Bibliographic Information


Buckley, M. (2015). Undertow. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

ISBN: 978-0-544-34825-7

 

Plot Summary

Undertow by Michael Buckley is an alien invasion with a twist. Three years ago a nation of ocean dwelling creatures arrived on the beaches of Coney Island, New York. They call them the Alphas and they live on the beaches under military watch. Mankind doesn’t like the Alphas and since their arrival they have been met with hostility and violence. No one knows why the Alphas arrived in the first place, but mankind doesn’t want them here. Soon the government starts up an assimilation program for children of Alphas. Their children will be allowed to attend school with the humans under close military watch. Lyric Walker a human girl is forcibly recruited to help them assimilate at school. Lyric has her own secrets, such as the fact that she is not entirely human herself. She is paired with the Alpha prince Fathom who she at first greatly dislikes. Over time she finds herself warming to the prince and the other Alphas that she once wanted nothing to do with. As Lyric gets to know the Alphas she starts to wonder why they came to land in the first place. She also starts to ask herself who the real enemy is.

 

Critical Evaluation


Undertow is the first book in an ongoing series. There are two books out with a third one scheduled for release in 2017. I am officially obsessed with this story after reading it. The book feels similar to popular teen alien invasion stories like the television shows Roswell (1999) or Star-Crossed (2014). The difference is that the aliens were already on earth and were living in the deep of the ocean. There were so many good twists in this book, such as the fact that Lyric was not completely human and the real reasons the aliens, known as Alphas, left the ocean. Lyric’s character was smart and emotionally strong. She was fun to read because she was a cool protagonist with a good head on her shoulders. Besides being a fantastic science fiction book, it was also a fun romance read. Lyric and the prince were fast friends to say the least. Buckley also does an incredible job with battle scenes in the book. He is in his element when he writes them. That is the one thing I usually find myself annoyed with in YA romantic science fiction books. However, this time I was completely sucked into the battles taking place in the story. Even though the Alphas were an unknown friend or enemy, it was interesting how unwelcomed they were by mankind. The Alphas were way more powerful than the humans and because of this mankind met them with fear and opposition. If the Alphas had wanted to wipe out mankind they could have, but for three years lived under government watch on the beachfront. The story was a captivating look at human nature and how mankind reacts to the unknown.

 

Reader’s Annotation


They apparently have always been on earth, but three years ago they immerged out of the ocean. Are they friend or are they are our enemy? 

 

Author Information

The following information was taken from the author’s biography,

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/65335.Michael_Buckley.

 

“New York Times bestselling author Michael Buckley was born in Akron, Ohio. He tried his hand as a stand-up comic and lead singer for a punk rock back before attending Ohio University. After graduating with honors he moved to New York City to be an intern on the Late Show with David Letterman which led to stints developing programming for Discovery Networks, MTV, MTV Animation and Klasky Csupo (producers of Nickelodeon’s Rugrats). Today he lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, Alison, and their son Finn.”

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The following information was taken from the author’s biography,

http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/kids-teachers/authors/michael_buckley.

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"Michael Buckley is the author of two New York Times best-selling series for children, The Sisters Grimm and NERDS. He has also written and produced the animated series Robotomy on Cartoon Network. Before writing children’s books, he worked as a stand-up comic and copywriter for television and advertising. His newest book, Undertow (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), depicts 16-year-old Lyric Walker’s life-changing encounters with a civilization of undersea warriors who suddenly reveal themselves on Coney Island."

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Genre

Fiction, Science Fiction, Romance, Action

 

Curriculum Ties


N/A

 

Booktalking Ideas


• Did you see that ending coming!?

• Would you have made the same choices Lyric did? Explain?

• What ocean dwelling alien was your favorite?

• Which ocean dwelling alien would you be and why?

• Would you have treated the aliens the same way the humans did in the book? Explain?

• Do you think the government and mankind handled the friendly alien invasion right? Explain?

 

Reading Level/ Interest Age


Grades 9-12

 

Challenge Issues


N/A

 

Challenge Issue Resources (for usage in a challenge situation)

• Active Listening

• Explanation of why it was chosen for the collection (Rational)

• Awards

• Reader Advisory Reviews (Students, Parents, Educators)

• Positive and Negative Reviews

• National Council of Teachers “Right to Read”

• ALA Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials

• ALA Bill of Rights on Intellectual Freedom

• Library Selection Policy & Library District Reconsideration Form

 

Why I choose it

I choose to read this book because it came out recently and has pretty favorable reviews on goodreads.com. It was also on a ton of best reads for teens on goodreads.com.