Downsiders [Hardcover]

Neal Shusterman (Author), Greg Harlin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

Beneath the sewer grates and manholes of the city lies a strange and secret world called the Downside. Every Downsider knows that it's forbidden to go Topside, and most fear a collision of the two worlds. But fourteen-year-old Talon is curious about what goes on above ground, and one day he ventures out in search of medicine for his ailing sister. There he meets Lindsay, who is as curious about Talon's world as he is about hers. When Lindsay visits the Downside for the first time, she marvels at the spirit of the Downsiders, and the way they create works of art from topside "trash," like old subway tokens and forgotten earrings. As awed as she is by the Downside, however, she also questions its origins, and when she finds out that this fantastic world is not all it appears to be, she is determined to tell Talon the truth. Then a construction accident threatens to crush Talon's world, and his loyalty is put to the test. Can the truth save the Downside, or will it destroy an entire civilization? Neal Shusterman takes readers on an amazing journey into a place that's only a few steps away, yet beyond their wildest dreams.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Meticulous 14-year-old Lindsay isn't exactly thrilled about moving to the chaos that she believes is New York City. Her flighty "career college student" mom, now divorced, has dumped her on her city engineer dad, "a man who lived his life twenty minutes behind schedule and in a perpetual state of apology." Lindsay is certain that nothing better awaits her than prep school boredom and constant battles with her evil stepbrother Todd. But she is wrong. Quite by accident, Lindsay discovers an unusual boy named Talon who resides in a secret city beneath New York--a kind of underground Oz called the Downside. Talon and Lindsey are fascinated by the differences in their dual worlds and soon grow equally fascinated with each other. But when Lindsay's dad's construction project hits a snag that reveals the Downside, it is not only the blooming relationship that hangs in the balance, but the entire future of the Downside as well.

Downsiders is both funny and compelling. But while Lindsay and Talon's observations of their distinct environments is humorous (Talon compares Lindsay's French braid to a "gator's tail" and, despite Talon's explanation that "time is of low importance," Lindsay still thinks it's strange that Talon wears his watch around his ankle), Neal Shusterman also uses their relationship to illustrate how much a particular culture both shapes our identity and affects how we view people from backgrounds other than our own. This call to look beneath the surface is cleverly and subtly woven through an original story with broad appeal. (Ages 10 to 16) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly

History and urban folklore are wittily combined in Shusterman's (The Eyes of Kid Midas) well-wrought fantasy, centering on an alternative society that thrives undisturbed in the subterranean recesses of New York City. Despite stringently enforced rules against mixing with "Topsiders," 14-year-old Talon sneaks aboveground into an Upper East Side townhouse. There he meets Lindsay, also 14, whose self-absorbed, divorced mom has left her with her equally inattentive dad "for all eternity." The friendless girl quickly forms a bond with the pale, otherworldly boy, and when he finds her again, she eagerly goes with him to tour his underground universe. However, Lindsay's presence, as well as some historical information she unearths, are as threatening to the Downsiders as the excavations for her father's West Side aqueduct project. Amidst the thrills and insider humor (Downsiders eat throgsneck soup and have hunted sewer alligators to extinction), Shusterman offers a crisply written coming-of-age story with a message worth pondering: "Better that the truth be like the moonAa bright sphere only showing half of its face at a time, leaving the rest to be uncovered fragment by fragment, in its own proper time." Ages 10-up. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1st edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689803753
• ISBN-13: 978-0689803758
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,978,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Neal Shusterman is the author of many novels for young adults, including Unwind, which was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers, Everlost, and Downsiders, which was nominated for twelve state reading awards. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows such as Animorphs and Goosebumps. The father of four children, Neal lives in southern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard-edged "what if", September 29, 2002

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Downsiders (Mass Market Paperback)

Neal Shusterman crafts an unclassifiable book: It's not really fiction, juvenile or adult, fantasy, science fiction, or even satire. Rather it seems to mix in a little of everything, with a dash of social commentary and a little comedy as well.

Fourteen-year-old Lindsay is not pleased to be living in an under-construction house in New York, with her brat brother and distracted father. But her life takes an unexpcted twist when a strange boy appears in her house during a party, claiming that he needs medicine for his baby sister. Talon is a Downsider, from a primitive civilization that lives in New York's sewers, believe that they have always lived there, fear the sun, disdain the "Topsiders," and have their own culture and hierarchy that is unaffected by the world above.

Lindsay is intrigued by Talon's world, as he is with hers. But when Lindsay ventures down into the world of the Downsiders, Talon's friend Railborn reports that Talon has committed treason. At the same time, the very world of the Downsiders is threatened with destruction when a new aqueduct is dug -- right through their secret underworld. The Downsiders declare war on the Topsiders, and Lindsay seeks out the truth about their mysterious past.

This is one of those books that could have been botched so easily. But Neal Shusterman manages to not make the Downsiders cliched or stupid, nor does he make their culture too alien. An old theater with prismatic earring decorations, the vow that all "fallers" take, the different hairstyles and clothing styles, and the hunter-gatherer lifestyle (no more alligators in NY sewers, now they have herds of light-sensitive cattle).

Shusterman reserves his literary skill for when it's needed. New York "topside" is paid almost no attention, detail-wise. But he takes great care in his crafting of the strange civilization below the streets, and describes everything in it with loving care. Similarly, his idea for the Downsiders becomes a little too evident too early on the book, but is well-done also. Humor is sprinkled throughout the book when needed; one of the funnier moments has Talon commenting on how amusing H.G. Wells' "Time Machine" is, as it has savages below ground and beautiful creatures above -- unlike his view of the world. The finale screams for a sequel, after a surprisingly pulse-pounding climax.

Lindsay has enough wit and brains to almost instantly endear her to readers. Talon is a fully believable young boy who suddenly has everything he was taught challenged -- and not just little things either. His anger and fear and dwindling prejudice are skillfully drawn. I'm not sure what purpose Lindsay's obnoxious brother served; he appears briefly and then vanished. The father is a poignant figure; his life is going down the drain (literally), and his loneliness is the base of his persona. The scene-stealer is Champ, a sharp old homeless man who lives in a luxurious home in a swimming pool. (His cryptic hints seem a little needlessly mysterious, but otherwise the entire plot would be given away before it was ready)

"Downsiders" is a sharp, tense thriller, a clash of cultures in the same city. It's a good solid read for any age group, kids and adults alike.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An odd, but enjoyable book., August 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Downsiders (Hardcover)

This book really makes you think. I found it to be very odd, but at the same time I enjoyed it. It made me think, what if there really are other worlds in the midst of us? I liked the creativity that the author had with creating the downside. It is a very original place. It has its own rules, clothing, way of thinking, and pretty much everything else. This book wasn't one of my favorites, but I would recommend it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars UNLIKE ANY OTHER, May 28, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Downsiders (Mass Market Paperback)

It was a stumble though the first few pages of THE DOWNSIDERS for me. I couldn't bear not knowing why everything was happening the way it was. But as the story progressed, a real treasure of a book emerged from the pages. Hopping from Talon's to Lindsay's worlds became a pleasure, and I the differences between the two lives was a wonderful backdrop.

Reading THE DOWNSIDERS, I lost track of time completely. But, after all, Talon said that "time is of low importance." That is entirely true in reading this book. You'll never want to put it down for the night when you begin to realize that any world, above or below ground, has something to share with all of us.