From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-A sequel to
The Dark Ground (Dutton, 2004). Sheltered in an underground cavern, Lorn and her band of miniaturized humans struggle to survive in a cold, dangerous, and hostile world. Above their heads, Tom, a normal-sized human boy, walks his dog in a park near his home, observes Rob, and ponders his old friend's recent personality changes. As chapters shift between the small, vulnerable people and the young adults interacting above them, Tom learns that Rob had consciously entered a tiny double of himself, and that Lorn and her friends came to his rescue in a landscape made alien by Rob's relative size in
The Dark Ground (Dutton, 2004). Back to his normal size, he is trying to help Lorn and her friends as best he can. Tom's chance encounter with a mentally retarded boy leads Rob and Tom to an underground black room, where the boy's horribly abused sister, Hope-clearly Lorn's double-is imprisoned. Shifting perspectives, cliff-hanger chapter endings, and fast-paced action paired with believable, sympathetic characters make this a compelling read. Hope's father is a terrifying antagonist, relentlessly pursuing the boys who seek to return his daughter to her rightful mind. Their quest is fulfilled in an unexpected way, but the rules governing the trilogy's fantasy elements are left unexplained. A mysterious blue-eyed man seems to be involved. This fantasy thriller amply satisfies readers' appetites, all the while arousing their hunger for the final volume.-
Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Booklist
Gr. 6-9. In this sequel to
The Dark Ground (2004), Robert, who returned home at the end of the first book, tries to help his former Lilliputian friends survive the winter. He embarks on a desperate search to reunite Lorn with her human-size self. Unfortunately, his endeavors do little to advance the murky plot, and readers may be disappointed because so many questions remain unanswered. There's a lot to sort out in the final volume of the trilogy.
Sally EstesCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
