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Below
Caught in a tunnel collapse, Liam and Imogen have to use all their wits to survive in this gripping novel for readers eight years and up.
Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction 2023
When you stood deep inside the tunnel, you could hear the mountain groaning overhead. That's what Liam Geary's father had told him, anyway. It sounded stupid, till you stood inside a big tunnel; felt those billions of tonnes pressing in from above and the sides; heard water dripping from ceilings, or even trickling like something's blood behind the concrete walls; sensed the blackness that lay beyond the TBM's blazing lights as it ground its slow way through the stone ahead. Then you knew that a major tunnel like the Puketapu was a place of power, somehow; that darkness and danger lurked all around.
When Liam dares his classmate Imogen to come on a forbidden tour of the railway tunnel being drilled through a nearby mountain, he hopes she’ll quit protesting about it damaging the environment — his dad is an engineer working on the tunnel, after all.
Just as they reach the huge tunnelling machine everything goes horribly wrong. When the rocks stop falling and the dust settles, they are trapped, kilometres below ground, in the dark. Water is trickling in and beginning to rise. And nobody knows where they are.
Can they stop arguing and start working together to escape before time runs out?
Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction 2023
When you stood deep inside the tunnel, you could hear the mountain groaning overhead. That's what Liam Geary's father had told him, anyway. It sounded stupid, till you stood inside a big tunnel; felt those billions of tonnes pressing in from above and the sides; heard water dripping from ceilings, or even trickling like something's blood behind the concrete walls; sensed the blackness that lay beyond the TBM's blazing lights as it ground its slow way through the stone ahead. Then you knew that a major tunnel like the Puketapu was a place of power, somehow; that darkness and danger lurked all around.
When Liam dares his classmate Imogen to come on a forbidden tour of the railway tunnel being drilled through a nearby mountain, he hopes she’ll quit protesting about it damaging the environment — his dad is an engineer working on the tunnel, after all.
Just as they reach the huge tunnelling machine everything goes horribly wrong. When the rocks stop falling and the dust settles, they are trapped, kilometres below ground, in the dark. Water is trickling in and beginning to rise. And nobody knows where they are.
Can they stop arguing and start working together to escape before time runs out?
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 28, 2023
5 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
David Hill
991 books20 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 23, 2023
I love David Hill’s books. I’m biased because I like David Hill. But I like him because he writes books that are perfect for his audience. He doesn’t over complicate things, there are always plenty of issues to consider and he does exactly what needs to be done to drive a story forward. This is perfect for reluctant as well as keen readers. With realistic characters who have realistic conversations and an excellent build to the climax I’m a big fan of this book.
More please David 😊
More please David 😊
April 16, 2023
Brilliant, gripping stuff, I was honestly on the edge of my seat reading this with my heart pounding. You think the worst is over and then your own imagination and knowledge of the world and how bad things happen kicks in and you just desperately want to know what happens. There are also an awful lot of discussion and research opportunities along the way for a teacher choosing this as a read aloud. Probably year 7/8, or 5/6 classes towards the end of the year. I’ll be selling this to both age groups. The two main characters aren’t over the top girly or anti-girl boy, they are the kind of intermediate age knowledgeable kids you meet every day at school. Highly recommended.
July 11, 2023
I didn't know how this book was going to sustain me for 200 odd pages with the event happening right at the start. But somehow, David Hill managed to pace this book well and sustain the suspense right through to be saved.
I did find Liam incredible patient with Imogen, especially under such a stressful situation.
I did find Liam incredible patient with Imogen, especially under such a stressful situation.
April 2, 2023
David Hill is an incredibly versatile writer. Over the years he has written historical fiction, sci-fi, adventure stories and one of the best New Zealand novels for children, See Ya Simon. David Hill’s latest book, Below, is an edge-of-your-seat survival story that is going to be a winner with kids.
Liam and Imogen really don’t get on. Liam’s dad is a tunneler, helping to build a new road tunnel through the mountain, and Liam loves the chance to visit his dad at work. He gets to know the others working on the tunnel and see the tunnel boring machines or TBMs up close. Imogen and her family are strongly against the tunnel, believing that it will harm the environment and disturb the wildlife. Liam is determined to show Imogen that she is wrong and that the tunnel will be a good thing. Stealing his dad’s keys, Liam arranges to meet Imogen at the entrance to the tunnel one night and give her a tour. However, while they are exploring the tunnel and checking out the TBM, part of the tunnel collapses, trapping them inside. Not wanting his dad to truly know where he was, both Liam and Imogen lied about where they were going that night, and so nobody knows that they are trapped in the tunnel. As hours and then days pass, more parts of the tunnel collapse and their hope of being rescued dwindles. Liam and Imogen will have to try and keep themselves alive, with the few supplies they do have and hope that Liam’s dad figures out where they are.
