We’re so happy to be a part of the TEXTING THE UNDERWORLD Blog Tour today! Check out our 5-star review below and make sure to enter the giveaway. Good luck!
About the Book
Perpetual scaredy-cat Conor O’Neill has the fright of his life when a banshee girl named Ashling shows up in his bedroom. Ashling is–as all banshees are–a harbinger of death, but she’s new at this banshee business, and first she insists on going to middle school. As Conor attempts to hide her identity from his teachers, he realizes he’s going to have to pay a visit to the underworld if he wants to keep his family safe.
“Got your cell?”
“Yeah . . . . Don’t see what good it’ll do me.”
“I’ll text you if anything happens that you should know.”
“Text me? Javier, we’ll be in the afterlife.”
“You never know. Maybe they get a signal.”
Discover why Kirkus has called Booraem’s work “utterly original American fantasy . . . frequently hysterical.” This totally fresh take on the afterlife combines the kid next door appeal of Percy Jackson with the snark of Artemis Fowl and the heart of a true middle grade classic.
About the Author
A former small-town newspaper reporter and editor, Ellen Booraem is the author of SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS (Penguin/Dial Books for Young Readers, 2011) and THE UNNAMEABLES (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Books, 2008), which comes out in paperback in March 2011. Both are fantasies for age 10 and up.
SMALL PERSONS has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews. THE UNNAMEABLES was listed on ALA Best Books for Young Adults 2010 and the Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Books of 2008.
Ellen lives in Downeast Maine with a cat, a dog, and an artist, in a house they (meaning the humans) built with their own hands.
Our Review
Reviewed by Joanne, Editor August 07, 2013
Top 500 Reviewer – View all my reviews (63)
| Overall rating |
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5.0 |
| Plot |
|
5.0 |
| Characters |
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5.0 |
| Writing Style |
|
5.0
|
Storytelling at its Best
Texting the Underworld is truly unique! It is one of those books you just don’t want to put down but have a hard time saying goodbye to the characters once the story is over. It is a whirlwind through mythical tales and a truly engaging tale of a young boy’s journey to the underworld to save his family.
Ellen Booraem is a true storyteller. She has created a story that flawlessly weaves together contemporary south Boston and Irish mythology. Texting the Underworld is fast -paced and definitely a page turner. It combines both suspense and humor in such a unique way that as a reader you forget that someone might have to die!
Even though Texting the Underworld deals with some weighty topics like Irish mythology and death, the humor in the story keeps it light- it doesn’t bring the reader down.
I highly recommend Texting the Underworld and it will definitely be finding a spotlighted section in my classroom library. Fans of the Percy Jackson Series and The Night Tourist will really enjoy this new fresh look at the Underworld.
The Blog Tour
Don’t miss tomorrow’s stop on the Blog Tour at Wordspelunking!
Giveaway Details
Two US winners will receive a copy of the book. Enter by filling out the form below. Winners will be announced on this page as well as our monthly newsletter (sign up today!) after the giveaway ends. Good luck!
A boys journey to the underworld sounds interesting.
The cover is great! The title is just my favorite 😀
Cover great love the crows, sound interesting, the underworld with cell phone signal amazing
The premise sounds promising. It’s definitely different than a lot of books out now.
The premise sounds interesting and the cover seems to fit it.
The cover is cute and the premise sounds interesting
I HAVE THE SAME PHONE! That’s what first thought lol Nice cover 😀
Love the idea of traveling to the underworld – always loved some underworld stories in Greek mythology myself. The cover is interesting – gives the message that the story is very contemporary in other ways!
The cover is really cute and the concept of the book sounds interesting and original! I can’t wait to check it out
The cover is very fitting to the title, and it’s nice. The book sounds very interesting and i’d love to read it!
It sounds so funny! I need to read it! Love the cover!