User:Jayben Treat
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This article is about the Jayben Treat series of novels.
Jayben Treat
The five part 'Jayben Treat' series is a collection of fantasy novels written by California author R.L. Mesler. This is the story of Jayben Treat, a ten-year-old boy, from a well-to-do San Francisco family, who accidentally receives the gift of magic. In the ensuing chapters and books, Jayben comes to terms with his new gifts and is sent off to attend school at The Royal Academy of Magic at Barmoth Castle. There in an ideal country setting, he meets new friends and the oddest collection of characters imaginable. However, not everything is delightfully enchanting about the school nor it's occupants. Quite by accident, Jayben and his friends stumble across highly suspicious activities. With an inability to discern whom to trust or tell about what they have seen, Jayben and his friend's make a pact to work together to gather as much evidence as possible to prevent a horrible curse from taking place. Filled with self-doubt and uncertainty, they eventually gain the confidence to use their untested and awkward magical abilities to overcome obstacles and entrapments. What they uncover in the process is far more revealing about themselves and their destinies.
Origins and publishing history
In 2003, the author found himself thrust into the position as a caregiver for a loved one diagnosed with cancer. Seeking to find the best treatment options available, he spent many long days at the University of California Medical Library. One day exhausted from reading journal articles, he found himself staring off into the ether and jotting down a few childlike sentences onto the back of a Starbucks napkin. It was there, in the quiet of that room, that the story of Jayben Treat started to unfold. Four years later, in the spring of 2007 the author submitted the first chapter of his story to a book contest, sponsored by the giant publishing company Simon and Schuster. The ‘First Chapter’s Contest’ was the first writing challenge of it’s kind. Based on the very popular television show, ‘American Idol’, the contest allowed readers from all over the United States to read and comment on the works of the contest on line. Buoyed and encouraged by reader support, the author explored the possibility of bringing this exciting story to the world. In October of 2007, Cafe Press released the first book in the series entitled Jayben Treat: And The Burglar of Barmoth.
Structure and genre
The novels are very much in the fantasy genre; in many respects they are also coming of age novels. The stories are predominantly set in an inter-dimensional setting at The Royal Academy of Magic's Barmoth Castle. There the curriculum includes the use of magic as well as offers students ample opportunity to develop their very personal, awkward and often highly embarrassing burgeoning magical gifts. In a sense the setting is in a direct line of descent from Thomas Hughes's, 'Tom Brown's - School Days' and other Victorian and Edwardian novels of British public school life. Perhaps this influence came about and is due in a large part to the author spending his formative years in Wales, the birth place of his mother and home still to aunts, uncles and cousins. The story of Jayben Treat however, is more than science fiction fantasy novel. It resembles more a Sherlock Holmes-style mystery adventure. Each book presents the protagonist and his friends with a great mystery to be solved, hidden clue in the narrative to follow, and many red herrings that lead characters into trouble. Despite setbacks, the characters pursue a number of suspects through various locations, leading to a twist ending that often reverses what the characters and the readers had been led to believe.
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