The Lifters - by Dave Eggers (Paperback)

About the Book

Discover an underground world full of tunnels and mystery in this adventure from the bestselling, Pulitzer-nominated author of "Heroes of the Frontier" and "What Is the What?"

Book Synopsis

From the Newbery Award-winning author of The Eyes and the Impossible come the story of a mysterious underground world where nothing is as it seems.

What if the ground beneath your feet was not made of solid earth and stone but had been hollowed into hundreds of tunnels and passageways? What if there were mysterious forces in these tunnels? What would it feel like to know the fate of an entire town rested on your shoulders? Twelve-year-old Gran Flowerpetal is about to find out.

When Gran's friend, the difficult-to-impress Catalina Catalan, presses a silver handle into a hillside and opens a doorway underground, Gran knows that she is extraordinary and brave. He will have no choice but to follow her and help save the town (and the known world). With luck on their side, and some discarded hockey sticks for good measure, they might just emerge as heroes.

Review Quotes

"This book is a ripper, full of all the good stuff: adventure, mystery, and lots of great jokes."
--Mac Barnett, Caldecott Honor-winning author of Extra Yarn

"Full of surprises, magic, and heart." --Rebecca Stead, Newbery Award-winning author of When You Reach Me

"A heart-gladdening work of allegorical genius . . . brilliantly rendering the bewildering stupidity of the adult world as seen by children." --The Guardian

"Eggers performs a marvelous sleight of hand, producing a first-rate middle grade adventure that doubles as a political parable for our times." --The Buffalo News

"[A] cozy contemporary novel about lifting spirits and rebuilding community through teamwork and imagination." --Publishers Weekly

"A warm and rewarding read . . .Eggers skillfully handles the trope of the kids who save the town, with plenty of humorous adult cluelessness but an equal measure of compassion." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Original . . . and always intriguing. . . . Eggers's story moves along briskly thanks to mounting suspense and bite-size chapters." --Booklist

"A whimsical, fantastical story with elements of realism. . . . This atmospheric story's detailed plot moves quickly, and all the characters experience growth." --School Library Journal

About the Author

Dave Eggers is an award-winning author whose bestselling novels for adults include The Circle, Heroes of the Frontier, and What Is the What. His books for children include This Bridge Will Not Be Gray and Her Right Foot. His work has been nominated for the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award, among other honors. He is the founder of McSweeney's, an independent publishing company based in San Francisco, and cofounder of ScholarMatch, a college-access organization, as well as 826 National, a network of educational centers around the country, offering free tutoring and publishing opportunities to youth. He lives in Northern California with his family.