The Secret Underground [Kindle Edition]

Natalie Bahm (Author)

Book Description

Twelve-year-old Ally is the only witness to a bank robbery in her small town. Unable to block out the memory of the robbers, a notorious gang known as the Gauze Men, Ally joins her little brother and a bunch of neighborhood boys digging a hole in her backyard.

Only the hole isn't just a hole - it's a massive set of tunnels snaking beneath the neighborhood and heading for an abandoned steel mill. Ally is old enough to know the danger, but she reasons spending time with sixth-grade heartthrob Paul is more fun than sitting at home with her worries. And dangerous it is - none of the kids' parents realize the tunnels exist, but the Gauze Men might.

"What kid doesn't imagine digging a hole and discovering something amazing? Natalie Bahm opens a world of adventure and intrigue for readers of The Secret Underground."
-Caroline Starr Rose, author of MAY B

"With suspense, mystery, and lots and lots of dirt, Natalie Bahm crafts the perfect backyard adventure. I only wish the neighborhood I grew up in had been this cool."
- Jennifer Shaw Wolf, author of BREAKING BEAUTIFUL

"The Secret Underground made me want dirty fingernails. I don't care how old you are, this humorous and exciting tale of secrets and adventure is a must read."
- Karen Hooper, author of TANGLED TIDES and GRASPING AT ETERNITY

"Any boy or girl will love this "get down and dirty" adventure full of suspense, secrets, and thrills. A great debut!"
- SR Johannes, author of ON THE BRIGHT SIDE and UNTRACEABLE

"Digging in the dirt hasn't been this much fun since HOLES!"
- Janice Hardy, author of THE SHIFTER

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Natalie Bahm has four very little children and one normal-sized husband. When she's not changing diapers, scrubbing toilets, picking up toys, making food, or cleaning dog vomit off the carpet, you might find her writing stories.

Product Details

• File Size: 393 KB
• Print Length: 176 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 162051057X
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: NLA Digital Liaison Platform LLC (September 28, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0090OOSKU
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,460 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #74 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > People & Places > Social Situations > Bullies
  • #85 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > People & Places > Family Life > Parents

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid and Well Balanced October 1, 2012

By Pop Bop TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition

The blurbs for this book suggest that it's the tunnels and the digging and the dirt of the adventure that gives the story its appeal. I don't think that's necessarily so, but I do think that there are many other aspects of the book that make it very attractive to a middle grade reader.

VERY MILD SPOILERS. The idea here is that all of the neighborhood boys are building tunnels from their backyards to a single tunnel that is planned to then run under the electric fence of, and in to, an abandoned factory site. That's a pretty novel idea, and it lends itself to some exciting developments - cave-ins, flooding, darkness and other cool Hardy Boys type stuff. Further, there are sneaky bank robbers lurking about, and you just know they'll play some role in the final excitement. But, having said that, even a middle grade reader, with a little thought, could probably predict with a fair degree of accuracy where the story is going to go.

So what makes this special? Well, we have a much stronger cast of characters than is usually encountered in this type of book. The story is told from the point of view of our heroine, Ally, older sister of one of the boys. She is smart, common-sensical, and normal. Not a genius, not unnaturally mature, not gorgeous or wildly athletically gifted. Rather, she is probably one of the most "normal" kids I've encountered in some time. She's pretty enough; she's smart enough; she worries about school and boys and making and keeping friends. But she is solid and grounded and fair and patient and can be scared by some plot developments - and all of this makes her very appealing....

And here's the kicker - she's reasonably nice to her brother; she's loyal to her best friend; she respects her parents; she has a bit of a wild side; she is interested in boys but not boy crazy; she is brave in a pinch; she likes girly stuff but also yearns to grab a shovel. And, there is a mean girl in the story, but she's not crazy, weird mean. There is a little romance, but it's romance for 12 year olds. Ally is a perceptive and an articulate narrator, but appropriately so for an observant 12 year old.

Putting aside the slightly over-the-top plot, (and that's O.K. because something has to move the plot along and Nancy Drew found more secret passages in one book than anyone else would find in a lifetime), this book feels solid, authentic, and well observed. And it has some thrills and some chases. I would think this would be a very satisfying read for a middle grader.

Please note that I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a frank review. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a fun read! October 12, 2012

By Michael Kalmbach

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Intense, suspenseful novel for middle grade readers--and adults will enjoy it too! I had so much fun with this book, and didn't want to put it down, even for dinner.

What did I like? The mystery and suspense introduced by the tunnels, and the wonderful characterization of the main character, Ally, and her female friends. The Gauze Men made wonderful villains, and I loved the conflict surrounding the bank robberies, keeping secrets from parents, and early relationships.

