Beneath - Hardcover

Smith, Roland

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0545564867 ISBN 13: 9780545564861

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2015

Synopsis

Roland Smith, the master of middle-grade adventure, returns with a new novel full of high-speed chases, secret identities, and a dangerous underground world.

What waits Beneath?Pat O'Toole has always idolized his older brother, Coop. He's even helped Coop with some of his crazier plans -- such as risking his life to help his big brother dig a tunnel underneath their neighborhood in the suburbs of Washington, DC. Coop is . . . different. He doesn't talk on the phone, doesn't use email, and doesn't have friends. He's never really cared for anything but the thrill of being underground and Pat. So it's no surprise to anyone -- even Pat -- that after a huge fight with their parents, Coop runs away. Exactly one year later, Pat receives a package containing a digital voice recorder and a cryptic message from his brother. He follows the clues to New York City, and soon discovers that Coop has joined the Community, a self-sufficient society living beneath the streets. Now it's up to Pat to find his brother -- and bring him home.

About this title

About the Author

Roland Smith first worked with animals at the Oregon Zoo, and he has been involved in animal rescues and conservation work around the world for more than 20 years. He is the author of numerous books for young readers, including Jack's Run, Zach's Lie, Peak, the Cryptid Hunters series, and the Storm Runners series. He is also the coauthor of numerous picture books with his wife, Marie. Roland lives with Marie on a farm south of Portland, Oregon. You can find him online at rolandsmith.com.

Reviews

Gr 6–9—Fans of the "Tunnels" series (Scholastic, 2008) will enjoy Smith's latest. Pat and Coop were always close. Coop even let Pat help with his secret tunnel project under Washington, DC. But after an accidental gas explosion, Coop runs away. One year later, Pat receives a package with a recorder and a message that leads him on a mission to find and rescue his old friend. Smith spends much of the first 100 pages on backstory, though it is imperative to understanding the relationship between Pat and Coop had and why Pat is so motivated to travel alone to New York City to find him. This makes the pacing slow at first, but it increases dramatically once Pat makes it to the society under the city. The second half is better paced and action-packed. Beneath hits all the notes of an underground novel, with several allusions to classics such as Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth and H.G. Wells's The Time Machine. Avid lovers of adventure fiction will enjoy this quick read.—Patrick Tierney, Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School RI

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From BENEATHExactly one year to the day after my brother, Coop, ditched me, I got a package in the mail. It came to the school, not our house. The secretary handed me the package with a warning that I was never to use the school as my personal address. I was going to tell her that I hadn't when I saw my name: Pat Meatloaf O'Toole scrawled in Coop's familiar handwriting. Meatloaf is not my real middle name.I told her I would never do it again, grabbed the package, locked myself in a restroom stall, and tore the box open. Inside was a handheld digital voice recorder, a supply of memory sticks, and a note written on a greasy hamburger wrapper: "Lil Bro, Pat, just turn the recorder to Play, and I'll explain what you're supposed to do with this. DO NOT share with parents. This is just between you and me. Your big bro, Coop . . ."I made sure the restroom was empty and switched on the recorder.

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0545564867
• ISBN 13: 9780545564861
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272