The Vale

<p><b>"Ambitious . . . themes of family, friendship, and personal integrity shine."</b><br><b><i>—Kirkus Reviews</i></b></p><p>"A highly engaging journey of connection and transformation and an innovative read for this present age." —Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor author of <i>One Crazy Summer</i></p><p><b>Welcome to <i>The Vale,</i> a world that grows by the power of imagination</b></p><p>A magical new phenomenon from the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author and executive producer of the <i>Loveboat, Taipei</i> series (adapted to the Netflix film <i>Love in Taipei)</i>.</p><p>Thirteen-year-old Bran Joseph Lee has spent half his life building the Vale, an immersive, AI-generated, virtual-reality environment using technology created by his inventor parents. It's a lush fantasy world complete with a Blue Forest, a Castle, and adventures with his mushroom-obsessed Elf named Gnomly—a much better place to spend his days compared to his real life, where his parents have suffered through the failed launches of one invention after another. </p><p>Bran wants nothing more than to see his Elves come fully to life, a hope that seems on the brink of reality when he enters the Vale in a multi-million-dollar competition to fund its further development. But instead, things in the Vale begin to go wron The sunlight is fading. A beautiful girl appears from nowhere. A wizard is stealing from the Vale’s inhabitants. And the strangest part of all is that none of this is the young inventor’s doing. </p><p>Can Bran and Gnomly uncover the truth of what is happening before both their worlds are destroyed?</p><p>Look out for <i>The Vale—Origins</i>, the short film prequel to <i>The Vale starring</i> three-time Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, coming to film festivals and screenings near you!</p><p><b>"Exposes both the wonder of AI and its pitfalls, and the elastic boundary between. Storytelling at its best!" <br> —Kathi Appelt, National Book Award Finalist and Newbery Honor author of <i>The Underneath</i></b></p>