50 Fun Facts About Keeper of the Lost Cities

Who wrote the Keeper of the Lost Cities series?

Shannon Messenger wrote every Keeper of the Lost Cities book; the series opener was her debut novel, published by Simon & Schuster's Aladdin imprint, and introduced twelve-year-old Sophie Foster.

In which US city is Sophie living with her human family when the first book opens?

Sophie lives in San Diego with her human family, the Fosters, when Book One opens; at twelve she has skipped so many grades that she is already a high-school senior.

Which teenage elf tracks Sophie down on a school field trip and tells her she is an elf?

Fitzroy Vacker had been searching the human world for her on his father Alden's behalf for years before he found her at the museum.

When Fitz first tells Sophie the name of the academy she will attend, what does she assume it is?

When Fitz names Foxfire, Sophie asks if it is a fungus, since foxfire is the bioluminescent glow of fungi on decaying wood; Fitz looks a little insulted.

The elvin couple who take Sophie in and later adopt her are named what?

Grady and Edaline Ruewen take Sophie in at Havenfield, their animal-rehabilitation estate, and formally adopt her at the end of Book One; they had lost their daughter Jolie years earlier.

Which rebel organisation turns out to have created Sophie through Project Moonlark?

The Black Swan, the rebel group whose leaders call themselves the Collective, engineered Sophie's genetics under Project Moonlark and hid her in the human world.

Sophie's old human-world neighbour, who turns out to run Project Moonlark, is known by what name?

'Forkle' means disguise in Norwegian, and his full name, Errol Loki Forkle, has initials that spell E.L.F.

Which group of criminal extremists is the main antagonist of the series?

The Neverseen are the series' black-cloaked villains, marked by a white eye inside a circle; their leaders have included the Pyrokinetic Fintan and Keefe's mother, Lady Gisela.

What does Keefe Sencen's Empath ability let him do?

Empaths sense other people's emotions through physical contact; Keefe's Empath ability is so sharp that he can often read Sophie's unusually strong feelings without touching her.

Dex Dizznee, Sophie's best friend, is a talented alchemist and what kind of ability-holder?

Dex Dizznee is a Technopath, an elf who senses and manipulates technology; he builds gadgets for Sophie and, as a gifted alchemist, keeps dyeing her pet imp new colours.

What is the name of Fitz and Biana's older brother?

Alvar Vacker is the eldest of Alden and Della's three children; at the end of Book Four he is exposed as a traitor working against Sophie and her friends.

What is Exillium, the place where Sophie first meets twins Tam and Linh Song?

Exillium is the school for banished elves; its students are called Waywards rather than prodigies and are sorted into Left, Right and Ambi Hemispheres.

Linh Song earned the nickname 'the girl of many floods' while mastering which ability?

Linh Song is a Hydrokinetic whose control of water once failed so badly that she flooded Atlantis; her twin Tam refused to be separated from her.

What can a Flasher such as Wylie Endal sense and manipulate?

Flashers like Wylie Endal sense and manipulate the colours of light; Wylie's father Prentice had his mind broken for refusing to reveal where Sophie was hidden.

Which title is the second Keeper of the Lost Cities novel?

Exile introduced Silveny the alicorn and the underground prison the book is named for.

Which book sits at number 8.5 in the series and alternates between Sophie's and Keefe's perspectives?

Unlocked, Book 8.5, pairs a novella that alternates between Sophie's and Keefe's points of view with a series-guide section of recipes and character files.

What is the title of book nine, released in November 2022?

Stellarlune, Sophie Foster's ninth full-length adventure, was published by Simon & Schuster's Aladdin imprint in November 2022, the first new full-length novel in three years.

The novella released on December 3, 2024 is called what?

Unraveled, Book 9.5, was published on December 3, 2024 and, unlike the main novels, is told from Keefe's point of view rather than Sophie's.

Which studio was announced in April 2024 as holding the rights to a Keeper of the Lost Cities film?

Warner Bros. Pictures took on the Keeper of the Lost Cities film in a deal announced in April 2024, replacing the earlier plan for a Disney adaptation.

Which director was originally announced in January 2021 to adapt the series for Disney?

Ben Affleck was announced in January 2021 to direct and co-write Disney's planned Keeper of the Lost Cities adaptation, sharing the screenplay with Kate Gritmon.

The graphic novel of the first book, released in November 2023, was illustrated by whom?

Gabriella Chianello illustrated Keeper of the Lost Cities: The Graphic Novel, Part 1, published in November 2023 as the first comic adaptation of Sophie's story; Jason Chan paints the novel covers.

Sophie's pet imp, rescued from a verminion at Havenfield, is called what?

Iggy, the tiny imp Sophie keeps as a pet, is notorious for his foul 'Iggy breath'; Dex dyes his fur a new colour in almost every book, including pink and curly.

Verdi, the permanent resident of Havenfield who refuses Grady's diet plan, is what kind of animal?

Verdi is a Tyrannosaurus rex with bright neon-green feathers; Grady keeps trying to train her onto a vegetarian diet so she can be released to the Sanctuary.

Silveny and Greyfell's twin foals, born prematurely in Flashback, are named what?

Luna and Wynn, Silveny and Greyfell's twin foals, arrived prematurely in Flashback and had to finish developing inside a troll hive before joining their parents.

Sophie's stuffed elephant, which she cannot sleep without, is named what?

Ella, Sophie's bright blue stuffed elephant, came with her from the human world; Sophie cannot sleep without her and has clung to her through many nightmares.

