Prince of Underwhere (Underwhere Series) [Hardcover]

Bruce Hale (Author), Shane Hillman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Underwhere Series

It's tough to be ZeKe.

He's got his hands full: There is his prissy, know-it-all twin sister; his mean cousin Caitlyn, who's house-sitting for his missing parents; and a bully making life tough at school (as though it wasn't hard enough already). And now, thanks to a stinky, scruffy, good-for-nothing talking cat, he's also got to cope with zombies, midget freedom fighters, devious spies, superstar rappers, and a whole weird world beneath our own where people wear their underwear on the outside of their clothes.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–6—Zeke and Stephanie's Great-aunt Zenobia has disappeared, and the family has received a number of her belongings, including an old-fashioned toilet and a letter. As the twins are fighting over who gets to use it for a family-history project, two "agents" appear at their door, investigating unusual happenings in the neighborhood. The kids' cat takes advantage of the open door and escapes with the coveted letter in his mouth. Zeke, Stephanie, and their friend Hector chase Fitz, and all four fall down a hole into the land of Underwhere. Here, the story shifts to graphic novel format as readers meet its residents, who wear their undies on top of their clothes and believe that Zeke is a prince who has come to save them from the Underlord. The remainder of the book is a jumble of bathroom humor and rollicking adventure; the children travel back and forth between home and Underwhere several times, taking on zombies, thunder lizards, and eventually the Underlord, who is disguised as a rap star. A talking cat, a last-minute science project, and those pesky agents complicate the tale. While the mixed format is innovative, characters and objects in the illustrations are sometimes difficult to distinguish. The ending is clearly a setup for the next adventure.—Amanda Moss, Maywood Elementary School, Monona, WI
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Review

“For readers who find wedgies, mooning and the like intrinsically funny, this book is good news.” (Publishers Weekly )

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (December 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060851244
• ISBN-13: 978-0060851248
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,223,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Edgar-nominated author Bruce Hale is passionate about inspiring reluctant readers to read. He has written or illustrated more than 25 seriously funny books for children, including the popular Chet Gecko Mysteries series and the comics-novel hybrid, Underwhere, as well as picture books like "Snoring Beauty" and "Moki and the Magic Surfboard."

An actor and Fulbright Scholar in Storytelling, Bruce is in demand as a speaker, having presented at conferences, universities, and schools across North America - from the Maui Writers Conference to the Surrey International Writers Conference in British Columbia. His acting resume includes regional commercials, theater, and an independent film, The Ride. Bruce's book, "The Malted Falcon," was an Edgar Award Finalist. "Murder, My Tweet" won the Little D Award for Humor Writing.

A little-known fact: Bruce loves jazz, and sings with an a cappella group called VocalPoint in Santa Barbara

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Book Review: Prince of Underwhere, July 24, 2008

By 

T. Jonker - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prince of Underwhere (Underwhere Series) (Hardcover)

Books that are tailor made for reluctant readers can sometimes be tricky to give a thoughtful review. The reason? Well, I'm not a reluctant reader. Show me a book and you don't have to do much convincing. Books like "Captain Underpants" and the "Time Warp Trio" series, while providing an unquestionable benefit to kids who would not otherwise pick up a book, don't leave me with much to say. I support these books. I suggest them to kids who aren't that into reading. They're fun and entertaining. That's what they're for. "Prince of Underwhere" falls into this category. A half illustrated, half text-ustrated breeze of a book that is just asking, nay, begging to be picked up and read.

Zeke, our protagonist, lets it be known right from the get-go that the zaniness is comin' correct:

If we hadn't run from the spies, I might never have discovered Underwhere. (The place, not the tighty-whities. I already know about those.) Then I would never have had to walk like a zombie, lead the miget revolution, and cut a mighty cheese in a castle.

Zeke, his twin sister Stephanie, and his friend Hector are starting to think something is up. The clocks are going haywire and the meows from Hector's cat, Fitz, are starting to sound a lot more like communicating. While Zeke and Stephs parents are out of town, the three friends follow Fitz into a construction site, fall into a black hole, and end up in the land of Underwhere. Here's where the illustrations come in. Whenever the crew goes through the warp zone, the book switches into comic mode. The transition is pretty natural.

In Underwhere, it doesn't take long for the trio to meet up with The Undies and for Zeke to be declared their Prince. The problem with being the savior is that you actually are expected to do some saving. Skivvytown needs to be liberated from a host of monsters, but Zeke's got other problems to deal with in the real world. Problems like older sister Caitlyn, who's supposed to be their babysitter, and the spies that keep popping up to ask more questions about Underwhere. And I won't even begin to get into the role billionare rapper Beefy D plays in the story. Zeke, Steph, and Hector have their hands full.

I mentioned that this book was begging to be picked up. Exhibit A? It advertises its contents right on the cover. T. Rexes! Spies! Zombies! This makes sense, given that cover goes a long way in helping to determine which book kids will pick off the shelf (or if they pick one up at all). The cover even mentions the unconventional format ("Half Comic, Half Novel, Totally Hilarius"). "The Prince of Underwhere" will appeal to the youngster who needs a bit of a nudge.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My 8 year old loves this series!, January 30, 2009

By 

JillC (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prince of Underwhere (Underwhere Series) (Hardcover)

My 8 year old son read Prince of Underwhere and Pirates of Underwhere in one week. He loved them. He said they are funny and fun to read. He keeps begging me to order the next books in the series, which I will be doing as soon as I finish this review.

Bruce Hale gets kids. He gets boys 6-10 years old. And they love his books! Boy humor all the way. Thanks, Bruce Hale for making my son a reader!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Everywhere in Underwhere, January 14, 2008

By 

Deborah V. Hobler "Deb the writer" (Santa Barbara, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prince of Underwhere (Underwhere Series) (Hardcover)

I felt a BIG wedgie coming on while reading the "Prince of Underwhere". I love the fact that there IS a prince of underwhere and how Hale tells his story of how Zeke got there, and what he did while underground with his twin sister, cousin, and other underwhere creatures. This book is a fun read, and will be particularly attractive for reluctant readers from the junior high crowd, who will like the story told through the combination of chapters and comic strips.