The Orchard Underground

An explosive, suspenseful and utterly brilliant middle-grade mystery for fans of Louis Sachar's Holes.

Not-quite twelve year-old Pri Kohli knows the town of Dunn's Orchard better than anyone. After all, he was the first kid ever to live there. 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).

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.

Shortlisted for the 2019 Readings Children's Book Prize
Longlisted for the 2019 ABDA Awards: Best Designed Children's Book