Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Scholastic Inc. (Chicken House)
Pages
472
Description
When Will Burrows and his friend Chester embark on a quest to find Will's archaeologist father, who has inexplicably disappeared, they are led to a labyrinthine world underneath London, full of sinister inhabitants with evil intentions toward "Topsoilers" like Will and his father.
Description
14-year-old Will Burrows has little in common with his strange, dysfunctional family. In fact, the only bond he shares with his eccentric father is a passion for archaeological excavation. So when his dad mysteriously vanishes, Will is compelled to dig up the truth behind his disappearance. He unearths the unbelievable: a subterranean society that time forgot. "The Colony" has existed unchanged for a century, but it's no benign time capsule of a bygone era. Because the Colony is ruled by a merciless overclass, the Styx. Will must free his father--is he also about to ignite a revolution?
Series
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
472 p.; 7.6 inches
ISBN
0545078814 / 9780545078818
Similar in this library
Lexile
990L
User reviews
LibraryThing member jerm
Just finished Tunnels, the new “international sensation” … “soon to be a major motion picture“… and somewhat overrated. This book keeps getting compared to HP, but it doesn’t quite live up to the hype:
Will and his dad like to dig. They excavate old train tunnels, and collect bits of
Will and his dad like to dig. They excavate old train tunnels, and collect bits of
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old junk for their private collections, but when Will’s dad turns up missing, their whole life is turned upside down, or rather underground. With the help of Chester, a friend from school, Will sets out to find his dad, and reunite his family…or is it families, anyway more digging, some running, evil creepy people, a big ugly dog, a odd cat, and weirdo lighting add to the suspense and gloom, but it still never feels like it goes anywhere. I’d give it a 5 or 6 out of 10, or three stars out of five, or something halfway on some scale…since after reading it I’m only halfway convinced that I’ll read the second one. Show Less
LibraryThing member JaBu815
This was a good book but i think it could of had more action and humor
LibraryThing member LeHack
Will and his dad go on "digs" together in London where they have found underground tunnels. Will's dad is curator of a very odd museum, the kind people visit once and never come back, as Will states in the book. When Will's dad goes missing, Will and his friend, Chester, with clues, think they can
It is being touted as the "next Harry Potter" by Scholastic, who also published Harry Potter novels. I can't see it. The Harry Potter books were very unique and appealed to youth and adult alike. I think someone has an option for a film, but it remains to be seen how the film fares.
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find him. Will's sister, Rebecca, doesn't share their interests and the boys don't tell her what they are up to. The book is filled with fantasy characters, a London setting, underground labyrinthes. It was an enjoyable read, definitely something that would interest older children and young adults. It is being touted as the "next Harry Potter" by Scholastic, who also published Harry Potter novels. I can't see it. The Harry Potter books were very unique and appealed to youth and adult alike. I think someone has an option for a film, but it remains to be seen how the film fares.
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LibraryThing member ewyatt
Will Burrows is a digger. He has gone with his dad on digs and has started one of his own. Will is thrilled when Chester shows interest in this activity too. When Will's dad disappears and they find these mysterious, shadowy people around town, Chester and Will start digging to find him. What they
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do discover is an underground world that is full of mystery, danger, and secrets. This book has twists and turns that caught me by surprise, and it was dark! It's clearly a set-up for a series as the end left me hanging a bit. The sixth grade book club enjoyed the book! Show Less
LibraryThing member Jaie22
Yay! For once a book about secret underground things that lived up to its hype. Some similarity to Holes in the writing style or the relationship between the friends or something, somehow. Watch for the sequel in 2009!
LibraryThing member takieya
I quite enjoyed Tunnels, though it was much different than I'd imagined. The world that Will finds under the streets of London was not what I expected, and I'm curious to see what will happen in the sequel when it comes out. If you like stories about hidden worlds and clashing of cultures, this
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story will be interesting to you. I highly recommend reading it. Show Less
LibraryThing member vanedow
Last Word First: A bit of a slow starter, but great once it gets going. Dig in!
