The once known Planet Earth was shrouded by pollution and is now known as The Dark Planet. The Dark Planet is the planet where Atherton can be found and is shaped like a cake that narrows to the bottom. It is found in the orbit of the Dark Planet and it has 3 levels rising up with rocks on the side and sharp inclination. Their most important source of life is water and can only be found in the Highland. The House of Power at the Highlands controls the water and are said to be the leaders and are the only ones who knows how to read. The Highlands has huge castle with patios full of plants. The Tabletop on the second level is composed of workers in the fields of fig trees. They are not allowed to learn how to read or to have books and they are not also allowed to go to the Highlands. In the last level, the hungry monsters called Cleaners live at the Flatlands. The people in Tabletops threw their waste here. They do not go in the Flatlands because if they do, they’ll never come back.
Tabletop is divided into 3 villages, the Village of Sheep, Rabbits, and Grove. They pay taxes through rabbits, figs, wool, and muttons and are carried to the Highlands by pulley and buckets because they are not allowed to set foot on the Highland territory. When Lord Phineas, the ruler of Atherton is contented, he will send them water in return. But if he’s not satisfied, he will not give them water and this makes water very valuable.
In Tabletop, there lived an 11 year old orphaned boy named Edgar who works for Mr. Ratikan, a cranky old hunchback. Edgar is skinny but he is strong and quick. He loves to climb but most of the people there scold him if they see him climbing. He climbs the cliffs because he remember that once, a man told him to climb the cliffs and retrieve something from there.
One day, he found a book in the rocks near the Highlands. He realized that the book will help him reveal the mystery behind Atherton. He climbed up to Atherton and met a boy named Samuel. They became friends and Samuel reads the book for Edgar since Edgar doesn’t know how to read. Before they could even finish the book, the ground trembles gradually and the Highland sank at the bottom level of Atherton, the Tabletop sank a little still making it the middle level and the Flatland became the upper level.
The Highlanders started war over the Tabletop people. But they fight back with the help of Isabele who taught them how to use a slingshot. Edgar made his way to the Flatlands. It was very dangerous and he almost got killed because he stumbled upon the Cleaners but he was saved by Vincent and they met Dr. Kincaid who was Vincent’s teacher. Dr. Kincaid knows the secret behind Atherton. Edgar was surprised that there are people in the Flatland since the story that was passed on to them was the Cleaners would eat them. He then realized that they could help him save Atherton.
Dr. Kincaid told him the story on how Atherton was created by Dr. Harding, a mad scientist. But there’s not much time left because Atherton is in big danger of being destroyed.
Reference
Carman, P. (2007). Atherton: House of Power. New York: Little, Brown Young Readers.
