Beneath

by Roland Smith

Overview

A fast-paced, thrilling novel that introduces a pair of very different brothers, and the depths (literally) one will go to save the other.

What waits Beneath? Pat O'Toole has always idolized his older brother, Coop. 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 for Pat of course. So it's no surprise to anyone that after a huge fight with their parents, Coop runs away. 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 society living beneath the streets. Now it's up to Pat to find his brother — and bring him home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545564878
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	03/29/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	415,242
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

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.

Read an Excerpt

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, CoopI made sure the restroom was empty and switched on the recorder.

Editorial Reviews

"A tightly plotted mystery that incorporates themes of nonconformity and social rebellion... Humor, a perilous setting, [and] intense relationships... give the story emotion and grit." — Publishers Weekly"Avid lovers of adventure fiction will enjoy this quick read." — School Library Journal"Makes for a fast-paced, compelling read. Fans of Smith will not be disappointed." — Booklist

From the Publisher

12/22/2014
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.)

Publishers Weekly

01/01/2015
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

School Library Journal