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  • The Attack of the Frozen Woodchucks
  • April Spisak
Elish, Dan The Attack of the Frozen Woodchucks; illus. by Greg Call. Geringer/HarperCollins, 2008247p Library ed. ISBN 978-0-06-113871-3$17.89 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-113870-6$16.99 R Gr. 4-6

This British import features a bizarre, expansive world that exists below London and a fourteen-year-old boy who must find a way into it to save his father. Will and his dad have always been insatiably curious diggers, seeking treasure below the surface, but when his dad disappears, Will begins to uncover an ominous mystery behind his absence. It seems that Will's father has found a way down into an entire parallel world, but when Will follows, he finds the citizens anything but welcoming, even to a native-born like himself (he quickly discovers that his birth mother took him above ground years before, and he was then adopted by the only family he has ever known). It soon becomes clear that Will, and his father for whom he is still searching, may never escape this grim world, and that mere survival rather than a daring escape may be the best for which he can hope. Although the primary focus of the novel is the heroic quest on which Will embarks, there is also enough thoughtful exploration of family dynamics to intrigue readers who may not normally be drawn to fantasy: Will's troubled negotiations with his topside family are poignant and memorable, and his immediate, even desperate, bonds with his below-surface relatives speak to the loneliness and isolation that drove him to such a drastic effort to save his father, the one solid link he has to the world above. Sparse black and gray drawings add atmospheric touches to the already dark narrative, offering disturbing glimpses into this dangerous world. The novel ends with a surprising twist, all but guaranteeing anticipation for the promised sequel.

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