Benny Square-Dimple and the Lair of the Keepers

Benny Square-Dimple expects to spend the first day of summer vacation doing unpleasant chores for his peculiar great-grandfather, Crumple (a very old man whose exact age is something of a mystery). Instead, Benny is greeted at the door of Crumple’s cottage by a cheerful otter wearing a birthday hat. Inside, Benny discovers a hidden world of talking wild animals, secret underground rooms, and a magical portal that opens once a year at the center of an offshore whirlpool.

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When Crumple reveals that Benny’s small hands may be the only way to unlock a centuries-old mechanism and recover a lost gem capable of reshaping their world, Benny is pulled into a quest to open a sealed passage guarded by a powerful and deeply unfortunate beast. To succeed, Benny must face trials beyond anything he has imagined, including leaping into the whirlpool portal itself and navigating a crypt protected by creatures from myth. Along the way, Benny is supported by Crumple and a group known as the Elders, which includes Bigfoot, an alien named Zeta, and the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian Legend, to name a few. Eventually, Benny discovers that courage does not require strength or size, only the willingness to try when everything feels impossible.