Children's Fiction Fantasy & Magic
The Undergardeners
- Publisher
- Orca Book Publishers
- Initial publish date
- Mar 2006
- Category
- Fantasy & Magic, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, General
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781551434100
- Publish Date
- Mar 2006
- List Price
- $7.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781459806122
- Publish Date
- Sep 2013
- List Price
- $5.99
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 9 to 12
- Grade: 4 to 7
- Reading age: 9 to 12
Description
Mouse is small for his age and tired of being teased about it. Then one night he discovers, much to his surprise and delight, that he fits perfectly (well, almost perfectly) into the Undergarden, a subterranean world beneath his backyard. Mouse befriends the Undergardeners—and helps them keep their existence safe from the dangerous world uptop. All that, and he never has to change out of his pajamas!
About the author
Desmond Anthony Ellis was born in Ireland, but has lived in Toronto since 1972. In addition to writing, he has worked as an actor in Dublin, London and Paris. He lives with his wife in Toronto’s west end with an ever changing number of stray animals that wander in from the park behind their house.
Excerpt: The Undergardeners (by (author) Desmond Anthony Ellis)
And now he found himself in the middle of a strange group made up of several tiny people and numerous small animals. There was a mole with a pair of glasses perched on the end of its snout. A groundhog was holding a lantern between its jaws. Two mice held a miniature picnic basket between them. All of them stared at him with such an unafraid and curious intensity that Mouse felt a little uneasy.
Editorial Reviews
"A little mystery and a little humor...This is a story that can and will be enjoyed by many children. Recommended"
CM Magazine
"It made me wish there were more stories about the Undergardeners. Reading this story made me feel glad that we don't use weedkiller that might hurt the gnomes and animals living under the ground." - Isaac Workman, 8, Calgary
United Church Observer
"Fast-paced and contains many tense moments."
Canadian Teacher Magazine