By Pam Walatka

Los Altos is the home of teenage protagonist Jeremy Kerns in “The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley” by San Jose resident Betty Dravis (Just My Best, 2005).

Jeremy, a graphic artist who uses his Orange computer to draw a cartoon for the Mercury News, is sitting at his computer one day when his characters come to life and fly out of his screen into his room.

Jeremy was already busy dealing with teenage problems, such as listening to his parents argue after his dad was laid off from the Orange Computer company. Now he has to help the good Toonies keep the bad Toonies from taking over the world, after they started by disrupting business in Silicon Valley.

While Jeremy struggles with how and when to tell his parents about the Toonies, his dad accidentally discovers them and immediately starts thinking of marketing ideas.

The Toonies, paper-thin and full of surprises, are creatively imagined: “In cartooning, anything was possible. That’s why Jeremy loved it so much.”

Dravis bases her plot on real technology: “Next, Jeremy learned another secret of Cartoon Land: how to get the Toonies back in. It was really quite simple. Following Uncle Wom’s instructions, he got the compact disc that contained one of his ‘Droog Days’ comic strips, wrapped Uncle Wom around the CD, inserted it in the drive, and shoved it into his computer.”

This young-adult novel is the second book from Dravis, the founding publisher of Construction Labor News and editor of the Gilroy News Herald.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak allowed Dravis to use him as one of her characters.

The book abounds with scenes and institutions familiar to local residents.

Dravis commissioned her granddaughter Kristine Soza Ardizzone to design the cover and interior illustrations.

“The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley,” recommended for ages 8-13, is available at Linden Tree Children’s Recordings & Books, 170 State St., Los Altos.