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Downsiders

Downsiders
Downsiders
Illustrated by: Greg Harlin
This edition: Mass Market Paperback, 256 pages
Ages: 12 and up
Availability: Usually ships within 1 business day
List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $5.59 You Save $1.40 (20%)
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Awards and Nominations

  • ALA Best Books For Young Adults
  • ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Description

Beneath the sewer grates and manholes of the city lies a strange and secret world called the Downside. Every Downsider knows that it's forbidden to go Topside, and most fear a collision of the two worlds. But fourteen-year-old Talon is curious about what goes on above ground, and one day he ventures out in search of medicine for his ailing sister. There he meets Lindsay, who is as curious about Talon's world as he is about hers. When Lindsay visits the Downside for the first time, she marvels at the spirit of the Downsiders, and the way they create works of art from topside "trash," like old subway tokens and forgotten earrings. As awed as she is by the Downside, however, she also questions its origins, and when she finds out that this fantastic world is not all it appears to be, she is determined to tell Talon the truth. Then a construction accident threatens to crush Talon's world, and his loyalty is put to the test. Can the truth save the Downside, or will it destroy an entire civilization? Neal Shusterman takes readers on an amazing journey into a place that's only a few steps away, yet beyond their wildest dreams.

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Chapter 1

How did you come to write this book?

I wanted to write a story about a primitive civilization fighting for its own survival. The idea of putting that society in an unlikely place (under New York) really excited me, because it was a challenge to make something so absurd believable.

Learn more about Neal Shusterman