Hugo is having a hard time at school. His best friends, Alex and Julie, have moved into new friendship groups and Julie seems to be embarrassed by him, while Alex is downright mean.
Hugo’s mum and his therapist do all they can to help, but you can’t force friendship on people. Then Hugo finds a way out – literally – when his favourite librarian tells him about a legendary treasure hidden in the tunnels and catacombs beneath his home city, Paris. He’s determined to find it, and to become a hero to the mysterious cataphiles, the underground explorers.
With his photographic memory, and single-minded determination, Huge is sure he’ll succeed, but there are all sorts of threats and dangers in the tunnels – how lucky therefore, that he’s helped by, of all people, Julie and Alex.
The setting for this adventure story is unique and will intrigue all readers, while the author handles the resumption of the trio’s friendship with insight too. An adventure story packed with hidden treasure.
Boy Underground is a powerful adventure story about Hugo, an autistic boy who decides to go all the way into the Paris underground to find a place where he belongs.
For Hugo, the world can be too loud and bright. He likes the quiet. He likes the dark. And he loves maps. When Hugo learns that there's a whole other world under Paris, a network of tunnels, quarries and catacombs mapped beneath his feet, he sets off on an adventure.
Navigating secret passages, narrowly escaping robbers and returning to old friends, Hugo discovers more than just buried treasure ...
Includes illustrations of maps and diagrams throughout.
Isabelle Marinov first started writing when her parents bought her a typewriter for her ninth birthday. She went on to work in law for fifteen years before returning to her lifelong passion for writing full time. She has now written a range of picture book and screenplays, but Boy Underground is her first middle grade novel.
Isabelle is a graduate of Cornell Law School and lives in Luxembourg. When she is not writing, she can be found on the tennis court or in the dojo. She speaks four languages fluently.
