Is Underground

The children of London are disappearing—can Is solve the mystery before she vanishes too?

Is Twite, younger sister of the daring Dido, is on a desperate mission. An uncle she never knew just showed up at the cottage she shares with her sister Penny. He is being pursued by ravening wolves, and before he dies, the uncle begs her to find his missing son—Is’s cousin, Arun.
 
The quest takes Is to London—a city mysteriously devoid of children, including the king’s only son and heir. Is soon finds herself aboard the Playland Express, a secret midnight train that leaves town once a month, just before the new moon. The kids aboard believe they’re headed to a far-off kingdom filled with fun and games. In reality, Playland is a freezing underground city ruled by the greedy “Gold Kingy,” who has lured the youngsters there under false pretenses. His real objective is to put them to work in the coal mines. But the worst is yet to come: Gold Kingy is none other than Is’s other uncle Roy! Now it’s up to Is to avoid a terrible fate and use her wits, ingenuity, and powers of telepathic communication to free the children.
 
Is Underground is the 8th book in the award-winning Wolves Chronicles, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

 

Joan Aiken (1924–2004) was an English writer best known for her children’s literature. She wrote 92 novels, including 27 for adults, as well as plays, poems, and short stories. Aiken was born in East Sussex, England. Her father, Conrad Aiken, was a Pulitzer Prize–winning poet. She began writing at a young age, publishing her first short story when she was 17 years old. Before writing full-time, Aiken worked at the United Nations Information Centre as well as the magazine Argosy. It was during this time that she wrote her classic children’s novel The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1962), which won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award and was the first in a 12-book series. Her other titles for younger readers include The Last Slice of Rainbow, The Kitchen Warriors, and Mice and Mendelson. For older readers, her books include the Edgar Award–winning Night Fall, and The Scream. In 1999, Aiken was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to children’s literature. She is survived by her daughter.