Will Burrows loves to dig. He digs tunnels all over the place, sometimes with the assistance of his father, a museum curator who has dreams of making a huge discovery and making a name for himself. But when Will's father
Let me just say, Will's family will have you feeling awesome about yours. His father is obsessed with his failed career and exploits Will's digging in hopes of making a great discovery. His sister is an obsessive control freak, and his mother never surfaces from her TV viewing. Will himself is one of those characters that really annoyed me at first, but then I grew to like him and I can't remember why he bothered me.
The best part of this book is the detail of the underground world Will discovers. There is an entire civilization below ground, but life there isn't perfect. An elite group called the Styx hold the colony in an iron grip. The tunnel world is dependent on and interconnected with the world above ground, but almost no one above ground knows it's there, and the underworld dwellers despise "topsoilers." I only wish I could have heard a little more about it, as I'm assuming I will in later books.
Gordon and Williams do a great job in this story of building the suspense and then truly delivering on it. My husband also loved this book. With plenty of action, mystery and suspense, it definitely has plenty of appeal for the Y-chromosomed among us.
My only real problem with this book was that it was a bit slow near the beginning. A lot of time went into establishing Will's (rather dysfunctional) family life, and then his family didn't really have much of a role in the story. At 472 pages, the book is long enough that I think they could have trimmed the fat a little here. Readers might be discouraged by the first few chapters and end up missing out on a good story.
Will Burrows loves to dig. He digs tunnels all over the place, sometimes with the assistance of his father, a museum curator who has dreams of making a huge discovery and making a name for himself. But when Will's father
Show More
disappears and one of the tunnels is mysteriously filled in, Will's innocent hobby suddenly takes on a menacing cast. Will's quest to find his father leads him to discover a subterranean world he never could have imagined.Let me just say, Will's family will have you feeling awesome about yours. His father is obsessed with his failed career and exploits Will's digging in hopes of making a great discovery. His sister is an obsessive control freak, and his mother never surfaces from her TV viewing. Will himself is one of those characters that really annoyed me at first, but then I grew to like him and I can't remember why he bothered me.
The best part of this book is the detail of the underground world Will discovers. There is an entire civilization below ground, but life there isn't perfect. An elite group called the Styx hold the colony in an iron grip. The tunnel world is dependent on and interconnected with the world above ground, but almost no one above ground knows it's there, and the underworld dwellers despise "topsoilers." I only wish I could have heard a little more about it, as I'm assuming I will in later books.
Gordon and Williams do a great job in this story of building the suspense and then truly delivering on it. My husband also loved this book. With plenty of action, mystery and suspense, it definitely has plenty of appeal for the Y-chromosomed among us.
My only real problem with this book was that it was a bit slow near the beginning. A lot of time went into establishing Will's (rather dysfunctional) family life, and then his family didn't really have much of a role in the story. At 472 pages, the book is long enough that I think they could have trimmed the fat a little here. Readers might be discouraged by the first few chapters and end up missing out on a good story.
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LibraryThing member Neko64
best book I have read so far!!!! this book will have you in so many twist and turns that you won't know what's comming!!!! grab your spade and get ready to dig!!
LibraryThing member wislibwiz
Couldn't put it down and had to read the others in the series as well!
LibraryThing member paeonia
There are some good moments in this adventure story, but it takes a long time to get going. I understand that this book is intended to be the first in a series, but there are an awful lot of loose ends and unexplained coincidences which left me frustrated rather than looking for more.
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Characterization was also problematic and often sacrificed to plot. Why was poor Chester, a major character in the first half of the book, left in a jail cell for the second half? A note on the cover of the book says Tunnels will soon be a motion picture - I think that is what the authors had in mind from the beginning, and it shows in the writing. Show Less
LibraryThing member TechnologyAlien
This book is broken into 3 parts. Instead of reading Part 1 (about 200 pages), just read the back. You miss some foreshadowing but the basic story is there. Parts 2 and 3 are worth reading.
LibraryThing member 15dennisj
Fantasy book review “tunnels”
Story: A boy is the son of a digger and when he is around 14 he ventures into the caves with his friend they venture down into strange caves and find a elevator which they go down. They arrive in a strange underground city which holds large mean brutal people who
This book was boring for the first chapter or so but eventually it builds and gets interesting, I believe that people who don’t mind boring starts would like this book it has a nice twist with the dark light and the family bit. This book was fun for a while and was interesting until the end.
