Leven Thumps and The Gateway To Foo - Plot

Plot

The book begins by telling what happened to the town of Tin Culvert, Oklahoma (now Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma.) The nit, Antsel, races through the burning town to safely plant Geth, who has been turned into a seed by Sabine. When he does, the shadows of Sabine find him and kill him while looking over his body for the seed. The book continues to tell about the birth of Leven Thumps, whose mother died birthing him, and his father died before the unfortunate child is born in a motorcycle crash. His mother's half sister, Addy Graph, takes him in, but does not take care of him correctly. Leven is stuck for nearly 14 years with Addy, and her husband, Terry, who is no better than Addy is. Then the book introduces Winter Frore, who was switched with another woman's child, and grows up with Janet Frore, who treats Winter poorly. She only receives a stale bread crust, a teaspoonful of jam, and half a dozen peas for each meal, with no deserts, while she watches her mother stuff herself as though there is no tomorrow. Orphaned, mistreated Leven is contacted by a tiny creature named Clover Earnest, a sycophant, who informs him that he has a destiny to save two worlds: his own, and the world of dreams, called Foo. Meanwhile, Winter realizes her power to freeze things, by freezing her class, her teacher, her principal, and her entire room. She then runs away from home, where she meets Leven and Clover, with a voice repeating in her head, "Don't touch him." Later, when the kids are chased by avalands, giant creatures that are made of the earth itself, Winter passes out and Leven is forced to drag her to safety, and their contact causes Sabine's shadows to find Leven in his dreams. Together with Clover and Geth a toothpick —literally, a toothpick — who was once the king of Foo, they set out to Germany, the location of the gateway. They are chased by the police, so Winter freezes a path across the entire Atlantic ocean. The path melts and they are picked up by a fishing trawler, which is later revealed to be an illegal treasure hunter's boat. After being separated from Clover, they arrive at the mainland. After another encounter with Sabine's shadows, they take a train to Germany, and then to Berchtesgaden, a small German village. The gateway is located in nearby Lake Königsee, and they attempt to go through it. They are stopped by Sabine, who freezes Leven and Winter. Winter thaws and occupies Sabine by demonstrations of power. Winter eventually freezes Sabine long enough for Clover, who has found them, to shatter him into many pieces. Leven tries again to dive for the gateway, but is stopped again by Sabine, who is now an amorphous black blob. He uses his gift to disperse the pieces and get him to the gateway. After stepping through, Amelia Thumps, his grandmother gives him a pot of explosives to destroy the gateway. He steps through, but is grabbed by Sabine. the explosives are activated, and the gateway is destroyed right as Leven goes back through to Foo.