Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Bayport Public Library | TEEN FICTION SMI | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Oakdale Library | TEEN FICTION SMI | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | TEEN FICTION SMI | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Valley Library (Lakeland) | TEEN FICTION SMI | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi) | TEEN FICTION SMI | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
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.
Author Notes
Roland Smith was born in Portland, Oregon on November 30, 1951. He received a Bachelor's degree in English from Portland State University. His job working for a children's zoo began a 20-year career as a zookeeper. After working to save wildlife following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, his first non-fiction book, Sea Otter Rescue, was published in 1990. He continued to draw upon his zoo experiences for other non-fiction titles, including Journey of the Red Wolf, which won an Oregon Book Award in 1996. His first novel, Thundercave, was published in 1997. His other fiction books include The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe, Zach's Lie, Jack's Run, Cryptid Hunters, Peak, and Shatterproof. He also writes the I, Q. series and the Storm Runners series.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Smith (Mutation) delivers a tightly plotted mystery that incorporates themes of nonconformity and social rebellion. Pat O'Toole, 13, is not surprised when his 18-year-old brother, Coop, disappears. Coop has always been quirky: he is an avid tap dancer, collects flashlights, can't drive, won't email, and once dug a tunnel more than a mile long in their Virginia neighborhood before a gas line explosion nearly killed the two of them. Pat's parents are preoccupied with their breakup, careers, and new romances, so when Pat begins receiving digital voice recordings from Coop, he sneaks away to New York City to find his brother. Clues lead Pat to an alternative society that exists underground, but he soon discovers Coop has been drawn into an exclusive and dangerous group called the Pod. The narrative is constructed as Pat's "hybrid journal," which has been "transcribed" from the brothers' digital audio recordings, putting their voices front and center. Humor, a perilous setting, intense relationships, and the slow unveiling of the machinations at work behind the Pod give the story emotion and grit. Ages 10-14. Agent: Barbara S. Kouts, Barbara S. Kouts Agency. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Patrick follows his daring older brother Coop into an underground (literally) conspiracy involving secret subterranean communities, decades-old radical plots, unsolved murders, and an enigmatic girl in sunglasses. The plot and backstory are solidly conceived but sketchily executed, with characters rather broadly developed and much of the action relegated to expository dialogue. Nevertheless, the terse, punchy writing style sustains tension. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Pat's brother, Coop, has always been drawn underground. Exactly a year after Coop left without saying good-bye, Pat receives a package in the mail: a handheld voice recorder and a supply of memory sticks. Through the recordings, Coop tells Pat about his new life in New York City. He is certain he is nearing the thing that has called to him his whole life. But when Coop's recordings suddenly stop, Pat worries that something bad has happened. He sneaks off to New York during winter break to follow the clues and stumbles into a secret, underground world. Partnering with Kate, a girl from the Deep, they plunge into a world of dangerous secrets, racing to save Coop. Characters are original and well-rounded, and flashes of humor keep the tone from getting too intense. Told in epistolary format, the mix of Pat's journal entries and transcriptions of Coop's recordings makes for a fast-paced, compelling read. Fans of Smith will not be disappointed.--Harold, Suzanne Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
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 (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Exactly 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. Excerpted from Beneath by Roland Smith All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
