Underrunners [Paperback]

Margaret Mahy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1994

When he wants to forget about his life, Tris visits the underrunners, the vast network of underground tunnels near his home. It's a fantasy world he tells no one about--until he meets Winola, whose escape from the Children's Home makes her Tris's perfect partner. Then they discover someone is watching them--suddenly their imaginary adventure turns horrifyingly real. An ALA Notable Children's Book and Booklist Editor's Choice.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8-- A rich, multilayered story set on the windblown New Zealand coast with an ending to rival the best of the suspense thriller genre. It begins slowly with Tris, a lonely boy with an active fantasy life; picks up speed when he meets and shelters Winola, a runaway from the local children's home; and careens to an exciting finish when the children are kidnapped at gunpoint by the girl's psychotic father, Orson. During their ensuing captivity and rescue, they piece together the puzzle of their intertwined lives. All of the characters in this intricately woven plot are well drawn. Winola is a survivor who has emerged from an abusive family as a strong, tough-minded individual with a generous streak of compassion. Tris grows up to the point that he can let go of his fantasies to enjoy the very real pleasures of his everyday life. Orson is a menacing figure who can yet elicit sympathy from the children. Mahy respects her readers' intelligence and demands their full attention. Her story is filled with foreshadowing, symbolism, and beautifully crafted imagery. This is one of those rare novels for young people that tells a great story yet also asks them to stretch their minds a bit, reach beneath the surface, and think. --Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

``Underrunners'' are narrow ditches, dangerous but intriguing, eroded in the inhospitable ground around 11-year-old Tristram's New Zealand home; here, he keeps a cache of provisions in case of an emergency and later hides his friend Winola (who's tunneled her way out of the nearby Children's Home) when she says she's in danger. Tris lives danger: a solitary boy with few friends, he has a rich fantasy life in which ``Selsey Firebone'' is a hero; Winola first makes friends with Tris by responding to Selsey's deep voice. In real life, Tris longs for the mother he barely remembers (she left years ago) and wonders whether Randall, his dad, will remarry. Randall used to counsel people; mistaking concern for professional skill, Tris doesn't like to confide in him. Some of the metaphorical underrunners are more perilous: the mysterious stranger lurking around the neighborhood in a handsome car proves to be Winola's vicious, abusive father and, in the book's gripping last half, he kidnaps the two children (coldly shooting Randall in the process) and imprisons them in a bleak house that Tris is astonished to recognize from his own imperfectly remembered past. Resourceful and courageous, the kids try again and again to escape, with Randall arriving to put a heroic finish to their rescue by walking into the house unarmed. Vintage Mahy: allusive, multilayered, intelligent, its compelling plot arising from splendidly idiosyncratic characters. A fine prelude to Memory (1988), with a similar theme of self- realization despite--and enriched by--the past's continuing power. (Fiction. 10-14) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (August 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140368698
• ISBN-13: 978-0140368697
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #818,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Margaret Mahy lives in New Zealand and is internationally acknowledged as one of the most outstanding children's writers today. She is the author of more than two hundred books for children of all ages, two of which have received England's Carnegie Medal and others of which have garnered numerous citations from the American Library Association. She is also the recipient of An Order of New Zealand, the highest honor a citizen can receive. In 2006 she received the Hans Christian Andersen award for her contributions to international children's literature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual and Suspenseful, August 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Underrunners (Hardcover)

A strikingly original book with some very unexpected, but cunningly planted plot twists and revelations. Not a word is wasted, as a number of moments that seem to be just character development turn out to be significant to the plot as well, from Selsey Firebone's name to Randall's job to Winola's allergies. The underrunners function both as an unusual setting and as a metaphor for the unseen depths and unpredictable turns in life and in people's characters. The characters are all three-dimensional, with the sort of believable quirks that people have in real life, and mostly quite likable. The plot is an almost Hitchcockian study in growing tension.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Underrrunners an O.K. book, June 8, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Underrunners (Paperback)

Underrunners was an odd book! If you like a book with adventure, sadness, hope, and suspense than this would be a good book for you. But if you don't than you should stop reading! Tris is the main character in Underunners. He live with only his dad because his mom left them to go Australia. Tris has made one friend and helped to get out of the childrens' home near where he lives. Winola is the name of his friend and they go on many adventures together. The thing I didn't like about the book was, that it was very slow moving and wasn't fun to read at all! Underrunners is one of the books you want to put down, just stop reading. Now you know about Underrunners so make your choice today.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Book Review for Underruners, June 5, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Underrunners (Paperback)

What happens when you are Tristum Catt and you are on your way from school and you meet a girl and her father later kidnaps you after your mother as run away from home? The first part of this book seemed unappealing and boring, since there was not enough action. But once I started getting into the adventure, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I loved the way the author used good description, but not so much that the book was flooding with description. I also liked how the author would always keep you guessing about the future through out the story. What I didn't like about the book was that their were some kind of impolite parts in the beginning of the and their was violence in one of the chapters in the middle. Over all I think that was a wonderful book. I would recommend this story to anyone who likes a non-confusing book with not many setting or characters, but many exciting parts.