Below is a real nail-biting, hold-your-breath kind of read. You are hanging on every one of David Hill’s sentences, hoping that Liam and Imogen will make it out alive. You can’t help but put yourself in the characters’ shoes and think about how you would cope in their situation (not well at all, in my case). The first part of the book is pretty tense, with the middle part slowing the pace down, but also making you feel the sense of timelessness that the characters are feeling. There is not a lot going on in this middle section of the story, but this fits with the fact that Liam and Imogen are mostly just sleeping and eating what little food they have and they have no real sense of time passing. The last quarter of the book ramps up the suspense, and just when everything seems like it’s looking up, David Hill throws another twist in. I didn’t stop reading until I knew how it ended.
Penguin Random House NZ have done an amazing job of the cover of Below! The cover screams ‘READ ME!’ and perfectly captures the tension of the story. One of the best NZ covers for children’s fiction that I’ve seen for ages.
I will be recommending Below to all of my Year 5-8 kids and it’s going to be such an easy book to sell to them. It would be an amazing read aloud too, especially for Year 7/8s. I know they would be begging for just one more chapter.
Liam and Imogen really don’t get on. Liam’s dad is a tunneler, helping to build a new road tunnel through the mountain, and Liam loves the chance to visit his dad at work. He gets to know the others working on the tunnel and see the tunnel boring machines or TBMs up close. Imogen and her family are strongly against the tunnel, believing that it will harm the environment and disturb the wildlife. Liam is determined to show Imogen that she is wrong and that the tunnel will be a good thing. Stealing his dad’s keys, Liam arranges to meet Imogen at the entrance to the tunnel one night and give her a tour. However, while they are exploring the tunnel and checking out the TBM, part of the tunnel collapses, trapping them inside. Not wanting his dad to truly know where he was, both Liam and Imogen lied about where they were going that night, and so nobody knows that they are trapped in the tunnel. As hours and then days pass, more parts of the tunnel collapse and their hope of being rescued dwindles. Liam and Imogen will have to try and keep themselves alive, with the few supplies they do have and hope that Liam’s dad figures out where they are.
Below is a real nail-biting, hold-your-breath kind of read. You are hanging on every one of David Hill’s sentences, hoping that Liam and Imogen will make it out alive. You can’t help but put yourself in the characters’ shoes and think about how you would cope in their situation (not well at all, in my case). The first part of the book is pretty tense, with the middle part slowing the pace down, but also making you feel the sense of timelessness that the characters are feeling. There is not a lot going on in this middle section of the story, but this fits with the fact that Liam and Imogen are mostly just sleeping and eating what little food they have and they have no real sense of time passing. The last quarter of the book ramps up the suspense, and just when everything seems like it’s looking up, David Hill throws another twist in. I didn’t stop reading until I knew how it ended.
Penguin Random House NZ have done an amazing job of the cover of Below! The cover screams ‘READ ME!’ and perfectly captures the tension of the story. One of the best NZ covers for children’s fiction that I’ve seen for ages.
I will be recommending Below to all of my Year 5-8 kids and it’s going to be such an easy book to sell to them. It would be an amazing read aloud too, especially for Year 7/8s. I know they would be begging for just one more chapter.
April 28, 2024
I really enjoyed this book by David Hill. To say it was suspenseful would be an understatement, I have also never read a book set in New Zealand so it was an interesting look into a new culture.
Liam's dad is working on the new tunnel that will help build a road through the mountain. Liam loves his dad and sees him as his hero, so when a classmate is against the building of the tunnel for environmental reasons he makes it his mission to show her the tunnel and prove to her it is a good thing. Liam steals his dads keys and takes Imogen to the tunnel at night, which is when the trouble begins. Part of the tunnel collapses and the two kids, who are not exactly friends, are trapped. What follows is an amazing story of two people who must work together and remain calm, while putting aside their differences, to survive. I was truly on the edge of my seat, making it a very quick read.
This would be a wonderful book for middle school students in grades 6-8. Not only would it keep middle schoolers engaged throughout the story, it has themes of resilience, cooperation, and ecological responsibility. The cover itself is just begging children to read it, and I think it would be an easy sell.
