


Larkin has perfectly captured the novelty, mystery, growing pains, silliness and emotional rollercoaster of the tween years, and wrapped it up into one wondrously odd and unpredictable adventure.Rupert Brooke's poem "Doubt" makes a fitting epigraph for this story of two girls working through grief and loneliness on their way to hope and new beginnings. I cheered Pri, Attica and Slotcar on at every turn and grew to love every big weirdo in this strange town. Recbecca Stead, author of When You Reach Me and Liar & Spy - Rebecca Stead 'Is there anything better than reading about a group of buddies taking on the world for the first time? The Orchard Underground made me laugh, clutch my chest, get misty-eyed and wish for that wonderful, confusing time when I was on the threshold of big changes and huge possibilities. This book will make you think, make you laugh, and keep you guessing. Penni Russon, author of The Endsister and Only Ever Always - Penni Russon Smart, mysterious and funny. She's a Dangerous Idea, a Law Unto Herself, and probably a Very Bad Influence. It was fresh and funny, bursting with interesting characters, but Attica Stone stole the show. I really enjoyed reading The Orchard Underground. You can read it here: A Shopful of Bigfoots

He's also written an EXCLUSIVE short story just for us! Mat has written a special list of recommendations espeically for us as part of his Virtual Writer in Residence program in partnership with The Little Bookroom and the Melbourne UNESCO City of Literature Office.Ĭheck it out: Stories for Beautiful, Wonderful Weirdos

So why can't he answer newcomer Attica Stone's simple question: if the town's called Dunn's Orchard, where's the orchard? As Pri and Attica go in search of forbidden fruit, they uncover stranger mysteries: a robot caterpillar, a mayor with a murky past, a Possibly Real Actual Boogeyman and a house made of doors in a haunted wood. But what will Pri and Attica do when they discover the biggest secret of all - that something truly magical is about to be destroyed, and the only way to save it could be by destroying the town itself? Mat Larkin's stunning debut is a big-hearted, wildly surprising and deliciously well-plotted mystery for readers aged 8+ about the joy of discovery, and digging just that little bit deeper to uncover the truth. He knows its mysteries (none), its secrets (also none) and the best ways to have fun in it (climb a big tree and sit there). After all, he was the first kid ever to live there. Not-quite twelve year-old Pri Kohli knows the town of Dunn's Orchard better than anyone. Middle Fiction (8-12) | Alison's Favourites | Advanced Younger Readers and Sensitive Souls | AdventureĪn explosive, suspenseful and utterly brilliant middle-grade mystery for fans of Louis Sachar's Holes.
