is close at hand.

Derek and Deanna Hughes embark on their second adventure in the magical world of Elestra in search of another moonstone. This time, they have to go to the Baroka Valley where everything is huge, from the grains of sand to the wild chickens. With their friend Tobungus, the mushroom man, at their side, they face Green Thumb, a forest elf with a pair of magical thumbs, the Gong Beaters of the Floddan Lowlands, and the dark wizard Eldrack. The buzzing they hear is not just their heads ringing from the awful gong music, it's the sound of eagle-sized bees swarming around them in a magical orchard. The story heats up even more when they are forced to ride down the River of the Dragon's Breath on a boat that isn't really a boat. In the end, another mystery is added to their journeys as they try to figure out who is helping them behind the scenes.The twins find their journey slowed by an ornery monkey who doesn't believe that they are Mystical Guardians and a pair of twenty foot tall giant trees (or giants who are trees, or trees who are also giants, or well they're not sure how to describe them other than huge and wooden).Lava creatures, rocks that turn into milkshakes (shaken milk, according to Tobungus), a snail-drawn carriage, nut-throwing owl sprites, off key grazing animals, a goose flight over a boiling river, a zoo where the creatures are paid to tell visitors about themselves, and a spell that leaves Derek with a fashion statement that is skin deep round out the story and make the journey through Elestra engaging and magical.

Mount Drasius is cold, very cold, unless you're on the side with the flowing lava. For Derek and Deanna Hughes, and their travel partners, Tobungus and Zorell, the journey is to the cold side of the mountain. They team up with a band of snowball-throwing kangaroos living near a great temple that just might be the hiding place of the fourth moonstone. Eldrack's magic looks strong enough to finally defeat the twins, until a pair of sweaty socks powers up Derek's magic.

The Dark City is the first book in the Guardians of Elestra series. After seeing their grandfather sucked into a ball of light that disappears into an old lantern in their back yard, twins Derek and Deanna Hughes travel to the bizarre magical world of Elestra where they discover a shocking family secret. They find themselves in a race against the dark wizard Eldrack to find the magical moonstones that can grant a wizard new powers. They are helped along the way by the ancient wizard and fry cook Iszarre, whose wooden spoon wand is as powerful in the kitchen as it is on the magical battlefield, Tobungus, the tap dancing mushroom man who has a severe problem remembering the twins' names, Glabber, the butter-obsessed snake wizard, and many others. In the Dark City, the twins must figure out why Magia's capital city, Amemnop, once known as the City of Light, is covered in a shield of darkness that has sucked the life and magic out of the residents. Their journey includes a trip to a library where the books talk, and sometimes argue with each other, a battle with flying beasts who show an extreme aversion to Derek's flashlight, and a final battle in the icy waters of a huge fountain, where a lemon may just be the key to victory. The Guardians of Elestra books are filled with incredible creatures, magical locations, altered realities, and a constant dose of humor. So, open the book, travel through the lantern post, and explore Elestra with its newest Mystical Guardians.

Derek and Deanna and their friends accompany Iszarre to King Barado's castle for a picnic that ends with Iszarre arguing with a peach tree about giving him a second piece of fruit. Their search for the fifth moonstone starts with a trip to Tobungus' home, the Torallian Forest. That means that Zorell must meditate to find a happy place, and Tobungus needs to feed his shoes flipper juice to increase his dancing abilities. If Tobungus seems weird, his friend Rorrdoogo and the Mushroom wizard Bohootus are stranger yet. But, the real action takes place in the Dragon Realm where a young king finds his way, and his color, and an old dragon gets his mojo back. At the end of their adventure, as usual, Derek and Deanna are left with more questions than answers. Who was this friend who betrayed the older dragon, and where did all of the purple dragon wizards go?

Derek and Deanna join Iszarre, Glabber, and even Tobungus to battle Eldrack and his followers on the streets of Amemnop. When Tobungus finishes bragging about his achievements in battle, they’re all off, along with Zorell, to the Forest Realm. They must soar through the Floating Forest over the Iron Range before heading to visit their uncle and his sassy cow in the Antikrom Mountains, where time occasionally marches in reverse. Try as they might, their uncle refuses to give up his life as a yak farmer to join them in their battle against Eldrack. But, they get the feeling that they’ll see him again, as the final battle draws closer.

Derek and Deanna Hughes embark on their second adventure in the magical world of Elestra in search of another moonstone. This time, they have to go to the Baroka Valley where everything is huge, from the grains of sand to the wild chickens. With their friend Tobungus, the mushroom man, at their side, they face Green Thumb, a forest elf with a pair of magical thumbs, the Gong Beaters of the Floddan Lowlands, and the dark wizard Eldrack. The buzzing they hear is not just their heads ringing from the awful gong music, it's the sound of eagle-sized bees swarming around them in a magical orchard. The story heats up even more when they are forced to ride down the River of the Dragon's Breath on a boat that isn't really a boat. In the end, another mystery is added to their journeys as they try to figure out who is helping them behind the scenes. The twins find their journey slowed by an ornery monkey who doesn't believe that they are Mystical Guardians and a pair of twenty foot tall giant trees (or giants who are trees, or trees who are also giants, or well they're not sure how to describe them other than huge and wooden). Lava creatures, rocks that turn into milkshakes (shaken milk, according to Tobungus), a snail-drawn carriage, nut-throwing owl sprites, off key grazing animals, a goose flight over a boiling river, a zoo where the creatures are paid to tell visitors about themselves, and a spell that leaves Derek with a fashion statement that is skin deep round out the story and make the journey through Elestra engaging and magical.