I found this book on the Database for Award Winning Childrens Literature. It won New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults , the Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction in 2023. I purchased it on Kindle and read it in a digital format.
Liam's dad is working on the new tunnel that will help build a road through the mountain. Liam loves his dad and sees him as his hero, so when a classmate is against the building of the tunnel for environmental reasons he makes it his mission to show her the tunnel and prove to her it is a good thing. Liam steals his dads keys and takes Imogen to the tunnel at night, which is when the trouble begins. Part of the tunnel collapses and the two kids, who are not exactly friends, are trapped. What follows is an amazing story of two people who must work together and remain calm, while putting aside their differences, to survive. I was truly on the edge of my seat, making it a very quick read.
This would be a wonderful book for middle school students in grades 6-8. Not only would it keep middle schoolers engaged throughout the story, it has themes of resilience, cooperation, and ecological responsibility. The cover itself is just begging children to read it, and I think it would be an easy sell.
I found this book on the Database for Award Winning Childrens Literature. It won New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults , the Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction in 2023. I purchased it on Kindle and read it in a digital format.
April 10, 2023
Liam is proud of the amazing work his engineer dad does. His latest project is a new railway tunnel being dug through a local mountain. The equipment and processBelow Book Review Cover is all fascinating to Liam, and many on the site like sharing their work with their bosses’ son.
The TBM or Tunnel Boring Machine is his favourite, working round the clock, controlled by a team of experts, boring a circular hole through rock millions of years old. His dad is well aware of the effect of the TBM and huge projects like this on the environment too. There is work being done behind the TBM as it continues to bore through the mountain, with replanting the native bush and not using explosives that will upset animals and their habitat.
But will Imogen Parkinson listen? Oh no. Imogen is Liam’s nemesis at school, undermining everything he said about his dad’s work with some environmental catastrophe at every turn. They argue their point in class at school, both becoming louder and angry at the other.
When Liam sees an opportunity to prove his point to Imogen, he grabs it, inviting her to come and look in the tunnel at the TBM and rockface, deep inside. He did have to ‘borrow’ his father’s keys to the perimeter fencing and his parents think he is hanging out with his best friend Noah, but he and Imogen are finally standing in the tunnel.
Little does Liam know, Imogen has her own ideas for being there, and he’s shocked when he learns the truth. But soon, none of that matters, as the ground begins to rumble and the tunnel begins to shudder.
In seconds they are deep within the mountain with no way out, and no-one knowing they are there. Can they put their differences aside and work together? Liam knows about cave ins from hearing of cases all over the world. But some of those people were there for weeks, and some never came out at all…
A gripping story of survival, trapped in the dark, kilometres underground. David Hill knows his characters well, with Liam the key voice in this tale. Although set in New Zealand, the setting could be anywhere in the world. The disaster happens very early in the novel and I did wonder how the author was going to keep the tension up throughout the story.
I shouldn’t have worried. In fact, as the novel progresses the tension rachets up further and faster until I could almost feel the swiftly rising water up my own body as I read.
I enjoyed the storyline of the rivalry between the classmates and appreciated the fact that they aren’t bosom pals after experiencing such a traumatic event together, but have come to understand the other side of their argument instead. Thus allowing a possible friendship afterwards.
A master storyteller of over 40 novels for children and teens, David Hill never disappoints. Although I’ve indicated 10+ readership, young teens will also enjoy this riveting read.
10+
The TBM or Tunnel Boring Machine is his favourite, working round the clock, controlled by a team of experts, boring a circular hole through rock millions of years old. His dad is well aware of the effect of the TBM and huge projects like this on the environment too. There is work being done behind the TBM as it continues to bore through the mountain, with replanting the native bush and not using explosives that will upset animals and their habitat.
But will Imogen Parkinson listen? Oh no. Imogen is Liam’s nemesis at school, undermining everything he said about his dad’s work with some environmental catastrophe at every turn. They argue their point in class at school, both becoming louder and angry at the other.
When Liam sees an opportunity to prove his point to Imogen, he grabs it, inviting her to come and look in the tunnel at the TBM and rockface, deep inside. He did have to ‘borrow’ his father’s keys to the perimeter fencing and his parents think he is hanging out with his best friend Noah, but he and Imogen are finally standing in the tunnel.
Little does Liam know, Imogen has her own ideas for being there, and he’s shocked when he learns the truth. But soon, none of that matters, as the ground begins to rumble and the tunnel begins to shudder.
