The Idea Miners: The Lost Lake Dig (book #1) (Digital Version--ebook/pdf)

Juvenile Fiction Fantasy

Winner 2025 Royal Dragonfly Middle-Grade Book Award

—Royal Dragonfly Book Awards (recognizing superior kid-tested and judge-certified books)

“Will please young readers who enjoy intelligent, witty writing. This is the stuff of delightfully wonderful, whimsical dreams.”

—The US Review of Books (RECOMMENDED review)

Finalist - Best youth literature published in the United States

—National Book Foundation

Finalist - Best Juvenile Fiction Book

—Indie Book Awards

4.5 star 

 Amazon

“As a librarian, I am always on the look out for exceptional middle grade books. The Idea Miners fits the bill.”

—Goodreads reviewer

A sad boy. Without a single friend. His future bleak.

Joey’s world has shattered. His only friend, Ben, has moved away with his family. Sad and depressed, Joey’s startled by the sudden appearance of an odd man who challenges him to look at the world differently and see hidden wonders right in front of him.

He follows the man through a portal to a parallel world and is elated to find his friend Ben there—but stunned to discover that they’re at the source of all ideas. To spend time together, they must join an expedition with two feisty dwarfs led by a mysterious girl in search of a monumental idea, but Joey fears for their lives since this world contains bloodthirsty trolls and crazed giants.

Will Joey and his friend join the expedition and survive? If the expedition fails, Joey’s world will face an uncertain future.

The Lost Lake Dig is the groundbreaking first book in The Idea Miners middle-grade fantasy trilogy. While the story is full of excitement and danger, it’s also a message of hope and encouragement for the future. On the surface it’s a fantasy adventure, but underneath flows a stream of world-altering ideas, highlighting the gift of the human intellect.

If you like hidden worlds with bizarre creatures, bonds of friendship, and danger, then you’ll love P. W. Cross’s fantasy adventure.

Read The Idea Miners—The Lost Lake Dig today, to mine for new ideas, excitement, and inspiration!

About the author:

P.W. Cross, author of The Idea Miners trilogy, weaves middle-grade fantasy with history and creativity. A 40-year computer programming career, developing software for NASA, defense, and environmental projects, enables him to infuse his stories with imagination and innovation. Living in the mountains with his wife, Cross draws inspiration from nature. His books in the Idea Miners trilogy, The Lost Lake Dig, The Twisted Tree Dig, and The One captivate young readers with adventure and the power of ideas.