My only issue is that many of the boy characters were difficult to remember--many of them, with the exception of Paul, Eric, and Jake, were pretty interchangeable. I would have liked to see more identifiable characteristics early on. That said, by the second two-thirds of the book, I completely hooked.

Can't wait to read another book by Ms. Bahm. Well done!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars the secret underground October 5, 2012

By mimilove

Format:Paperback

I really enjoyed this book!! I liked the girl's voice and that she wasn't the stereotypical ditzy preteen. I thought that the plot was fun and imaginative and, having at least thought about digging tunnels as a child, would appeal to both boys and girls sense of adventure.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down! October 4, 2012

By instructionalizer

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book because I was touched by Natalie's generosity. Giving all the proceeds to a family she doesn't even know. All three of my children spent time in th NICU and I know how hard that can be. Even if the book would have been a flop I would have been okay with it. But, honestly, I really enjoyed this book. The climax was so intense, Ally was a great character, and it made me think of some of the silly things I did when I was a kid. It did feel a little predictable at times, but it was such a fun read that it didn't really bother me. I am glad it was set up nicely at the end for a sequel. Can't wait to read more of Natalie's books.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for kids and the young adventurer at heart September 28, 2012

By quimpact

Format:Kindle Edition

I've read the book a couple of times now and have really enjoyed it. It's about a group of kids that dig holes under their fences and fields and the neighborhood. What kid didn't dig some kind of hole as a child? Great characters and good story line, made me laugh out loud in a couple of places. Great read

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it! January 9, 2013

By KRISTI K WARD

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Loved everything about this book! One of the best middle-grade books I've ever read.

Not only does the author have a huge heart (all proceeds go to help Baby Jayden), but this story captivates!

The pacing and plot were excellent and the characters interactions and personalities brought me back to a time long forgotten. Very fun read. :)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Book Review: The Secret Underground By Natalie Bahm: Simple WOW Read January 6, 2013

By jaideep khanduja

Format:Paperback

[...]

The Secret Underground is a neatly woven story line by Natalie Bahm who has an active blog site where she keeps pouring her beautiful thoughts from time to time for over 400 fans who follow her there, and also has her own website. I was lucky to win The Secret Underground autographed by Natalie Bahm through giveaways on Goodreads. The book is available on almost every global bookstore on internet - Landmark, Flipkart, Amazon, and many more.

Ally is the central character of this book with a number of strong supporting characters. Excellent characterization is one of the expertise of Natalie, sequencing story line beautifully is another. Ally is sixth grader, 12, sporty, social, intelligent and good by heart. Though the novel starts with a light read but becomes quite intense as you start nearing the end. Ally's younger brother is fond of digging in their backyard and nobody took it as a noticeable point when this digging kept on going for over a month, except Ally, who became curious to understand few points at this moment of time. One, what was driving Eric, her younger brother, for keep on digging for such a long period. Second, Where was the mud going if the digging was still on, as no addition to already existing dump was noticed by her.

Ally had been a solo witness of a bank robbery, during which she has a smash with one of the robbers, a blue eyed man. This notorious gang, identified by police as Guaze Men, were not into big thefts but focused on robbing small sized banks looting away small amounts at a time. Ally, after this encounter with one of the Gauze Men, became to frightened that her mother had to put her in piano classes forcefully, just to divert her mind away from these frightening memories.... Each of the character in The Secret Underground has been created so excellently by Natalie Bahm.

Paul, one of the schoolmates of Ally, suffering from mild asthma, but otherwise a smart and sweet boy, is star of the eye of almost all the girls of their school. Paul is a childhood friend of Ally and for a long time she never understood that he is her heartthrob. Gradually Ally got to know that it is not only her brother Eric, but all the boys of her locality and school who were engaged in this digging operation. An it was not a single underground tunnel but multiples being done from various parts. Where were all those tunnels leading to? Well, that operation was being overall handled by Paul and All became the solo girl being part of this later.

Regular robberies happening in nearby small banks by Gauze Men kept on frightening Ally time and again. The underground tunnels leading to a closed factory was just a curiosity point on part of all the boys in locality as they had an excitement of getting into the closed factory through underground tunnels and hence avoiding the barbed electrical fence to witness the huge machinery used in the factory when it was operational. That was really an excitement point for the teen boys and girls. The suspense about tunnels, hiding it from their parents, and ultimately finding out a big connect with the Gauze Men is all that is part of this suspenseful novel. Read more ›

More About the Author

Natalie has four very little children and one normal-sized husband. When she's not changing diapers, scrubbing toilets, picking up toys, making food, or cleaning dog vomit off the carpet, you might find her writing stories.