Overall this book was a nice half realistic and half fantasy book and would attract a lot of creative people.
Story: A boy is the son of a digger and when he is around 14 he ventures into the caves with his friend they venture down into strange caves and find a elevator which they go down. They arrive in a strange underground city which holds large mean brutal people who
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capture them and ask them questions with something called “Dark light” the main character finds out he was born underground and had a family down here he went out and escaped and the next book continues the story.This book was boring for the first chapter or so but eventually it builds and gets interesting, I believe that people who don’t mind boring starts would like this book it has a nice twist with the dark light and the family bit. This book was fun for a while and was interesting until the end.
Overall this book was a nice half realistic and half fantasy book and would attract a lot of creative people.
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LibraryThing member ZaBu1120
Tunnels was an exciting book the kept me wanting to read.
LibraryThing member IsaacW
Tunnels is a new book about a boy (Will Burrows) who has nothing in common with his family - except for a strange link with his father because they both have a strange obsession for archaeological digs. Will's father dissapears after some strange occurences and he must rely on his new friend
This is a dark and exciting book that was an interesting read. It is a great book if you like science-fiction and fantasy.
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Chester to help him find his father. Through out the book Will uncovers the strange truth about his family and begins to look on his life in a whole different way.This is a dark and exciting book that was an interesting read. It is a great book if you like science-fiction and fantasy.
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LibraryThing member sabrinacate
If you like mystery then YES read it! Instead if you don't, it is a descriptive fore shadowing book filled with suspense...not too bad.
LibraryThing member AhJa1297
Great book about a boy who finds out he is from an underground city. Is forced to run away when he tries to find his father who has been vanished.
LibraryThing member ctmsdeoc
“Tunnels” is a good adventure book. “Tunnels,” by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams, is about a boy, Will Burrows, and his friend, Chester, who both love excavating underground. Will‘s dad is an archeologist who also loves going underground to excavate. One day when they go excavating,
The characters in “Tunnels” were very well-developed, and there were even a few sketched pictures. The book put you right into the story with its vivid descriptions of where the characters are at every stage of their adventure.
The only parts I did not like were when the characters were in a conversation with one another because it was hard to follow who was talking. Also, the actions changed very quickly without any chapter change. Lastly, some of the fonts were a bit hard for me to read.
I would give “Tunnels” three out of five stars. Overall, it was a good book, but at times it was confusing.
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what they discover changes their whole lives. There is a lot of action, suspense, and a bit about the importance of family. The characters in “Tunnels” were very well-developed, and there were even a few sketched pictures. The book put you right into the story with its vivid descriptions of where the characters are at every stage of their adventure.
The only parts I did not like were when the characters were in a conversation with one another because it was hard to follow who was talking. Also, the actions changed very quickly without any chapter change. Lastly, some of the fonts were a bit hard for me to read.
I would give “Tunnels” three out of five stars. Overall, it was a good book, but at times it was confusing.
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LibraryThing member br13lagi
Tunnels
I read the book tunnels and it was about a boy named will and his quest to find his dad. Mr. Burrows is an archaeologist and discovers an old tunnel system under London. Mr. Burrows disappears and its up to Will and his friend Chester to find him. On his adventures Will finds his long lost
I thought the book was good and interesting because of the way the story progressed. I liked the way the characters evolved throughout the story like how Chester was not courageous and now he is. The story was adventurous and action packed. All together it was a good book.
I read the book tunnels and it was about a boy named will and his quest to find his dad. Mr. Burrows is an archaeologist and discovers an old tunnel system under London. Mr. Burrows disappears and its up to Will and his friend Chester to find him. On his adventures Will finds his long lost
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brother and his real dad.I thought the book was good and interesting because of the way the story progressed. I liked the way the characters evolved throughout the story like how Chester was not courageous and now he is. The story was adventurous and action packed. All together it was a good book.
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LibraryThing member agrudzien
Will Burrows loves to dig. When his Dad disappears, Will just knows that he has disappeared into one of the tunnels. To find his Dad, Will ventures underground farther than he has ever been before, and is surprised to find a world of people who believe he is one of them. Now, Will must decide which
It was a little stranger than I had imagined it would be -- very dark, but with a definite need for the love of "other-wordly." To love it you would need to love fantasy, sci-fi, and history...and that's just not me, but it was an interesting book and I wanted to find out what happened. I probably won't read the sequel.