In seconds they are deep within the mountain with no way out, and no-one knowing they are there. Can they put their differences aside and work together? Liam knows about cave ins from hearing of cases all over the world. But some of those people were there for weeks, and some never came out at all…
A gripping story of survival, trapped in the dark, kilometres underground. David Hill knows his characters well, with Liam the key voice in this tale. Although set in New Zealand, the setting could be anywhere in the world. The disaster happens very early in the novel and I did wonder how the author was going to keep the tension up throughout the story.
I shouldn’t have worried. In fact, as the novel progresses the tension rachets up further and faster until I could almost feel the swiftly rising water up my own body as I read.
I enjoyed the storyline of the rivalry between the classmates and appreciated the fact that they aren’t bosom pals after experiencing such a traumatic event together, but have come to understand the other side of their argument instead. Thus allowing a possible friendship afterwards.
A master storyteller of over 40 novels for children and teens, David Hill never disappoints. Although I’ve indicated 10+ readership, young teens will also enjoy this riveting read.
10+
June 18, 2023
This book was unputdownable... I couldn't read fast enough as I tried to find out whether Liam and Imogen get out of the tunnel they are trapped in...
Liam and Imogen are classmates who do NOT like each other, but in an attempt to prove each other wrong, they end up in the tunnel which Liam's dad is digging through a local hill. When the tunnel collapses - and no-one knows where they have gone - we are left hoping that someone, somehow works out what has happened to the children.
David Hill has done a masterful job of keeping the tension going throughout the story and I can't recommend this book highly enough. It is well deserving of its place as a 2023 Book Award finalist.
Liam and Imogen are classmates who do NOT like each other, but in an attempt to prove each other wrong, they end up in the tunnel which Liam's dad is digging through a local hill. When the tunnel collapses - and no-one knows where they have gone - we are left hoping that someone, somehow works out what has happened to the children.
David Hill has done a masterful job of keeping the tension going throughout the story and I can't recommend this book highly enough. It is well deserving of its place as a 2023 Book Award finalist.
December 28, 2023
I feel that it's a shame that the cover gives away quite a bit of the plot. It starts well, becomes a little tedious in the middle (as we only have the perspective of those who are trapped - I guess wanting to know more about the outside is what it must've felt like for the characters though) but then it builds tension expertly at the end.
It's a survival story about remaining calm, rationing, building routine, fluctuating hope, and a love of the environment be it a forest or a mountain. It also proves that we are, indeed, shaped by our experiences.
I loved the parent quote, "You did everything wrong when you went into the tunnel, love. You did everything right after that."
It's a survival story about remaining calm, rationing, building routine, fluctuating hope, and a love of the environment be it a forest or a mountain. It also proves that we are, indeed, shaped by our experiences.
I loved the parent quote, "You did everything wrong when you went into the tunnel, love. You did everything right after that."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2025
The book is where two characters get caught up in a tunnel collapse and have to survive alone in darkness kilometers underground only hoping that they are found. The main character ( Liam ) tries to prove that his father who is building a tunnel under a mountain is environment friendly to a hater called Imogen. Liam steals his dads keys to the tunnel to show Imogen when the workers are having a break, but then the tunnel collapses. I thought the book was pretty good, I didn’t like it at the start, but then I got hooked in about ¼ of the way through. So the start was a but plain, because the action was pretty dry, but when the action started I really enjoyed it.
August 7, 2025
Fantastic survival story! Gripping and keeps you in the edge of your seat powering through in one reading session. The writing is so good you can feel the walls closing in and your throat drying up. The kids will love this.
May 3, 2023
David Hill delivers again. Our junior students will appreciate this book. I found it a bit slow to begin with but the excitement really picked up in the second half of the book
July 6, 2023
A gripping story with so much tension and drama.
March 23, 2024
Absolutely thrilling edge of your seat story for primary/intermediate aged students
July 13, 2024
A good NZ ya novel but not my favourite by David Hill. Would be good for junior english.
February 1, 2025
A great kids book but not a historical one
July 22, 2023
Liam and Imogen are constantly arguing about the Puketapu tunnel development. So Liam sneaks Imogen into the construction site to prove his point. But their underground sightseeing trip goes horribly wrong when the tunnel caves in, trapping them in the darkness. They are forced to work together if they are going to survive. As time drags for the prisoners waiting and hoping to be rescued, the story pace stagnates somewhat (which is probably only realistic given the situation). But stick with it as the tension picks up towards the end. The cover is brilliant, showing time running out as the hour glass shaped cave fills with water. 3.5 stars for this environmentally themed adventure.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews