A swift-paced survival tale thats a cool blend of Lord of the Flies and Journey to the Center of the Earth. School Library Journal A sharp meditation on the seemingly universal difficulties of being young, smart, and uncertain. BCCB A multifaceted journey from darkness to light. Kirkus Reviews Winner of the Red Maple Fiction Award A class field trips turns into an underground quest for survival in the latest middle grade novel from the author of Edgar Award winner OCDaniel.Mr. Bakers eighth grade class thought they were in for a normal field trip to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. But when an earthquake hits, their field trip takes a terrifying turn. The students are plunged into an underground lakeand their teacher goes missing. They have no choice but to try and make their way back above ground, even though no one can agree on the best course of action. The darkness brings out everyones true self. Supplies dwindle and tensions mount. Pretty and popular Silvia does everything she can to hide her panic attacks, even as she tries to step up and be a leader. But the longer shes underground, the more frequent and debilitating they become. Meanwhile, Eric has always been a social no one, preferring to sit at the back of the class and spend evenings alone. Now, he finds himself separated from his class, totally by himself underground. That is, until he meets an unexpected stranger. Told from three different points of view, this fast-paced adventure novel explores how group dynamics change under dire circumstances. Do the students of Mr. Bakers class really know each other at all? Or do they just think they do? It turns out, its hard to hide in the dark.

 

 

This book is aimed at children at US 3rd grade-7th grade.

This book has been graded for interest at 8-12 years.

There are 288 pages in this book. This book was published in 2019 by Simon & Schuster .

Wesley King is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wizenard Series: Training Camp with Kobe Bryant. He also wrote OCDaniel, which won the prestigious Edgar Award for best middle grade mystery, was named a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, and received Canada's Silver Birch Award. Booklist called it "Complex and satisfying. sometimes painful, sometimes amusing, and always rewarding," in a starred review. He lives in Nova Scotia.