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Teacher launches series of clue-laden teen books

By Christina Lent

The Beaverton Valley Times, Jul 24, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Multnomah Village provides the backdrop for action and intrigue in David Michael Slater’s young adult “Sacred Books” series. The first volume, right, earned praise from three of Slater’s best readers in his language arts classes.

Jaime Valdez / The Beaverton Valley Times

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David Michael Slater just completed a new literary fantasy adventure series fraught with suspense, hidden clues, bizarre twists and an ancient book full of utter nonsense.

The first volume in Slater’s five-part, young adult “Sacred Books” series will be released in October.

In “The Book of Nonsense,” readers will be introduced to 13-year-old twins Daphna and Dexter and the evolution of their strained relationship as they work together to learn the truth about a mysterious book that enters their lives and threatens to tear their world apart.

“The series is unique and not like anything people have read before,” the Hillsdale author said of his first young adult series. “It’s more serious than the normal teen book.

“I wrote vigorously in terms of making the story both thought provoking and exciting.”

The “Sacred Books” series will challenge young readers.

As a seventh-grade language arts teacher at Mountain View Middle School, Slater understands that the secret to capturing the interest of teens is to engage their curiosity and intelligence by hooking them with a blend of unusual references, mysterious clues and a dark, suspenseful plot packed with action.

“I also want to get readers to think about how powerful and important words are,” Slater said. “In a real way, they work magic for better or for worse in the world.

“(This series) is about how the world is complex and things don’t always work out. The journey is a struggle, but that’s what makes people who they are.”

Sitting in the living room of his Hillsdale home, Slater’s eyes are drawn to an early copy of his book resting on a coffee table in front of him.

“It’s strange to see it sitting there,” he admitted. “I know there is so much more of the story wanting to get out.

“I want to talk about how much further it goes. This first book gives the vaguest hint about how far out there the story goes and how layered and deep the secrets get.”

‘I had to get it all out on paper’

When Slater sat down to write Daphna and Dexter’s adventure with “The Book of Nonsense,” several years ago, he had no idea he was beginning a series.

The idea for the story came from an adult short fiction he wrote called “The Book/The Phrase/The Word/The Symbol.”

“It wasn’t enough, and I thought it would really work as a young adult idea as well,” Slater recalled. “I was intrigued with the idea of a book on which the words change and the possibilities that brings up.”

Slater squeezed in at least an hour a day to devote to writing the young adult version of the story.

“I didn’t know where it was going, but it just got bigger and bigger,” he said. “The secrets behind the story kept getting larger and larger.”

Before he knew it, the idea for one book turned into a trilogy and finally to a “Sacred Books” five-volume series, with the first book being completed in 2004 and the final installment finished just three weeks ago.

“The later books are a bit edgier and riskier,” Slater hinted. “There will be people not liking where the story goes. They are the same people that didn’t like books like ‘The Golden Compass,’ ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Da Vinci Code.’”

Online bloggers are already talking about banning Slater’s “Sacred Books” series.

“I do not expect any issues with this first book, but that will come later,” Slater said.

The first volume was scheduled to be released last October, but the publisher, Blooming Tree Books, pushed back the date, giving Slater more time to complete the series and tweak little details.

“It turned out to be a total blessing that they are all finished before they are published,” Slater said. “The books are so interconnected.

“I went back and revised the first book to set up clues and make sure it lined up with the later books. I also added some small, little changes that hint at what is going to happen in book five – there are no details that aren’t significant in the later books. For the bookish kid that wants to dig for clues and hints, there’s a lot in there.”