Olivia Kidney Secret Beneath City [Kindle Edition]

Ellen Potter (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—In Olivia Kidney's third adventure, she is reluctantly starting seventh grade at the Malcolm Flavius School for the Arts, where all the children are talented. Olivia suspects that she is not, but luckily there is plenty going on outside of school to distract her—a trip into New York City's ancient and haunted subway system; the impetuous, old Princepessa Christina Lilli, whose impending marriage to ex-cave-dweller Arthur Vondychomps is throwing everyone into turmoil; eccentric Ansel Plover, who runs the Exit Academy for newly departed souls in which Olivia and her father live; and so on. The characters are zany and over-the-top, but Olivia has enough realistic concerns—her inadequate, mostly absent mom and a confusing relationship with a boy named Ruben—to give a solid base to all the wacky events. With so much happening, there are a few loose ends and intriguing but abandoned characters, but Olivia's fans will dive right into the story and won't emerge until the last page.—Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The third book in the series finds 12-year-old Olivia Kidney in several strange places. One is her new arts school. Her father has insisted she enroll, but Olivia seriously doubts her artistic talent. She and Mr. Kidney, a chef, are also still living in an Upper West Side brownstone that features a flooded first floor, suitable for boating, and doubles as an exit point for ghosts that Olivia, who straddles both worlds, can see and talk to. The ghosts include her older brother, who is delighted when their mother comes back to New York from California. Olivia, not so much. Then there's the not-so-small matter of her tiny friend, Frannie, who is willing to go to any lengths to grow. As in the previous book, this tilts from the surreal to the silly, but it's all done with panache. Fans will be pleased that there seems to be no end in sight to Olivia's bizarre adventures. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 443 KB
• Publisher: Puffin; Reprint edition (January 8, 2009)
• Sold by: Penguin Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001QNVPEA
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Like my character, Olivia Kidney, I grew up in a high-rise apartment building in New York City's Upper West Side. I think I always wanted to be a writer, even as a young kid. After graduating from college, I began writing short stories and a novel (for grownups), while working many odd (sometimes very odd) jobs. I worked as a dog groomer, a construction worker, and a waitress. Having lots of different jobs is a terrific advantage for a writer. Because of them, I know all kinds of weird things, like how to remove bubble gum from dog fur (peanut butter). In fact, it was while I was addressing envelopes during a boring stint as a receptionist that a name caught my eye: Olivia Kidney. What a great name, I thought! I jotted it down in my journal. Years later, while thumbing through my old journals, I spotted the name and decided it was perfect for the twelve-year-old heroine of my first children's book.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book, July 4, 2009

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Olivia Kidney Secret Beneath City (Paperback)

This amazing third book to the Olivia Kidney series had as much adventure and action as the first two books. This book brings back much loved characters such as Ruben, Christina Lily, and Ansel. It also introduced new characters such as The Turtle, his son, and some very interesting cave people. In conclusion, this great book for kids seven and up, is one book you won't want to miss!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book, July 4, 2009

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Olivia Kidney Secret Beneath City (Paperback)

This amazing third book to the Olivia Kidney series had as much adventure and action as the first two books. This book brings back much loved characters such as Ruben, Christina Lily, and Ansel. It also introduced new characters such as The Turtle, his son, and some very interesting cave people. In conclusion, this great book for kids seven and up, is one book you won't want to miss!