Journey to an underground world where adventure awaits and heroes are made in this middle grade novel from the bestselling, Pulitzer-nominated author of The Monk of Mokha and Her Right Foot.
When Gran and his family move to Carousel, he has no idea that the town is built atop a secret. Little does he suspect, as he walks his sister to school or casually eats a banana, that mysterious forces lurk mere inches beneath his feet, tearing up the earth like mini-hurricanes and causing the town to slowly but surely sink.
When Gran's friend, the difficult-to-impress Catalina Catalan, presses a silver handle into a hillside and opens a doorway to underground, he knows that she is extraordinary and brave, and that he will have no choice but to follow wherever she leads. With luck on their side, and some discarded hockey sticks for good measure, Gran and Catalina might just find a way to lift their town--and the known world--out of danger.
In The Lifters, critically acclaimed author Dave Eggers establishes himself as a storyteller who can entertain and inspire readers of any age.
"This book is a ripper, full of all the good stuff: adventure, mystery, and lots of great jokes." - Mac Barnett, Caldecott Honor-winning author of Extra Yarn
"Full of surprises, magic, and heart." - Rebecca Stead, Newbery Award-winning author of When You Reach Me
"[A] cozy contemporary novel about lifting spirits and rebuilding community through teamwork and imagination." --Publishers Weekly
"A heart-gladdening work of allegorical genius." --The Guardian
"A warm and rewarding read . . .Eggers skillfully handles the trope of the kids who save the town, with plenty of humorous adult cluelessness but an equal measure of compassion." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Original . . . and always intriguing. . . . Eggers's story moves along briskly thanks to mounting suspense and bite-size chapters." --Booklist
I was curious about this book, as it is not only a Powell's Pick, but written by Dave Eggers. And while it was interesting enough that I finished reading it - it is...strange. So much of the story doesn't make sense or has no background, and I found that it frequently jarred me out of the story while I was thinking, "Huh??". Having said that - there are some middle-reader kids that will probably enjoy it, though I can pretty much guarantee that mine wouldn't.
The artwork, however, is a great addition to the book and really adds to it overall. Be advised - about half the book, maybe a smidge less, is artwork. So it isn't a LONG book by any means.
