Weekly Round-up: Tunnels and Deeper
Posted by panaura on January 4th, 2010
This week I had the pleasure of reading two books in the same series: Tunnels and Deeper by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams.
They have the kind of covers that make you judge a book: they’re bold and striking, they’re thick and juicy. Well then, they must be good! But more and more lately, I’ve learned that you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Not that Tunnels and Deeper were bad books, but Tunnels in particularly felt a little too long. (Even though Deeper was about the size of Tunnels and a half). It just dragged a some areas and could have been shorter.
The books follow Will, a budding archeologist, who follows an underground tunnel looking for his missing father. He and his friend Chester happen upon a dangerous underground world ruled by the Styx who immediately capture them. Will is released soon after, and discovers a shocking secret about his family. Chester, however, is held captive with the threat of being sent deeper into the earth, where the chance of survival is slim to none.
I definitely recommend these books to kids, especially boys, who aren’t afraid of a long read. The stories have wonderful characters, so as long as you can skim through the unnecessary description, you’ll definitely enjoy them.