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life should be his. It was a little stranger than I had imagined it would be -- very dark, but with a definite need for the love of "other-wordly." To love it you would need to love fantasy, sci-fi, and history...and that's just not me, but it was an interesting book and I wanted to find out what happened. I probably won't read the sequel.
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LibraryThing member br13amfu
Tunnels written by Roderick Gordon is great book that I think is for people who like adventure and a bit of mystery.This novel is about Will burrows and his father who are very out-of-place from their family.They both share one weird hobby,archeological digs.But when Will’s father disappears
My opinion towards tunnels is amazed and a bit impatient.I am amazed towards this book because of the way this book was written.I never really thought that I would like this type of reading because I never really read this kind of book.It amazes me how great I found this book.Now I am impatient not on the assumption I don’t like the book I am more impatient because of the books that follw I really can’t wait what Gordon has planned for the next installments of Tunnels!
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it’s up to Will and his best friend Chester to search one of his digs for clues when they come across their fate, the underground.As they travel deeper the challenges get more life-threating.Can they make it out alive?My opinion towards tunnels is amazed and a bit impatient.I am amazed towards this book because of the way this book was written.I never really thought that I would like this type of reading because I never really read this kind of book.It amazes me how great I found this book.Now I am impatient not on the assumption I don’t like the book I am more impatient because of the books that follw I really can’t wait what Gordon has planned for the next installments of Tunnels!
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LibraryThing member katie
This franchise is marketed to be the "next Harry Potter" series. I've enjoyed this first volume, and I like the concept of this underworld. The problem I have with it is the Harry Potter books work very well as individual stories, whereas this has no proper ending, it just stops.
LibraryThing member lindap69
The action is underground again! This British import follows the pattern of City of Ember and the Gregor series taking the story into a labyrinth of tunnels under the city of London as Will and Chester search for Will's archaeologist father in the century old "Colony" ruled by the Styx. Good mix of
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fantasy and adventure. Show Less
LibraryThing member sasha33
Tunnels, written by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams, is all about a teenage boy by the name of Will Burrows who went on a search for his father, Dr. Burrows, after he went missing. On his search with his loyal best friend Chester, the two boys discover a whole civilization of people- living in
This was easily the best book I have evr read. It was full of cliff hangers and surprizing turns that left me wanting desperately to read more. I look forward to reading the rest of the series, and encourage others who are interested in the book to keep reading. Five stars!
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underground tunnels (hence the book title)! Upon arriving, the young topsoilers are arrested and thrown in prison. Will escapes, but Chester is not so lucky. Will's heroic quest to save his best friend leads him to discover his birth family and other surprizing things that he would never forget.This was easily the best book I have evr read. It was full of cliff hangers and surprizing turns that left me wanting desperately to read more. I look forward to reading the rest of the series, and encourage others who are interested in the book to keep reading. Five stars!
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LibraryThing member matthewbloome
This wasn't my favorite book. I should probably stop there. But I won't. I didn't stop reading when I had the chance (and I had my fair share of chances) and I won't stop now. This book is turning into my mini-Everest.
I have one shelf here labeled abandoned books. There's only one book on it. This
I have one shelf here labeled abandoned books. There's only one book on it. This
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should have been the second. The thing is, though this might be the perfect book for the right audience, I'm not that audience nor are many of the readers I know. This book was dark. Very dark for the market it's from. Some people will like that. Not me though. I feel like this is one of those books where the protaganists being children is what decided its market, not the work itself. The torture always seemed a bit much, too graphic, too severe. The settings were always dark, dingy, and desperate. The outcomes of every scene were in some way downers. Not a lot of fun. Mostly depressing. I'm glad it's over. Show Less
LibraryThing member susan259
I wanted to like this book more than I did...It seemed way too long for what happened in it, and seemed a lot like other recent books, only those other books were better, in my opinion. However, it does have moments that really work, especially in the second half where the boys are running away and
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then running back to save their friend...I do think boys might enjoy this, if they can get through the slow start. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
South Dakota Teen Choice Book Awards (Nominee — 2011)
IBBY Honour Book (2010)
Call number
J4A.Gor