What is the gooey elvin dessert said to taste like cookies soaked in ice cream with frosting and butterscotch called?

Mallowmelt is the gooey elvin dessert that tastes like cookies soaked in ice cream with frosting and butterscotch; it is Sophie's favourite treat, often baked by Edaline.

What is the small silver gadget elves use to call each other called?

An Imparter is the small silver gadget elves use to call one another: say a name into it and that person's face appears on its screen.

A Wanderling is a memorial tree grown from a seed coiled with what from the elf it honours?

A strand of the elf's hair is wrapped around the Wanderling seed so the tree takes on their colouring; Sophie and Dex both have Wanderlings from when they were presumed dead.

In the elvin sport of Splotching, what do players use to hurl the coloured ball at each other?

Splotching players fling the coloured splotcher back and forth with telekinesis; in Sophie's first match, against Fitz, the clash of their minds flung both of them across the room.

Which Councillor is the only other known Inflictor and so becomes Sophie's mentor?

Councillor Bronte, one of the Ancients, is the only other known Inflictor, so he becomes Sophie's mentor in controlling the ability after it manifests in Book One.

How many Councillors govern the Lost Cities?

Twelve Councillors rule the Lost Cities from Eternalia; they may not marry or have children, and each guards a cache of Forgotten Secrets.

The elvin capital, Eternalia, is hidden in which mountain range?

The city is the likely source of the human legend of Shangri-La, and half of it burned in Everblaze before gnomes and dwarves rebuilt it.

The goblin capital is built entirely of which material?

Gildingham is built entirely of gold; the goblins chose a soft, weak metal on purpose to show they are strong enough not to need sturdy walls.

Trolls in the series are unusual among the intelligent species because they do what?

Trolls age in reverse, so newborn Stage One trolls are the fiercest fighters while the eldest trolls are the wisest and physically weakest.

How is the voice of Sophie's hulking goblin bodyguard Sandor described?

Sandor, the hulking goblin bodyguard Keefe nicknames Gigantor, has a squeaky, high-pitched voice that undercuts his fearsome size.

Ro, Keefe's ogre bodyguard, is the daughter of which ruler?

Ro, whose full name is Romhilda, is the ogre princess, daughter of King Dimitar of Ravagog; she is assigned as Keefe's bodyguard after the Council's new ogre treaty.

The gnome Calla sacrificed herself at the end of book four by turning into what?

Calla became a Panakes tree, whose healing blossoms cured the gnomes' plague; the tree stands on a hill at Havenfield, where Sophie sometimes sits beneath it.

The Dizznee family apothecary in Mysterium, where Sophie first meets Dex, is called what?

Slurps and Burps, the Dizznee apothecary in Mysterium, is where Sophie first meets Dex; its front door belches when it opens, and Kesler Dizznee runs it.

Which Councillor is revealed in Legacy to be Sophie's biological mother?

Councillor Oralie is revealed in Legacy as Sophie's genetic mother, a secret she kept because Councillors are forbidden to have children.

To swear fealty to the Collective, Sophie and her friends licked a black cube and repeated which oath?

In Neverseen, Sophie and her friends swear fealty to the Collective by licking a black cube and vowing 'I will do everything in my power to help my world.'

Sophie's real-world publisher, Simon & Schuster, first released Keeper of the Lost Cities in which year?

Keeper of the Lost Cities was first published in October 2012 by Simon & Schuster's Aladdin imprint as Shannon Messenger's debut novel; the second book followed one year later.

Level Three prodigies at Foxfire wear amber and have which creature as their mascot?

Level Three prodigies are Mastodons and wear amber; Foxfire's eight levels climb Gremlin, Halcyon, Mastodon, Dragon, Saber-Toothed Tiger, Yeti, Flareadon and Unicorn.

Elwin keeps a banshee named Bullhorn in the Healing Center because banshees can sense what?

Banshees sense approaching death, so Elwin keeps Bullhorn in the Healing Center as a living alarm; the banshee's shriek means a patient is close to dying.

Which gnomish homeland was conquered by the ogres and renamed Ravagog?

Serenvale was the gnomes' original homeland; the ogres conquered it and built their capital, Ravagog, on the site.

Which title is the third Keeper of the Lost Cities novel, published in November 2014?

Everblaze, the third Keeper of the Lost Cities novel, was published in November 2014; its title refers to the unquenchable fire that the Pyrokinetic Fintan unleashes.

Which title is book eight of the series, released in November 2019?

Legacy, the eighth novel, was published in November 2019, the sixth consecutive November to bring a new full-length Keeper of the Lost Cities novel.

What is the name of Shannon Messenger's young-adult trilogy about a boy who is a wind spirit?

Sky Fall is Messenger's young-adult trilogy about Vane Weston; its books are Let the Sky Fall, Let the Storm Break and Let the Wind Rise.

Shannon Messenger graduated from the School of Cinematic Arts at which school?

Shannon Messenger graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, where she studied screenwriting and film production before turning to children's fiction.

Which Councillor was killed when Fintan's memory healing unleashed Everblaze in Eternalia?

Councillor Kenric died when Fintan's memory healing unleashed Everblaze in Eternalia, and Alina was elected to take his seat on the Council.

Who drew the official character art included as an extra in Unlocked?

Laura Hollingsworth, whose character portraits Messenger uses as the series' official art, drew the illustrations included in Unlocked alongside its series guide and recipes.