The Underworlds

If you are a fan of the "Secrets of the Droon" series, you will LOVE the newest series by Tony Abbott.  "The Underworlds" is a four book series that will leave you rushing into the library to get the next book in the series!!  Book One is entitled "The Battle Begins"




From the back cover:  "Owen Brown is you average fourth grader.  Or he was, until his best friend, Dana, disappeared.  Right in front of his face.  Through the floor of the school.  Owen's average life has turned upside down.  He's determined to find Dana--before anyone realizes she's missing.  Owen sets out on a mysterious, mythological rescue mission with his friends Jon and Sydney.  But what none of them know is that Dana's disappearance is part of a much larger riddle.  Any they're at the center of it."

From Booklist, June 1, 2012:

Grades 2-4. Thinking back, Owen Brown recalls signs that the day was not normal, long before the floor opened up, swallowing his best friend, Dana. Owen and two new friends soon find themselves on a quest to save Dana from Hades and thwart Loki’s efforts to start a war in the Underworlds. With advice from the Valkyries (disguised as lunch ladies), Owen finds the lyre of Orpheus, which quickly dispels all danger. But although Owen’s innate ability to play the lyre stretches credulity, nonstop action with a dash of humor is the focus of the book, not careful logic and nuance. The series mixes Greek, Norse, Babylonian, and Egyptian mythologies and contains plenty of illustrations and a glossary to help struggling readers (though it lacks pronunciation guides). Written as a beginning chapter book, but with fourth-grade protagonists, it will appeal to both younger and older readers. The slim volume ends with a two-page introduction to the Underworlds series’ next book, which promises equal thrills and fast pacing.

Thanks to my friend, Josh, for recommending this book for our library collection.  We think you will enjoy it as well.